Wright was born in Newark, New Jersey and attended South Side High School (since renamed Malcolm X Shabazz High School), where he earned All-City, All-County, All-State, and All-American honors in both football and basketball.

[1] Wright attended Colorado State University, where he played basketball and set the school's shot put record of 52 feet, 9 inches.

[3] Despite the fact Wright never played football in college,[4] the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL also showed interest.

[1] Wright's wife Johanna was head coach of the girls' basketball team at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey until 2014.

[12] A resident of South Orange, New Jersey, Wright died at the age of 67 at his home there on March 23, 2012, due to congestive heart failure.