Scooby Wright

Philip Anthony "Scooby" Wright III (born August 28, 1994) is an American football linebacker for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Arizona.

Scooby Wright

Wright with the Cardinals in 2017
No. 33 – Birmingham Stallions
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1994-08-28) August 28, 1994 (age 29) Windsor, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	246 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school:	Santa Rosa (CA) Cardinal Newman
College:	Arizona (2013–2015)
NFL draft:	2016 / Round: 7 / Pick: 250
Career history
Cleveland Browns (2016) Arizona Cardinals (2016–2017) Arizona Hotshots (2019) New England Patriots (2019)* DC Defenders (2020) Birmingham Stallions (2022–present)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:	Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
2× USFL champion (2022, 2023) Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year (2014) Bronko Nagurski Trophy (2014) Lombardi Award (2014) Chuck Bednarik Award (2014) Jack Lambert Trophy (2014) Unanimous All-American (2014) First-team All-Pac-12 (2014)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 7
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Wright attended Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California, where he was a two-sport star in football and track. He was regarded as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.^[1] Wright was a four-year varsity player at linebacker and running back for the Cardinals. Wright was an all-state selection his junior and senior years. Also a standout shot putter on the track team, Wright had a top-throw of 15.67 meters (51–3).^[2]

College career

Despite being lightly recruited, Wright earned immediate playing time as a true freshman at the University of Arizona in 2013.^[3][4] He started 12 of 13 games, recording 83 tackles and an interception and garnering Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 Conference honors. Wright remained a starter as a sophomore in 2014.^[5][6] He was a finalist for numerous awards, including the Walter Camp Award.^[7] He claimed the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award, Jack Lambert Award, Chuck Bednarik Award and also was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore to ever win the conference award. Wright also earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors.^[8] He had the highest finish of any defensive player in the 2014 Heisman Trophy voting, finishing ninth on the ballot.^[9] As a junior in 2015, Wright played only 3 games due to injury, recording 2 sacks and 23 tackles. After his junior year, he announced his intentions to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.^{[citation needed]}

College statistics

Year	GP	TSolo	TAsst	TOT	TFL	TFLYDS	SCK	SCKYDS	INT	INTYDS	TD	FF	FR
2013	13	46	37	83	9.0	29	0	0	1	13	0	0	0
2014	14	99	64	163	29.0	96	14.0	71	0	0	0	6	1
2015	3	16	7	23	3.5	12	2.0	12	0	0	0	0	0
Total	27	145	101	236	38.0	125	14.0	71	1	13	0	6	1

Source:^[10]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
5 ft 11+3⁄4 in (1.82 m)	239 lb (108 kg)	30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m)	9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m)	4.90 s	1.67 s	2.82 s	4.47 s	7.25 s	35.0 in (0.89 m)	9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)	22 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day^[11]^[12]

Cleveland Browns

Wright was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 7th round (250th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.^[13][14] On May 14, 2016, Wright signed a four-year deal worth $2.401 million featuring a $60,700 signing bonus.^[15] He was waived by the Browns on September 20, 2016.^[16] The next day, he was signed to the practice squad.^[17]

Arizona Cardinals

On December 13, 2016, Wright was signed by the Arizona Cardinals off the Browns' practice squad.^[18]

On September 2, 2017, Wright was waived by the Cardinals and was signed to the practice squad the next day.^[19][20] He was promoted to the active roster on September 8, 2017.^[21] He was waived on September 11, 2017, and was re-signed to the practice squad.^[22] He was promoted back to the active roster on October 3, 2017.^[23]

On September 1, 2018, Wright was waived by the Cardinals.^[24]

Arizona Hotshots

On December 11, 2018, Wright signed with the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football (AAF).^[25] Wright was credited with 9 tackles in the 8 games played prior to the league shutting down.^[26]

New England Patriots

After the AAF ceased operations in April 2019, Wright signed with the New England Patriots on August 25, 2019.^[27] He was released during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.^[28] He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 20, 2019.^[29] On October 1, 2019, Wright was released from the practice squad.^[30]

DC Defenders

 

Wright with the Defenders in 2020

In October 2019, Wright was selected by the DC Defenders of the XFL in the 2020 XFL Draft.^[31] In 4 games played, Wright put up 17 tackles.^[32] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.^[33]

Wright signed with the Alphas of The Spring League on October 17, 2020.^[34]

Birmingham Stallions

On February 23, 2022, Wright was drafted by the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL).^[35] Wright won Defensive Player of the Week in week 4 with six tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss.^[36] He was ruled inactive for the game against the Philadelphia Stars on May 15, 2022, with a calf injury and an illness.^[37][38] He was transferred back to the active roster on May 20,^[39] but moved back to the inactive roster later that day. He scored a pick six in the fourth quarter of the 2022 USFL Championship game for the go ahead score. ^[40]

Wright was placed on the injured reserve list by the team on May 11, 2023,^[41] and transferred to the team's inactive roster on June 12.^[42] He was placed on injured reserve on April 24, 2024.^[43]

Professional statistics

Regular season

Year	League	Team	Games	Tackles				Interceptions					Fumbles
			GP	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2016	NFL	ARI	3	2	0	2	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2017	NFL	ARI	10	5	5	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2019	AAF	ARI	7	22	13	9	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2020	XFL	DC	4	17	9	8	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2022	USFL	BHM	7	52	24	28	3.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	0	0	0
NFL Career			13	7	5	2	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Spring Career			18	91	46	45	3.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	0	0	0

Postseason

Year	League	Team	Games	Tackles				Interceptions					Fumbles
			GP	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2022	USFL	BHM	2	10	2	8	0.0	1	46	46.0	46	1	0	0	0	0

Personal life

Wright is the son of Philip Jr. and Annette Wright. His father is head softball coach at Santa Rosa Junior College and played football at Long Beach State. His sister, Ashley, played softball at Illinois. Wright has been called "Scooby" since he was a baby when his father nicknamed him.^[44][45]

References

1. "Philip Wright". ESPN.com.
2. "BOYS SHOT PUT CLASS RECORDS". Running.Blogs.PressDemocrat.com.
3. "Scooby can-do: Arizona freshman linebacker in line for early playing time". TcusonCitizen.com.
4. Fox Sports (September 30, 2014). "Arizona's unheralded Scooby Wright proves doubters wrong". FOX Sports.
5. "Scooby Wright finds stardom at Arizona – Pac-12 Blog- ESPN". ESPN.com. November 20, 2014.
6. "LB Scooby Wright anchors UA football defense". azcentral. September 30, 2014.
7. Daniel Berk. "UA football: Wright garnering major national attention". Arizona Daily Star.
8. "Arizona LB Scooby Wright wins Bronko Nagurski Trophy". CollegeFootballTalk. December 9, 2014.
9. "Marcus Mariota of Oregon Ducks wins Heisman Trophy". ESPN.com. December 14, 2014.
10. "cfbstats.com – Scooby Wright III 2014 Player Statistics – Arizona Wildcats". CFBStats.com.
11. "Scooby Wright Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
12. "2016 Draft Scout Scooby Wright III, Arizona NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
13. "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
14. Labbe, Dan (April 30, 2016). "Cleveland Browns select Arizona's Scooby Wright III with their final pick of the 2016 NFL Draft". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
15. Pokorny, Chris (May 14, 2016). "Browns sign 7th round pick, Scooby Wright". DawgsByNature.com. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
16. Cabot, Mary Kay (September 20, 2016). "Browns waive 7th-round linebacker Scooby Wright and cut DL John Hughes". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
17. . ClevelandBrowns.com. September 22, 2016. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017.
18. Urban, Darren (December 13, 2016). . AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017.
19. Urban, Darren (September 2, 2017). . AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
20. Urban, Darren (September 3, 2017). . AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017.
21. Williams, Charean (September 8, 2017). "Cardinals activate Scooby Wright, cut Philip Wheeler". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
22. Williams, Charean (September 11, 2017). "Cardinals re-sign Philip Wheeler, cut Scooby Wright". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
23. "Cardinals promote Scooby Wright, add two to practice squad". ArizonaSports.com. October 3, 2017.
24. Urban, Darren (September 1, 2018). "Cardinals Make Cuts To Reach 53-Man Roster". AZCardinals.com.
25. Dale, Shane (December 11, 2018). "Scooby Wright: Former Wildcat, Cardinal signs with Arizona Hotshots of AAF". ABC15.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
26. "Scooby Wright III".
27. Pedersen, Brian (August 25, 2019). "Former Wildcat great Scooby Wright signs with Patriots". AZDesertsWarm.com. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
28. Yang, Nicole. "Patriots rumor roundup: Here's who won't make New England's 53-man roster". Boston.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
29. "Patriots Release WR Antonio Brown; Announce Practice Squad Moves". Patriots.com. September 20, 2019.
30. Vautor, Matt (October 1, 2019). "Patriots cut Cameron Meredith, Caleb Benenoch, release Scooby Wright from practice squad;". MassLive.com. MassLive. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
31. Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
32. "XFL Live Stats".
33. Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
34. The Spring League 🏈 [@TheSpringLeague] (October 17, 2020). "Some new faces at #TSL2020 for the Alphas 🐺 https://t.co/J8Z4Ci9Z6r" (Tweet). from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2022 – via Twitter.
35. Birmingham Stallions [@USFLStallions] (February 23, 2022). "Welcome to the squad, Scooby! #GiddyUp https://t.co/L8bqNXrQMT" (Tweet). from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022 – via Twitter.
36. USFL [@USFL] (May 10, 2022). "The Week 4 Defensive Player of the Week is... @USFLStallions LB @TwoStarScoob 🦈🐶 #GiddyUp https://t.co/ljmgrsBLWH" (Tweet). from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022 – via Twitter.
37. @USFLStallions (May 15, 2022). "Roster updates for today's game vs Philadelphia" (Tweet). Retrieved May 16, 2022 – via Twitter.
38. @USFLStallions (May 14, 2022). "Game Status Report" (Tweet). Retrieved May 16, 2022 – via Twitter.
39. @USFLStallions (May 20, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
40. @USFLStallions (May 21, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
41. @USFLStallions (May 12, 2023). "Transferred Player to Injured Reserve List" (Tweet). Retrieved May 12, 2023 – via Twitter.
42. @USFLStallions (June 13, 2023). "Transferred Player to Inactive Roster" (Tweet). Retrieved June 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
43. "UFL Transactions". UFLBoard.com. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
44. "Meet Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright: From Barely Recruited to one of the Nation's Best". AthlonSports.com.
45. "Get to know Arizona's Scooby Wright". azcentral. December 29, 2014.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scooby Wright.

• Arizona Wildcats bio
• Cleveland Browns bio September 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine