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Football MSU Athletics Communications

BEAR MAKERS: Joe Wright

The Morgan State Athletics Department will begin a new feature on morganstatebears.com that will highlight former student-athletes and their accomplishments in their professional careers and the impact they have made on their communities in their personal lives.

At Morgan State Athletics, we strive to arm our student-athletes with the skills to excel far beyond athletics. The Bear Makers series will provide Morgan State Athletics with the support and resources needed to position our student-athletes to succeed on a broader playing field of success. 

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Joe Wright was a four-year starter as a center on the Morgan State football team. He was entrusted the starting left guard position as a true freshman and blossomed into becoming one of the premier centers in the MEAC. The Petersburg, Virginia native was a two-time All-MEAC selection and his career was highlighted by helping the Bears post a 7-5 record during his senior season (2002) – it was Morgan's first winning season since 1979.
 
Wright earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Masters of Science of Business Administration from Morgan State University. He was named the 2006 PHH Outstanding Graduate and was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. He was also the Class of 2004 Senior Class Vice President and a member of the Athletic Retention Committee.
 
Following his collegiate playing career, Wright was the Director of Football Operations/Assistant Coach at Morgan State from 2004 until 2012. He also won a Maryland State Championship as the offensive coordinator for the Dunbar High School Poets in 2017.

Joe recently spoke to MorganStateBears.com about his time as a student-athlete at Morgan State and his present life living in Alabama. 

wrightback
 
Q+A with Joe:
 
Q: What years did you attend Morgan State and what sport(s) did you play? 
Wright: I attended Morgan from 1999 through 2004, and pursued a Masters degree from 2004 to 2006. I played football for all four years.

Q: Why did you choose to attend MSU?    
Wright: I visited Morgan on a trip with my high school. I wanted to go there ever since!

Q: What was your major at MSU and what year did you graduate?     
Wright: I studied accounting and I graduated in the Spring of 2004.
 
Q: Have you obtained a higher level of education since graduating from MSU?          
Wright: Yes. After I graduated from Morgan with my undergraduate degree in Accounting and earned a Masters of Science of Business Administration in 2006.

joe asu 

Q: Where do you currently live and work?           
Wright: I currently live in Montgomery, Alabama where I work at Alabama State University. I manage all aspects of the Hornets football program operations. I perform administrative functions in execution of day to day management of the program. I coordinate team travel, practice schedules, yearly calendar, and personnel functions in addition to providing assistance to the recruiting coordinator. My duties also include assisting our athletic executive team with organization of game day operations and creating, editing and producing practice scripts.

jwol

Q: Did you always know or predict that your career would be in your current profession?               
Wright: No, I did not. I was an accounting major and thought I would be behind a desk crunching numbers for the rest of my life. I worked at Morgan State from 2004-2012 as Director of Football Operations, an assistant coach, and run game coordinator. My next stop was the Baltimore City School System where I won a Maryland State Championship as offensive coordinator for the Dunbar Poets in 2017. I didn't think I would be working with young student-athletes for the last 16 years. 

Q: How did your time as a student and student-athlete at MSU prepare you for your career and life after college?  
Wright: My time at Morgan prepared me for the ups and downs of life. Especially how life can be dynamic and you have to be able to adjust and respond in the best way you can. Morgan taught me how to work with others, how to handle relationships, and how to carry myself. 
                   
Q: What personal or professional accomplishment(s) are you most proud of since you graduated from MSU?      
Wright: Learning the art of coaching and touching so many lives at the collegiate and high school level.

Q: What is your best advice for current MSU student-athletes?            
Wright: Take advantage of every opportunity. Every class, seminar and function is an opportunity to grow. When times get tough, don't gripe and complain and wonder why you chose Morgan, hold your head high, push forward and persevere.
 
2000 Morgan State football team
2000 Morgan State Football Team


Q: What is your favorite memory from your time as a Bear?     
Wright: Too many! Probably beating N.C. A&T 52-42 (2001) in a shootout. I finally saw that we could beat good teams.
 
Q: Have the relationships you built among your team lasted beyond college?  
Wright: Yes, all of them. There's nothing like a crew from an HBCU!


 
Q: When was the last time you had been to campus? How has the campus changed?
Wright: Summer '20. Campus has totally changed. Since I was in school, the student center, library, business school, administration building, communication building, amongst other have been built.

wrightfam

Q: What are some things you enjoy doing in your free time?     
Wright: I enjoy reading, playing games and hanging out with my family that includes my 5 year old daughter and four dogs. I'm also a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. I was able to become a member through Pi Chapter at Morgan State University in the Spring of 2001.

Qs
 
Q: Are you still involved in athletics in some capacity?   
Wright: Yes. I'm entering my second season at Alabama State as the Director of Football Operations.
 
Q: What motivates you to give back (volunteer, mentor, donate) to MSU Athletics?  
Wright: The growth you see at the University. Every penny is going to good use. Strong leadership.

BEAR MAKERS
Lamar West
Mariama Gondo
Tiffany Rubin

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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
 
 
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