Scooby Wright
Philip Anthony "Scooby" Wright III (born August 28, 1994 in Windsor, California) is a former linebacker for the 2022 and 2023 Birmingham Stallions in the United States Football League.
Wright is the son of Philip and Annette Wright, who were living in California while his father coached softball at Santa Rosa Junior College. It was his father that gave him the nickname "Scooby" as a baby. He played football at Cardinal Newman High School and was an all-state selection in his junior and senior years, and rated as a two-star college football prospect.
Wright accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Arizona Wildcats. During his sophomore season in 2014 he racked up 29 tackles for loss, including 14 sacks and 6 forced fumbles, one of which he returned for a score. After the season he was named Defensive Player of the Year for the Pacific-12 Conference, and given the national Bronco Nagurski trophy and Chuck Bednarik awards for defensive player of the year, the Lombardi Award for lineman of the year, and the Jack Lambert trophy for top collegiate linebacker. He also finished 9th in the balloting for that year's Heisman Trophy. He was injured for most of the 2015 season and declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft.
Wright was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 250th overall pick in the 9th round of the draft. He signed a 4-year $2.4 million contract in May, but was listed as inactive at the beginning of the season. He was waived in September and re-signed to the practice squad, where the Arizona Cardinals were able to pick him up in December. He was used sparingly over the next two seasons, dropping off the active roster more than once before he was released in September 2018. The next spring he played with the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which folded after the season. From April to October 2019 he was signed with the NFL's New England Patriots, but did not see the field.
Wright was selected in the 4th round of the 2019 XFL draft by the DC Defenders. He recorded 17 tackles in 4 games before the league shut down in April 2020. He was briefly signed to the Alphas of The Spring League that fall. During the next several months he trained as a mixed martial arts fighter and also enrolled in firefighter certification classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. When the USFL prepared to return in 2022, he signed up for the draft.
Wright was selected by the Stallions with the 4th pick in the inside linebacker draft. He quickly emerged as a star for the team, both with his playmaking (32 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 fumbles forced fumbles and 2 passes knocked down through the first four games) and his showmanship, making the most of the league's use of helmet cams and social media interaction with his exuberant personality. Previously known as "Two Star Scoob" and "Seventh Round Scoob" for his rankings coming out of high school and college, he adopted a new name "SharkDawg" combining two of his favorite ferocious animals. He missed part of the season with a calf injury and illness, but returned in time to score a go-ahead touchdown on a 46-yard interception return in the 4th quarter of the 2022 USFL Championship game in Canton, Ohio.
During the 2023 season, Wright spent most of the year on the injured reserve list, recording just six tackles in limited time. He remained with the 2024 Birmingham Stallions season in their inaugural season in the United Football League, but started the year again on injured reserve.
References
- Gaydos, Ryan (May 13, 2022) "Rising USFL star Scooby Wright III was preparing to be firefighter before getting drafted." FOX News
- Rifino, Patrick (January 28, 2023) "Return of The SharkDawg: Scooby Wright Announces Return to Birmingham Stallions." USFL News Hub
- Holliday, A. J. (July 12, 2023) "‘It’s just amazing how they embraced me’: Birmingham Stallions LB Scooby Wright discusses football career." CBS42.com
- "Scooby Wright" (April 25, 2024) Wikipedia - accessed April 29, 2024