INDIANAPOLIS — Larry "Bud" Wright is the winningest high school football coach in Indiana history. In more than 60 years on the sideline, he never missed a game — until Friday night.
The Sheridan Blackhawks opened the season at their newly renovated stadium against Western Boone. But just six hours before kickoff, their coach rolled into St. Vincent Hospital pushed in a wheelchair for surgery to repair a broken arm and shoulder.
A week before, Coach Wright was on the field, standing 10 yards behind his offense, during a scrimmage at Crawfordsville.
"An athlete from Crawfordsville made a perfect highlight tackle on the quarterback, drove him right into me and drove my right shoulder into the ground,” said Wright, speaking as he arrived at the hospital. “The quarterback landed on me, and (the defender) landed on top of the quarterback."
Wright said the Crawfordsville player kept apologizing, but the coach said he told the player no apology was necessary for making a great play.
Wright coached his team at practice all week, with his right arm and shoulder immobilized. This Friday was the earliest the doctor could perform the surgery, unfortunately on game day. Wright asked the doctor if the surgery could be postponed to early next week, but the doctor told him the surgery should be done as soon as possible.
This is the first game that Wright has ever missed. In that same 62 years as an assistant and head football coach, Wright said he has only missed about 15 practices.
"If you got a job, you go do it,” said Wright, who said he learned his work ethic from his father. “I was raised on a dairy farm, and no matter what, how bad my dad felt, he had to go out and milk those cows. So that's basically the way I had. If at all possible, no matter how you felt, you got the job done."
Wright, 83, has led Sheridan to nine state championships. His 456 wins are the most of any coach in Indiana high school football history.
"I love football,” said Wright. “Ever since I can remember, I just loved the game and such. And I love working with the young athletes and such and watching them develop."
Wright underwent surgery Friday at 3:00 p.m. Just before kickoff, his daughter sent a message that Wright was out of surgery and in recovery. She said, “The doctor just came out and said that everything went really well.”
The season-opening game did not go as well for Sheridan without Wright. Western Boone beat the Blackhawks, 35-14. Wright was set up to watch a livestream of the game from his hospital recovery room.
He plans to be back coaching his team next Friday somewhere in the stadium, but not on the sideline. He will coach either from the press box, up on scissor lift, or from the track behind the bench - a safe distance from the action.