Alvin Wright (February 5, 1961 – March 23, 2018) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

. Wright, a

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

, played with the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL)'s

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

from 1986 to 1991 and was

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

in 1990.

Early life and college

Wright graduated from Randolph County High School in 1980 after leading the football team to the state playoff finals in 1979 and earned a

football scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United States and ...

with

Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University (JSU or Jax State) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's degree, bachelor's, mas ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. Wright was

Gulf South Conference The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States. History Originally known as the ...

Freshman of the Year in 1980 and Defensive Player of the Year in 1981. He earned Honorable Mention All-America honors after the 1981 season. Wright lettered four years at Jacksonville State and had 200 career solo tackles, 388 total tackles, and 30

quarterback sacks In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the ...

. Wright led the Gamecocks to two Gulf South conference championships and three trips to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Professional career

After college, Wright was drafted in the 14th round by the

Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their ...

of the

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

. Rather than report to the Stallions, Wright went undrafted by the NFL and later signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

with the Rams in 1985. He briefly left the Rams' camp, but returned in 1986 and spent most of that season on the injured list with a knee injury. Wright was the first Rams player to cross the picket line during the 1987 NFL players' strike and started his first career game against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in Week 3. He played 84 career games over seven seasons, starting 62, and recording 163 career solo tackles, 71 assists, and eight

. Wright led all Rams defensive linemen in tackles for four consecutive seasons and started 50 consecutive games from 1988 to 1991.

Personal life

Wright had a wife named Sherri Wright (Baldy) and has two children, Brittany Shantelle Wright and Eric Pool (Wright). Alvin Wright died of a heart attack on March 23, 2018.

References

External links

Alvin Wright career statistics at Pro-Football-Reference.comNFL.com player page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Alvin 1961 births 2018 deaths People from Randolph County, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama American football defensive linemen Jacksonville State Gamecocks football players Los Angeles Rams players NFL replacement players