By Barry Hall

June 30, 2009 1:27 PM | Link to this

Gary was not only a fine man and a role model for all…he was a close personal friend. We grew up in the same neighborhood in Fairborn and played every kind of ball imaginable. Steve Greene lived just on the other side of the high school;we had teams that could play anything! I was fortunate enough to catch 4 of Gary’s WOL wins that year, in sharing time with Nortie Frank. We had a great team and exceptional pitching. Early in the year, we also beat CJ 3-1 in Fairborn…who eventually went on and won the Ohio state title that same year. Gary will be missed…but in many ways he is still with me as I walk through my life. Great award…great official…greatperson…and an even greater friend. Barry Hall

By Kirk Minteer

June 30, 2009 2:52 PM | Link to this

Congradulations to the parents of Gary Wright(Tom and Jean Wright) for raising a very sucessful son not only as an basketbal official but as an athlete, a scholar and also a great role model for kids and adults of all ages. I lost a very good friend the day he passed, but he still lives in the minds of many because he was so involved with many different activities and organizations in the Fairborn area. This a great honor for someone who put alot of hard work and enjoyment into his love for the game of basketball. Kirk Minteer

By Bob Collins

June 30, 2009 7:42 PM | Link to this

I knew Gary through my sister Carol. He had a brother named Tommy who idolized his brother until his sudden death at a early age. I will never forget watching Gary, Steve Greene, etc. when they made their run through the regionals. This award is probably long overdue. I sure do miss those days.

By Bobby H

July 21, 2009 4:17 AM | Link to this

My Uncle Bob would take me to our high school’s baseball games in the spring. Wayne won the WOL when I was in the 8th and 9th grade, but Fairborn had a southpaw whose nasty slider and hooks were something to see. Gary Wright was a wizard on the mound, but come winter, I geeked watching him and his OVERACHIEVING Flyer teammates on the basketball court (you have it slightly mixed up, Marc. The WOL had Springfield North and Frank Ayers, a tough Xenia program… and Fairborn High— no Baker yet— wasn’t far behind in regular season play). Come district tournament time, they caught fire. Gary, Kirk, and Stevie and Jeff Taylor and them boys played their guts out like I have never witnessed. Wright, two years older than me, was someone I could relate to: slow, nearsighted, lefthanded like myself— with no discernible talent, other than his heart and smarts. I idolized him and the Flyers… saw every one of their tourney games at Hobart season, including the Troy District Finals (they upset our summer pals from Northmont, who were as talented as almost anyone in Dayton). I went home shaking my head in amazement at what Wright and the Flyers pulled off with their intelligent play and hustle that night. The next week, we went to the Regionals at the Gardens in Cincy, where no one gave Fairborn a prayer. Led by Wright, they out-scrapped a Moeller team that they didn’t belong on the floor with (the Crusaders had Mike Sylvester and his brother, and had won 20 games). Steve Greene and Kirk Minteer & Co. were relentless. Wright epitomized this Fairborn team: smart, fearless, diving on the court for loose balls. They wouldn’t back down to anybody. The next night, one game away from Columbus, they gave the unbeaten eventual-state champs (Chaminade) hell for 32 minutes. As a budding player, I couldn’t have had better role models. I went home that night hoping to one day be able to play like them. (side note: Kirk, you were great to my friend Joe and me when we visited Ashland College in ‘72). Later, I coached with the Staley boys, who sometimes get on the officials. They never ever said a harsh word to Gary Wright— they never needed to. He was always had command of the games he worked, possessing the quality of a truly great ref: you didn’t even know he was out there. Gary Wright was the very definition of class, on and off the court. I remember when I was an assistant at C-J, Joe would turn to Tony and me before a game, and say “We’ve got Gary Wright tonight,” meaning implicitly “we are going to have a well-officiated game.” He was never showy, he was always focused, and he had a deprecating sense of humor. If he was out of position and blew a call, he’d come over and apologize. He was one of those guys that would run past your bench in a very close game at a crucial moment, and whisper to you out of the side of his mouth something hilarious, just to break the tension. I have a good friend, Tom Trimble, who has been an attorney in Columbus for 30 years. He says Wright is absolutely revered there in his profession. When Jim Staley told me what happened to Gary a few years ago (I live out of state now, and hadn’t heard), I could not stop crying. Gary Wright was one of the good guys in Dayton sports. He touched everybody who ever met him, and is sorely missed. Officials Hall of Fame? whatever. Gary Wright was just a good, good person who needs to be remembered.