An N.C. High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame member has passed away.

Carroll Wright Jr. died at the age of 88 in Haywood County on Friday.

He was head football coach for 31 years, 25 of which were spent at schools in Western North Carolina.

Wright was originally from Swain County and went to Swain County High School. A three-sport athlete who played on 12 varsity teams, Wright is also a member of the Maroon Devils’ Hall of Fame.

As a college student, Wright attended and competed in two sports at both Mars Hill and Tennessee Tech.

After graduating college in 1960, Carroll returned to Swain County as a teacher and assitant coach. He was promoted to the head coaching position in 1962. He stayed in that role through 1967. In 1974, Wright led Swain to the 2A West regional final. He also served as the girls’ basketball coach and athletic director.

In 1968, Wright made a big move to Hartsville High School in South Carolina. In his first year, he led the school to the 4A title game.

Wright returned to WNC in 1974 to be the head coach at Brevard. In six years leading the Blue Devils, he won 50 games and posted undefeated regular seasons and 3A regional final appearances in 1977 and 1978.

In 1981, Wright took over the West Henderson High School football program, which struggled before he arrived. Wright had the Falcons in the 3A West regional final in 1984.

Pisgah High School was the school that Wright served as the head coach at. He had the role there from 1988-1993. In the five years prior, Pisgah did not finish with a winning record. Wright led the Black Bears to eight-plus win seasons in each of his years.

The NCHSAA inducted Wright to its Hall of Fame in 2004. His overall record as a head coach was 225-110-13.

He was WNC Coach of the Year three times (at Brevard, West Henderson, and Pisgah) and was the N.C.’s head coach in the 1992 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. He was also an assitant coach at the 1984 Shrine Bowl and the 1983 NC Coaches Association East-West All-Star Game.