Beloved High School Football Coach Passed Away

REDDING, CT — The community is mourning the loss of a Redding native, beloved football coach and business owner. According to one of the coach's former players and numerous social media posts, Jordan Wright, age 40, passed away on Friday, Nov. 4, 2016 after a long battle with cancer.

He was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma prior to his second year coaching football at Joel Barlow High School, he told News 12, and went through eight months of chemotherapy. He also endured numerous surgeries, had his left femur removed and most of his left quadriceps after the cancer returned.

Wright was a football coach for Joel Barlow high School, the owner of Redding Ridge Deli and Redding Roadhouse, which he reopened in May of 2014.

In an interview in 2011, Wright told Patch that he liked "watching the football players grow both as players and young men." He said is most memorable moment as a coach was "a come from behind victory at Oxford in a game that we had no business winning."

Wright said his favorite thing about Redding is the kids and that his favorite place is Redding is Friday nights under the lights at the football field.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced shortly.

Matt Stragazzi, left, Coach Wright, center. Credit: Sarah O'Connor