STARKVILLE — K.J. Wright’s connection with Mississippi State didn’t end when the linebacker was chosen in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft.
When the Bulldogs ask Wright to come back to Starkville for a football game, he’s there. When they need him to speak to a player, he’ll pick up the phone.
“Whatever State needs, we have this relationship that’s forever there,” Wright told The Dispatch.
This fall, Mississippi State got the chance to do something for Wright.
The Olive Branch native was the Bulldogs’ representative in the 2022 Southeastern Conference Football Legends Class, a group honored at the conference championship game Dec. 3 in Atlanta.
“I’m glad that they chose me,” Wright said. “I was happy to represent them.”
Thirteen SEC teams sent former players to the ceremony, while Missouri tabbed former head coach Gary Pinkel as its choice. Wright attended a banquet on Dec. 2 and watched Georgia beat LSU for the conference title the next day. His father Kenneth Wright Sr. was with him.
“He’s been my guy since Day 1,” Wright said.
Wright got his chance to mingle with the conference’s various legends. He caught up with Alabama’s Ozzie Newsome, a standout tight end and a two-time Super Bowl winner as the general manager of the Baltimore Ravens. He chatted with Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, noting the quarterback’s “interesting journey” since Manziel’s Heisman-winning college days.
And he met the Mannings, both 2022 honorees by Tennessee and Ole Miss. Wright had beaten Peyton’s Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII while with the Seattle Seahawks but hadn’t spent time around either brother before.
“Eli’s just like he is on TV — cheesy, funny and borderline goofy,” Wright said.
The Mannings’ father Archie, however, was Wright’s “favorite guy” at the ceremony. The two bonded over the Egg Bowl rivalry game, although they’ve always stood on different sides.
Mississippi State won the 2022 edition of the contest, taking down Ole Miss 24-22 on Thanksgiving Day in Oxford.
Wright said he was happy with MSU’s 8-4 season against tough competition in the SEC — particularly that final game.
“Anytime you win an Egg Bowl, that’s a really good season,” he said.
Wright won three Egg Bowls during his four-year Bulldog career, coming out with the trophy in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
A fourth-round pick by Seattle in the 2011 draft, Wright was worth his selection and then some.
He started 148 games for the Seahawks over 11 seasons, recording 992 career tackles, 11 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and six interceptions.
Wright was named to the Pro Bowl after the 2016 campaign.
He retired from the NFL before the 2022 season.
On Sept. 13, Wright got a call from then-MSU athletic director John Cohen asking if he’d be interested in representing the Bulldogs in Atlanta.
Wright didn’t think twice.
“It was definitely an honor, and I’m extremely thankful that my Bulldog family chose me to represent them,” he said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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