When you see Connor Wright walking around campus, the first thing you will notice is his crazy hair. He sports all kinds of cuts and right now has long hair but is thinking about bringing the dreads back.
Wright has a lot of tattoos, all of which are meaningful. From his family coat of arms tattooed on his back, a shield on his right forearm, and a poem tatooed on his ribs in memory of his late sister. On or off the field, Wright works hard in his sister’s honor.
Wright is a senior defensive end majoring in exercise science. He is from Wheat Ridge near Denver, and was a standout high school defensive end. CMU recruited him to be an outside linebacker.
“College football has definitely been a struggle,” Wright said. “Coming out of high school, you think you are top dog and then you get to college football and you see what real athletes are like.”
After redshirting his freshman year, Wright had three years to develop and play special teams. At only 250 pounds he is the size of a linebacker, but that never worked out for him. Wright says he was not comfortable at the position and is more of a one-dimensional type of player who likes to chase the quarterback.
Wright is coming off of a career game where he set the Mavericks single-game record with six sacks.
“That was my best game ever in college,” Wright said. “It was a lot of fun.”
What he loves most about football is his teammates. He doesn’t have any personal goals, he just has a team goal: to win a championship.
“I just love the guys. It’s like a brotherhood or family,” Wright said. “I also love playing great teams so I can compare myself to other great athletes. There is no better feeling than what you get on game day.”
In 2005, Wright’s life changed forever when his old sister, Toni, died in a car accident on her way back to college. Wright says she always inspired him.
“The thing that drives me on and off the field is fear,” Wright said. “Fear really drives me. The fear of letting down my parents, teammates and my sister. I don’t ever want to be that guy who makes that mistake. I want to be the guy works his hardest.”
Wright wears the number seven, the same number his sister wore on her high school sports teams. The number reminds him to work hard and be successful for his sister.
“I can’t fail. That is what drives me.” Wright said.
He always looked up to his older sister. His favorite tattoo is a poem on his ribs that his oldest sister wrote about Toni. She wrote it back in 2000, but Wright said after you read it, it sounds like something that was written after her passing. The poem shows how much Toni touched Wright and her entire family.
After college he wants to travel the world. He loves the outdoors and rock climbing.
“I definitely will be getting in with the outdoor program here at CMU after college. We have one of the best in the nation,” Wright said.
After a five week trip he took to Africa last winter, Wright discovered he has a passion for traveling. He loves traveling to Moab and he has ventured to Canada.
“Africa was the big stepping stone that showed me I can do anything,” Wright said. “I don’t want to stop until I have seen the world.”
afix@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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