BJ Wright

PHS Class of 1998

Wrestling

BJ Wright had an outstanding wrestling career at Payson High School, compiling an astonishing win-loss record of 124 wins and only 17 losses. He was the the first Payson High wrestler to become a two-time Utah High School State Champion, first as a freshman in 1995 and again as a senior in 1998. (His brothers Josh, Jacob, and Seth were also state champions.) In between the two state titles, he was the state runner-up two times, 1996 and 1997. While in high school, he was awarded All-American honors for academics as well as folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. In 1995 he was honored to be a member of the World Cadet Greco team that competed in Budapest, Hungary. His senior year, he was the team captain of the first PHS wrestling team to ever win a team state championship in 1998, beginning a championship tradition that has become prolific.

As a senior at Payson High School, BJ was awarded the Bigler Award as the Outstanding Male Athlete. After graduating from PHS in 1998, he went to Ricks College. (At the time it was a junior college and it is now a four year college called BYU-Idaho.) While at Ricks, BJ placed 3rd in the NJCAA National championships in 1999, and as runner-up (2nd) in 2002. That same year he was also named as Ricks College “Outstanding Male Athlete.” After Ricks College, Wright competed at Nebraska State University in one of the nation’s elite collegiate wrestling programs. His junior year he finished with a win-loss record of 21-11 and was ranked 8th nationally. His senior year, his record was 24-10 and he was ranked 5th nationally. In those same years his team was ranked 5th and 2nd respectively.

Inducted 2021