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Ernie Wright

No. 75
Position:	Tackle
Personal information
Born:	(1939-11-06)November 6, 1939 Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Died:	March 20, 2007(2007-03-20) (aged 67) San Diego, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
College:	Ohio State
NFL draft:	1961 / round: 15 / pick: 200 (by the Los Angeles Rams)
Career history
Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (1960–1967) Cincinnati Bengals (1968–1971) San Diego Chargers (1972)
Career highlights and awards
AFL champion (1963) 2× Second-team All-AFL (1960, 1961) 3× AFL All-Star (1961, 1963, 1965) San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 174 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Ernest Henry Wright (November 6, 1939 – March 20, 2007) was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 13 seasons, from 1960 to 1969 in the American Football League (AFL), and from 1970 to 1972 in the National Football League (NFL).

Early life

Wright was born on November 6, 1939, in Toledo, Ohio and attended Scott High School. He played football for Ohio State University and started on the Buckeyes' offensive line in 1958 and 1959.

Professional Football career

Wright was an original member of the Los Angeles Chargers of the American Football League in 1960. He was drafted in the 15th round (200th overall) of the 1961 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, but he remained with the Chargers.

Wright was a starter for the Chargers in their 51–10 victory over the Boston Patriots in the 1963 AFL Championship game.

He was an AFL All-Star in 1961, 1963 and 1965. Chargers Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman called the tandem of Wright and Hall-of-Famer Ron Mix "The best pair of offensive tackles in pro football."

He played eight seasons for the Chargers, through the 1967 season. He played the next four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, including in their inaugural season of 1968. In 1968 and 1969, the Bengals were in the AFL; in 1970, they moved to the NFL as the two leagues merged. He returned to the Chargers to finish his career in 1972.

Wright was one of only 20 men who played all 10 years of the AFL's existence.

Personal life

In 1994, Wright founded The Pro Kids Golf Academy and Learning Center, a nonprofit organization aimed at providing inner-city youth in San Diego with access to golf and life skills development. The organization operates at the Colina Park Golf Course and expanded in 2012 with the construction of the Ely Callaway Golf & Learning Center in Oceanside, funded by a $2 million donation from Callaway Golf. The facility includes classrooms, a library, and a golf simulator. Wright was the first winner of the Ernie H. Wright Humanitarian Award, which the San Diego Hall of Champions had established in his honor. The award was presented to Wright during the hall's awards banquet in 2007.

He became a sports talent agent and later became the western regional chief for the NFL Players Association. He later operated a series of installations for people convicted of misdemeanors.

Wright died of cancer in 2007.

See also

• List of American Football League players

References

1. "1961 Los Angeles Rams". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
2. Park, Jack (January 1, 2003). The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 9781582616957.
3. "Ernie Wright NFL & AFL Football Statistics | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
4. "Former Chargers, Bengals lineman Ernie Wright dies at 67". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
5. "Pro Kids, First Tee celebrates 30 years at Colina Park". Fox 5 San Diego.
6. Gibbs, Colleen (May 1, 2010). "Pro Kids Golf Academy has big plans to change lives". Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
7. "Kids build character and learn life skills through the game of golf". San Diego Union-Tribune. January 19, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
8. "Callaway Golf Foundation". www.callawaygolf.com. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
9. Peterson, Karla (September 1, 2012). "Architect builds clubhouse fit for dreaming". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
10. ^ "SignOnSanDiego.com > San Diego Chargers -- Former Charger Ernie Wright dies". www.utsandiego.com. Retrieved May 8, 2016.

• 1939 births
• 2007 deaths
• American football offensive tackles
• Cincinnati Bengals players
• Los Angeles Chargers players
• Ohio State Buckeyes football players
• San Diego Chargers players
• American Football League All-Star players
• Players of American football from Toledo, Ohio
• Deaths from cancer in California
• American Football League players