Kyle Wright
Encyclopedia
Kyle Wright is an American football
quarterback
who is currently a free agent
. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings
as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football
at the University of Miami
.
Wright has also been a member of the San Francisco 49ers
.
. Following his freshman year, he transferred to Monte Vista High in Danville, becoming the second string quarterback for his first year and the starter his remaining 2 years. Wright was widely regarded as the nation's top high school quarterback for the 2002-2003 season, during which he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year
and SuperPrep National Player of the Year, as well as being ranked the fifth best overall player in the nation by both Scout recruiting magazine He participated in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
game.
Additionally, Wright was ranked the best pro-style quarterback in the class of 2003 by rivals.com
while his cross-town rival, San Ramon Valley High School
quarterback Sam Keller
, future quarterback of ASU and Nebraska, was ranked ninth.
Ultimately, he chose Miami over such other schools as Florida State
, Southern California
, and Tennessee
.
, Bernie Kosar
, Vinny Testaverde
, Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson
, Gino Torretta
, and Ken Dorsey
. Wright was redshirted
for the 2003 season and spent the following season as Brock Berlin's backup before an ankle injury and an allergic reaction to a bee
sting effectively ended his season after only a few games. With Berlin having graduated, Miami's starting quarterback job was open heading into the 2005 season. During spring practice, Wright performed well and earned the starting position over redshirt freshman Kirby Freeman
.
.
However, Wright struggled badly against some of the better teams on Miami's schedule (12 of his 18 touchdown passes came against teams with a losing record: Duke
, Temple
, and Wake Forest), and led the team to a 3-loss season and a 40-3 blowout loss to LSU
in the Peach Bowl, Miami's worst bowl defeat ever. With Wright at quarterback, the Hurricanes also finished with their lowest ranking in the polls in the new millennium and suffered a loss to their archrival, Florida State
, for the first time since 1999.
However, Wright still managed to have a promising and productive season, as he led the ACC in touchdown passes (18), was second in pass efficiency to Virginia Tech's Marcus Vick
, and was the only Honorable Mention All-ACC selection at quarterback.
receiver Calvin Johnson
in balloting for the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. Wright was also named to the Maxwell Award
watchlist, and was projected as a potential Heisman Trophy
candidate.
Wright failed to meet the big preseason expectations for him, his struggles mirroring those of the team in general, which fell out of national championship contention by the third game of the season. In 9 games, Wright threw for just 1,655 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, and completed 60.8% of his passes.
As he had been during much of the season, Wright was booed continuously during Miami's 17-10 homecoming
loss to Virginia Tech
, a game in which he threw two critical interceptions and played what was viewed as the worst game of his career. As Wright left the field, angry Miami fans berated him. Wright's father, who was in the area, then engaged in a profanity laced tirade with the fans, and was restrained by Orange Bowl
security and threatened with arrest by Miami Athletic Director when he started to exhibit aggressive behavior. After cooling off, Mr. Wright stated he was merely trying to stick up for his son.
Wright fractured his thumb during the loss to Virginia Tech, and the injury kept him out of the team's game the next week, a loss at Maryland
. He underwent thumb surgery a week later, which caused him to miss the remainder of the 2006 season. He was replaced by Kirby Freeman
for the remainder of the season. Freeman led Miami to a season ending upset of Boston College and a narrow win over Nevada in the MPC Computers Bowl on New Year's Eve.
named Kirby Freeman the starting quarterback over Kyle Wright for the season-opening game against Marshall
. In two starts, Freeman went 12-of-30 for 98 yards with one touchdown and one interception, placing Miami 118th out of 119 major college schools in passing offense both in average yards per game and yards per attempt. On September 11, 2007, Shannon announced that Wright would reclaim his starting role for the September 15th game against FIU
. Kyle Wright finished his final season with Miami by passing for 1,747 yards, and 12 touchdowns, and rushing for 66 yards and 3 touchdowns.
At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Wright's final statistics were as follows: 5,835 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, 31 interceptions. He rushed for -99 yards and 4 scores.
Wright was not drafted, but on April 28, 2008, signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings
. He was waived by the team on July 2.
had claimed Wright off waivers from the Vikings while waiving quarterback Drew Olson
to make room.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
.
Wright has also been a member of the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
Early years
Wright began his high school career as starting quarterback on the Vintage High School JV team, in Napa, CaliforniaNapa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
. Following his freshman year, he transferred to Monte Vista High in Danville, becoming the second string quarterback for his first year and the starter his remaining 2 years. Wright was widely regarded as the nation's top high school quarterback for the 2002-2003 season, during which he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to male and female high-school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country,...
and SuperPrep National Player of the Year, as well as being ranked the fifth best overall player in the nation by both Scout recruiting magazine He participated in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game held in early January in San Antonio, Texas. Currently played in the Alamodome, the game brings 90 of the nation's top high school football players in an East versus West matchup. In addition to the Bowl game, there is the U.S...
game.
Additionally, Wright was ranked the best pro-style quarterback in the class of 2003 by rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
while his cross-town rival, San Ramon Valley High School
San Ramon Valley High School
San Ramon Valley High School is a four-year public high school located in the East Bay neighborhood of Danville, California, USA. San Ramon Valley High School is one of the schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. It is a National Blue Ribbon school from the Blue Ribbon Schools...
quarterback Sam Keller
Sam Keller
Samuel Michael Keller is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was signed by the Los Angeles Avengers as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
, future quarterback of ASU and Nebraska, was ranked ninth.
Ultimately, he chose Miami over such other schools as Florida State
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, and Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
.
College career
Wright graduated from high school a semester early and enrolled at the University of Miami for the 2003 spring semester amidst great expectation that he would be the next great quarterback at “Quarterback U.” and continue in the lineage of Jim KellyJim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
, Bernie Kosar
Bernie Kosar
Bernard Joseph "Bernie" Kosar, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.-Early life and high school career:A Hungarian-American...
, Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
, Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson
Craig Erickson
Craig Neil Erickson is a former professional quarterback who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round of the 1991 NFL Draft and also by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 4th round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He is one of the few NFL players to be drafted twice, most famously Bo...
, Gino Torretta
Gino Torretta
Gino Louis Torretta is a Heisman Trophy winner who played quarterback for several teams in the National Football League from 1993 to 1997....
, and Ken Dorsey
Ken Dorsey
Kenneth Simon "Ken" Dorsey is a former football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami. A two-time Heisman Trophy finalist at Miami, Dorsey played for the Cleveland Browns from 2006–2008...
. Wright was redshirted
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
for the 2003 season and spent the following season as Brock Berlin's backup before an ankle injury and an allergic reaction to a bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
sting effectively ended his season after only a few games. With Berlin having graduated, Miami's starting quarterback job was open heading into the 2005 season. During spring practice, Wright performed well and earned the starting position over redshirt freshman Kirby Freeman
Kirby Freeman
Kirby Freeman is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
.
2005 season
Wright's first season as a starter was a bit uneven. A highlight came on November 12, 2005, when Wright tied a school-record by tossing 5 touchdown passes in a 47-17 blowout victory against Wake ForestWake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
.
However, Wright struggled badly against some of the better teams on Miami's schedule (12 of his 18 touchdown passes came against teams with a losing record: Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Temple
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
, and Wake Forest), and led the team to a 3-loss season and a 40-3 blowout loss to LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in the Peach Bowl, Miami's worst bowl defeat ever. With Wright at quarterback, the Hurricanes also finished with their lowest ranking in the polls in the new millennium and suffered a loss to their archrival, Florida State
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, for the first time since 1999.
However, Wright still managed to have a promising and productive season, as he led the ACC in touchdown passes (18), was second in pass efficiency to Virginia Tech's Marcus Vick
Marcus Vick
Marcus Vick is a former college and professional football player. He is the younger brother of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who also began playing high school football in Newport News Public Schools. After accepting a full scholarship to attend Virginia Tech, Marcus played...
, and was the only Honorable Mention All-ACC selection at quarterback.
2006 season
Expectations were big for Wright heading into the 2006 season. Wright was selected as the quarterback on the Preseason All-ACC team, and finished second to Georgia TechGeorgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
receiver Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson (American football)
Calvin Johnson, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Lions second overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech....
in balloting for the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. Wright was also named to the Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
watchlist, and was projected as a potential Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
candidate.
Wright failed to meet the big preseason expectations for him, his struggles mirroring those of the team in general, which fell out of national championship contention by the third game of the season. In 9 games, Wright threw for just 1,655 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, and completed 60.8% of his passes.
As he had been during much of the season, Wright was booed continuously during Miami's 17-10 homecoming
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
loss to Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
, a game in which he threw two critical interceptions and played what was viewed as the worst game of his career. As Wright left the field, angry Miami fans berated him. Wright's father, who was in the area, then engaged in a profanity laced tirade with the fans, and was restrained by Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
security and threatened with arrest by Miami Athletic Director when he started to exhibit aggressive behavior. After cooling off, Mr. Wright stated he was merely trying to stick up for his son.
Wright fractured his thumb during the loss to Virginia Tech, and the injury kept him out of the team's game the next week, a loss at Maryland
Maryland Terrapins
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 27 men's and women's athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition...
. He underwent thumb surgery a week later, which caused him to miss the remainder of the 2006 season. He was replaced by Kirby Freeman
Kirby Freeman
Kirby Freeman is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
for the remainder of the season. Freeman led Miami to a season ending upset of Boston College and a narrow win over Nevada in the MPC Computers Bowl on New Year's Eve.
2007 season
On August 28, 2007, Head Coach Randy ShannonRandy Shannon
Randy Lennard Shannon is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010. Shannon played football at Miami and then with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL....
named Kirby Freeman the starting quarterback over Kyle Wright for the season-opening game against Marshall
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
. In two starts, Freeman went 12-of-30 for 98 yards with one touchdown and one interception, placing Miami 118th out of 119 major college schools in passing offense both in average yards per game and yards per attempt. On September 11, 2007, Shannon announced that Wright would reclaim his starting role for the September 15th game against FIU
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
. Kyle Wright finished his final season with Miami by passing for 1,747 yards, and 12 touchdowns, and rushing for 66 yards and 3 touchdowns.
At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Wright's final statistics were as follows: 5,835 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, 31 interceptions. He rushed for -99 yards and 4 scores.
Minnesota Vikings
Following the conclusion of his Miami career, Wright worked out with quarterbacks coach Tom Martinez in Northern California. In April 2008, Wright told the Miami Herald he expected to be selected in the NFL Draft, most likely on day two.Wright was not drafted, but on April 28, 2008, signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. He was waived by the team on July 2.
San Francisco 49ers
On July 7, it was announced that the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
had claimed Wright off waivers from the Vikings while waiving quarterback Drew Olson
Drew Olson
Drew Martin Olson is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at UCLA...
to make room.