By Trina Walker

When the Bartlesville Bruins take the football field, they are led by head coach Harry Wright. His goal is to continue building a program the community is proud of.

This goal could not be achieved without the student athletes who positively represent their school. The most important qualities Wright expects from his athletes is for them to compete with pride and hard work.

Wright is excited about the upcoming season and sees opportunities with new districts. Valuable game experience comes to the field this year. Many returning seniors, particularly for the offense, are three-year starters. Fans can expect to see more of a passing game from the offense and an aggressive defense to counter opponents.

His players stand out through the work they put in. “There is no substitute or shortcut for hard work,” said Wright.

As a coach, it is expected that players will learn from him, but Wright has also learned a valuable lesson from his students. “Every situation and kid is different and cannot always be handled the same way,” he says.

Coaching can be difficult and rewarding. The most difficult part is when kids do not all care about Bartlesville football as much as he would like. However, the rewards make it all worthwhile. “It is most rewarding seeing kids accomplish something they never thought was possible,” says Wright, who is proud to have coached several All-State and All-Starplayers.

The personal accomplishment he most values is not a trophy or an award. “For me, individually, it is when kids come back ten years after playing for our program and thank us for how we helped them,” he said.

Wright enjoys the incredible support the Bartlesville community has for BHS. He stays motivated knowing how many people are counting on him and he is driven to be the hardest working coach for the kids.

Seeing friends and family after big wins will always be the best memories he has of coaching football.

Wright’s wife, Lauren, is a secretary at BHS. Their son, Evan, is in the sixth grade at Central and plays youth football. Wright is an active member of the community who enjoys helping with community service projects.

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