Sports
Lorenzo Wright
1926–1972 · track and field athlete, coach, administrator
Detroit-born long jumper and sprinter, a 1948 Olympian and two-time NCAA All-American at Wayne State, who later ran the city's public-school athletic league.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 45- Birth name
- Lorenzo Christopher Wright
- Detroit years
- 1926–1972
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Wright grew up on Detroit's east side and starred at Miller High School, winning the city's public-school long jump championship twice, before starring at Wayne State University as an NCAA All-American long jumper in 1947 and 1948. His marks in the long jump and the sprints stood as Wayne State records for nearly seven decades. He competed in the 1948 London Olympics, then returned home to shape the next generation of Detroit athletes as director of the Detroit Public Secondary Schools Athletic League. One of the city's major interscholastic athletic facilities, next to Martin Luther King High School, now carries his name. Wright was killed in his Detroit home in 1972 during a domestic dispute. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Wayne State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976.
Highlights
- Detroit native; two-time city long jump champion at Miller High School
- NCAA All-American long jumper at Wayne State University, 1947 and 1948
- Competed in the long jump at the 1948 London Olympics
- Directed the Detroit Public Secondary Schools Athletic League
- A Detroit athletic facility, Lorenzo Wright Field, is named in his honor
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · 1940s
Wayne State University
Where Wright set long jump and sprint records that stood for decades.
Memorial
Lorenzo Wright Field
A Detroit athletic facility next to Martin Luther King High School named in his honor.