Leon "Pop" Bright, Jr. is a former Gridiron football

Gridiron football

Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...

 player in the Canadian Football League

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

 for four years and in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 for five years.

He played high school football

High school football

High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

 at Merritt Island High School

Merritt Island High School

Merritt Island High School is a public high school located in Merritt Island, Florida.-Principals:#Robert Bruton 1965-1983#Hank Smith 1983-1999#David M. Piccolo 2002#Gary Shiffrin 2002 - current- Academics :...

 in Merritt Island, Florida

Merritt Island, Florida

Merritt Island is a census-designated place in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located on the east coast of the state on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2000 census, the population was 36,090. It is part of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 and was on the 1973 Merritt Island High, Florida Class AAAA state championship team. Bright was named to the FHSAA's All-Century Team which selected the Top 33 players in the 100 year history of high school football in the state of Florida's history.

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 Florida State University where he still holds the record for most yards on a kickoff return, which resulted in a touchdown.

From 1977-1980, Bright played running back

Running back

A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...

, wide receiver

Wide receiver

A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

, defensive back

Defensive back

In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...

, and kickoff returner for the BC Lions

BC Lions

The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...

. He also played for the New York Giants

New York Giants

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 from 1981–1983 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...

 from 1984-1985.

Bright was selected to the Lions' 2004 50th Anniversary Dream Team. In 2006 he was the head coach for the Daytona Beach Thunder

Daytona Beach Thunder

The Daytona Beach ThunderBirds were a franchise in the af2, playing in the 2008 season, and folding afterwards.-AIFL Era:The team began play in February 2006 as the Daytona Beach Thunder in the American Indoor Football League under coach Ervin Bryson and owners Kevin and Zack McDonald, and Jay Burton...

 arena football team.

Leon also runs the Leon Bright Charitable Foundation. His foundation works with under privileged kids and families.

He is the eldest of 10 children and also the eldest of 23 paternal grandchildren. Bright and wife, Tammy, currently reside in Volusia County, Florida. He has four children and four grandchildren.