[04/10/02]Twelve years after earning the state’s top coaching honor, Lum Wright Jr. has been selected as the state’s top athletic administrator.

The honor is nice, but the free trip to Florida is even better, said Wright, who is athletic director for the Vicksburg Warren School District.

“That’s what my wife liked about it,” he said, chuckling.

A committee of four Mississippi High School Activities Association representatives chose Wright as Athletic Director of the Year in his first year of eligibility.

“He has an outstanding record of success there in Vicksburg,” said Dr. Ennis Proctor, MHSAA’s executive director. “He’s always cooperative with the state office, and he’s well-respected by his peers. He’s an excellent nominee.”

Nominees have to have been athletic directors for five years, Proctor said, adding that this is the third year for the honor.

Bill Matthews of Pascagoula and Mike Justice of Madison Central are past winners.

Wright oversees one of the bigger districts in the state, which includes Vicksburg High and Warren Central. The two schools had plenty of on-the-field success in 2001, including WC’s state championship in baseball and the Missy Gators’ state soccer title. Both schools also made it past the first round of the football playoffs, with VHS making it to the North State championship game.

Wright said he doesn’t consider what he’s done to be special. He’s just doing his job.

“We’ve just tried to upgrade the quality of sports, the quality of the coaches and the quality of the kids,” said Wright, a Yokena native. “We’re going to keep working at it.”

He will go to Boca Raton, Fla., Feb. 7-10, 2003, along with the 49 other state winners and their guests. There will be big-name guest speakers, said Brandon Champagne, business development manager for Athletic World Advertising in Fayetteville, Ark., which sponsors the event.

“They will all get an award, and they will be honored as the best athletic directors in the country,” Champagne said.

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden spoke at last year’s conference and Arkansas AD Frank Broyles and former Tennessee coach Johnny Majors are on AWA’s board.

“The purpose of the conference is to provide a forum to motivate and recognize athletic directors for the importance for the important and positive role they play in the development of today’s youth,” a letter from AWA said.

This year’s conference was canceled because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Wright was the Mississippi Football Coach of the Year in 1989-90 after leading Magee to a 15-0 record and the Class 3A state championship.

He started coaching as an assistant at Memphis State after finishing up his playing career there, then was head coach at Yazoo City, 1980-82, and earned the district coach of the year honor. From there, he went to Biloxi High (1983-86) and was Gulf Coast Coach of the Year in 1984.

While at Magee (1988-91), Wright was AD and head football coach, finishing up his time there as an assistant in the state all-star game. He was head coach and AD at Mount Pleasant, Texas, for three years before returning to Vicksburg in 1994 as assistant principal and an assistant coach at VHS. He became AD of the district in 1997.

He also serves on the legislative council of the MHSAA and is a member of Mississippi Association of Coaches.