KNOXVILLE, TN (WLAF) – “An award is shallow unless you can share it with your family and friends,” said Fulton Basketball Coach Jody Wright.  Wright, with lots of friends and family on hand, was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame Thursday night at the Knoxville Convention Center.

PHOTO ABOVE:

First row L-R 13 Lee Lowe, 32 Tony Simpson, 20 Dennis Money, 8 Walter Asbury, 22 Jody Wright, 4 Johnny Seal, 10 Jeff Newport

Second row L-R Coach Len Pierce, Manager Greg Lawson, 30 Ricky Kennedy, 12 Eddie Hatmaker, 34 Terry Petree, 14 Phillip Rogers, 21 Gary Smith, Manager Wade Lawson

The well deserving Wright has coached 34 seasons as head basketball coach at Fulton High School, and along the way, he has won more than 700 games, claimed three state titles, had five runner-up finishes and appeared in 18 state basketball tournaments. Those are the numbers we all know. However, not many remember another number, two. In Wright’s very first season as a head coach, his team won two games.

VERY TOP PHOTO:  Wright delivers his induction speech at Thursday night’s ceremony

Daughters Lauren (L) and Molly (R) are pictured with their parents Kim and Jody Wright

“When you look at the names of the Knoxville and East Tennessee coaches and athletes who’ve been inducted into this, you say wow!” Wright exclaimed.  He added, “Behind every successful coach, there are a lot of moving parts behind the scenes; like players and coaches.  So, this isn’t all about Jody.”

He hasn’t always been successful when it came to basketball.  “I tried out for basketball in the 5th grade, and I was cut.  But I made the team in 6th grade,”  said the former Caryville Cardinal.

Fulton coaches, past and present, pose with Wright at the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame

In the early 1970s, Wright made the team as a sixth grader as the team went 16 & 0 and won the 1973 Campbell County Elementary School Basketball Tournament.  He said, “It’s the only undefeated team I’ve ever been around, and from that team came life long friends that I still keep in touch with all these years later.  It was a great time to grow up in a small town.”

One of those Caryville Cardinal teammates, Eddie Hatmaker, said, “I’m glad to see Jody get that award.”  Thanks for sharing, Coach.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 07/26/2019-6AM-PHOTO OF CARYVILLE TEAM COURTESY OF CARYVILLE FIRE CHIEF EDDIE HATMAKER – OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIE WRIGHT MINTON)

 

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