Bright's mother reportedly rubbed olive oil into his legs as an infant when she was told by a doctor that her son was not "moving and working his muscles enough".

[2] He was initially rejected due to a slow pulse, however, he went to another enlistment center after running three miles to raise his heart rate.

[2][7][8] That same year, he set a course record of 47:22 at the Dipsea Race, but finished second due to the impairing nature of the event.

[11] In the mid-1960s, Bright began to slowly lose his eyesight due to atrophy of the optic nerves.

[2] Bright is mentioned in Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling biography about Louis Zamperini, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.

Bright appeared on the cover of Runners World in September 1974, running a steeplechase at the age of 64 and nearly blind.