One of the best marksmen in WVU rifle history, Lt. Col. (Retired) Web Wright III was a seven time All-American and two-time national champion at West Virginia from 1985-89.
Wright led the Mountaineers to three national titles in 1986, 1988 and 1989. He was the only two-time NCAA smallbore national champion (1987 and 1988) in WVU history until 2018.
Wright was a four-time, first-team All-American in smallbore during his career and a first-team air rifle All-American during his senior season. He was named a second-team All-American in air rifle in 1986 and 1987. Wright was a two-time team MVP and team captain of the 1988-89 team.
A native of Annapolis, Maryland, Wright represented the United States at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He earned a gold medal in the 1986 Zurich World Cup and was a bronze medalist in the 1987 Seoul World Cup where he set the World Record in smallbore kneeling, scoring a 399 out of 400. Wright was also a medalist at the 1987 and 1995 Pan American Games, and was a member of the 1994 Gold Medal World Championship 300 Meter Standard Rifle in Tolmezzo, Italy.
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Wright, who competed with the US Army Marksmanship Unit from 1991 until 1996, served at the tactical, operational and strategic levels throughout his career in the Army. He served two deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and one deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the famed 10th Mountain Division. Wright's combat deployment experience spanned a total of 3 ½ years. His army awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Action Badge and Army Parachutist Badge.
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Since 2012, Wright has played an integral role with the Army West Point rifle team. At Army, he began as the team's Officer Representative before being named the 25th head coach of the program in 2015. Throughout his time with the Black Knights, Army has made four NCAA appearances with four marksmen going on to earn All-America honors.
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Growing up, Wright was always around the sport. His father, who began teaching him to shoot at age eight, was the head rifle coach at Navy in the 1970s and `80s. He credits his success to his parents' unfaltering support and love.
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Wright and his wife, Jen, have three kids, Maggie, Drew and Suzy.
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He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 and was named an inaugural member of the Mountaineer Legends Society in 2018.
