T. J. Wright
Encyclopedia
T. J. Wright
T. J. Wright (born November 29, 1983 in Webster, Texas
is an American football
cornerback
who is currently a free agent
. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals
as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Ohio
.
He has also been a member of the Florida Tuskers.
.
, Wright started all 14 games and earned first-team All-MAC honors from the league's coaches. He was, also, named All-MAC by Collegefootballnews.com, which rated him as the second-best defensive back in the league and one of the top 30 best football players regardless of position. Wright was named MAC East Division Player of the Week after recording seven tackles, two pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery at Miami. He led all Ohio defensive backs, and ranked third on the team overall, with 59 tackles. He ranked first on the team with four interceptions and was the first Bobcat since Bop White (1999–2002) to notch four straight seasons with at least three interceptions. In his senior season, Wright helped lead the Bobcats to a MAC
East Division title, a MAC Championship Game
appearance, a GMAC Bowl
appearance and accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural Texas vs The Nation All-Star game in El Paso, TX.
in 2009. He signed with the team on August 17. He was released before the season began.
T. J. Wright (born November 29, 1983 in Webster, Texas
Webster, Texas
Webster is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 9,083 at the 2000 census.-History:...
is an American football
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...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
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 Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Ohio
Ohio Bobcats football
The Ohio Bobcats football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Ohio University. The team represents the university as a member of the Mid-American Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision level...
.
He has also been a member of the Florida Tuskers.
Early years
Wright was an All-District, All-State cornerback at Clifton J. Ozen Magnet High School Beaumont, TexasBeaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
.
College career
As a senior with the Ohio BobcatsOhio Bobcats
Ohio University features 16 varsity sports teams called the Bobcats. The Bobcats compete in the Mid-American Conference in all sports. The Bobcats were a charter member of the Mid-American Conference in 1946 and are the only team still in the conference from the original 5 team league that...
, Wright started all 14 games and earned first-team All-MAC honors from the league's coaches. He was, also, named All-MAC by Collegefootballnews.com, which rated him as the second-best defensive back in the league and one of the top 30 best football players regardless of position. Wright was named MAC East Division Player of the Week after recording seven tackles, two pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery at Miami. He led all Ohio defensive backs, and ranked third on the team overall, with 59 tackles. He ranked first on the team with four interceptions and was the first Bobcat since Bop White (1999–2002) to notch four straight seasons with at least three interceptions. In his senior season, Wright helped lead the Bobcats to a MAC
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
East Division title, a MAC Championship Game
MAC Championship Game
The Marathon MAC Football Championship is a football game between the winners of the East and West divisions of the Mid-American Conference to determine the conference champion. The game has been played since 1997, when the conference was first divided into divisions and since 2003 has been...
appearance, a GMAC Bowl
GMAC Bowl
The GoDaddy.com Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played annually at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama since 1999. It currently matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference, and...
appearance and accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural Texas vs The Nation All-Star game in El Paso, TX.
Cincinnati Bengals
Wright was signed by the Bengals as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2007. He was released on November 12, 2007.Florida Tuskers
Wright was drafted by the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League in the UFL Premiere Season DraftUFL Premiere Season Draft
The UFL "Premiere" Season Draft was the inaugural draft of the United Football League. The results of the draft were announced via press release on June 19, 2009....
in 2009. He signed with the team on August 17. He was released before the season began.