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Volume 6, No. 1
It doesn’t happen that often any more. After all, it’s been 20 years since Rynn Wright was last seen in a Texas A&M uniform. But occasionally, as Wright is beating the streets in Dallas, making sales and training new employees, it becomes apparent to his understudies that their boss once had all the "Wright stuff" on the court. "Working here in Dallas, I’m out on the streets a lot, and I run into a lot of different people," said Wright, a district manager for Miller Brewing Company. "Every so often, I’ll introduce myself, and somebody will say, ‘Hey, I remember you from when you played at Texas A&M.’ It kind of impresses the salesmen who report to me. They’ll say, ‘I guess you were pretty good, after all.’" That’s an understatement. During his time at Texas A&M (1977-81), Wright was often pretty sensational. He is, in fact, still the fourth-leading scorer in Aggie basketball history, collecting 1,495 points during his A&M career. And he is tied for third in school history with 870 career rebounds.
And perhaps most importantly, Wright was the physical enforcer on perhaps the greatest team (1979-80) in Texas A&M history. That team won 26 games, made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and came ever so close to knocking off eventual NCAA champion Louisville to reach the Elite Eight. Vernon Smith, David Britton and Rudy Woods may have gotten more ink, but the most intimidating brick in "The Wall" was the muscular and menacing Wright. Wright’s toughness played a major role in the Aggies’ numerous successes. "He’s one of my all-time favorite players," former Texas A&M coach Shelby Metcalf said of Wright. "He could do it all. He could get that major league rebound, score, play great defense. And he was a whole lot like (Olympic shot put gold medalist) Randy Matson when it came to being physical. "Randy and Rynn are probably the two most physical players I ever had (in 27 years as the A&M head coach). When the lights came on, he would really get after it. He was a tremendous competitor." He still is, although his competitive fire is now more focused toward Lites than the bright lights. Wright has been at Miller in Dallas for more than 18 years. Both he and Vernon Smith were drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1981. Unfortunately neither made the squad. Some guy named Dr. J was already playing forward in Philly, while Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney had solidified the backcourt. The Sixers were assembling a team that would win the NBA title in 1982-83. And to make matters more difficult for Wright, Philadelphia asked the Texas A&M forward to move to guard. Those factors added up to a quick end to Wright’s NBA dreams. "When I was drafted by Philadelphia, I went up there and tried out, but obviously didn’t make the team," Wright said. "That was the year before they won the championship, so they really didn’t need any of (the draft picks). And it was hard for me to compete against two top guards like Toney and Cheeks. Besides, it was a real adjustment for me to try to play guard. But it was a neat opportunity that a lot of guys don’t even get. "After that, I went overseas and played in Venezuela for a while. That was a neat experience, too. When I came back home, I settled down and got married and started working for Miller. I’ve been here ever since. I love it. We have a great owner here in Barry Andrews. You get to know the retailers and grow with them and mature with them. It can be stressful to get the sales and compete against Bud and Coors. But I like the competitive mode. I don’t sweat as much as I use to, but the competition can still be intense." Wright says he enjoys his job at Miller so much that he often loses track of how long he has been with the company. But there are those occasional reminders. "I work with a gentleman here whose name is David Holt," Wright said. "When he first came to work here, he walked up and introduced himself to me and said, ‘You don’t remember me, do you?’ I told him no, and he told me that he had come up to me after a game when I was at A&M and I had given him a wristband. I told him, ‘That makes me feel very, very old.’ But in hindsight, it is neat to have someone working for me who had watched me play when he was a kid. "It’s nice to know that you haven’t been forgotten." Not hardly. Wright and many of his teammates from the 1979-80 team got together last year for their 20-year reunion. When introduced at halftime of one of the games, the former players received a standing ovation. Wright says he was impressed by how many people at A&M still remember that team and its accomplishments. He was most impressed, however, by how much Texas A&M’s campus has evolved since he was going to school. And Reed Arena left a particularly strong impression on him. "Impressed? I was blown away," Wright said. "I wish we would have had that when I was there. Nothing against the old Holler House, but I loved (Reed Arena). When I was there and looking around at all those seats, I thought about the Arkansas game we played the championship year, when there was standing-room only in G. Rollie White. "I thought, ‘Man, if the Aggies can just get back to those days, (Reed) will really be rocking.’ I didn’t get a chance to really get to know the new coaches, but I was impressed by what they are doing there now. Melvin Watkins seems to be a really sharp man and an excellent coach. And I was just in awe of how nice that facility is." During the reunion, Wright also vowed to get back to College Station far more often than he has been able to do over the last 20 years. And he says his 8-year-old son, Ryan, won’t let him forget that promise. "I really regret the fact that I haven’t been able to get back to College Station very often," Wright said. "Coach Metcalf and I were very close, and I miss him. But I’d love to come back and see him a whole lot more and see the Aggies play basketball. Besides, I’ve told my youngest son that I will take him to see where Daddy played basketball and see a game. He didn’t get to go with me for the reunion, and I promised we would get back there. I’m sure he’d love to go to Texas A&M when he grows up. "I hope he gets that chance. I loved my time at A&M, and I’d like to get more involved. And I’d especially like to see Texas A&M basketball rise back to the level it was at not so long ago." Wright, who also has a 20-year-old son named Andre, admits that he has selfish reasons for wanting to see the A&M program continue to improve. He works with people who have a variety of university allegiances. And during much of the last decade, as Aggie basketball has struggled, he has taken his fair share of abuse. "Our general manager here is from Texas Tech, and he set me up a few years ago when the Southwest Conference tournament was in Dallas," Wright said. "He got me tickets right in the middle of Texas Tech fans for the A&M-Tech game. So, I had to sit right in the middle of all these Tech fans. So, the two of us have a little rivalry going. He’s a little disappointed right now, because his daughter is at A&M and his son is thinking about it. "I may not ever be able to win him over, but A&M is obviously winning over his kids. And I’m already looking forward to when the Big 12 tournament is here in Dallas (in 2003). I’d love to see us win that thing. It’s about time I got to gloat a little bit. "But win or lose, I’m an Aggie through and through. I, of course, love to recall that championship season. But I enjoyed all four years. I enjoyed playing with the people on my teams, and I became real close to those guys. We really became like a family, and that was one of the keys to us winning the championship. It was a fun time, and hopefully, the fun times for A&M basketball will be back soon.
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