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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > June > 12
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Georgia St. off to a good start with hiring of Curry
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nobody asked about his offense. Nobody asked about his defense. Nobody asked Bill Curry about his coaching staff, what he looks for in a quarterback, whether a zone-blitz is too much too soon, does he think Georgia State can be the next Appalachian State and, while we’re at it, where the heck is Hofstra?
But there he was Thursday, commanding the room. He was less football coach than inspirational speaker. He told stories. He talked about bringing together young men from different backgrounds, uniting them for a common goal on Decatur Street. By the time he stopped to take a breath, you were ready to either run through a wall for him or vote him into office.
Georgia State made the right choice in hiring Curry as its first football coach. That doesn’t mean the school will win a lot of games in 2010 or 2011 or any time soon. It remains to be seen how easily a 65-year-old — 67 for opening kickoff — who has been sitting in a broadcast booth for most of the past dozen years can re-acclimate himself to the sideline and recruiting.
But what Georgia State needed most is what Curry can provide: energy, tempered by a steady hand. He is a well-polished, Pepsodent-smiling, picture-posing, baby-kissing, rejuvenated football man. He’ll lead pep rallies, dazzle boosters and schmooze donors, and all before lunch.
The Panthers needed a salesman. They needed a face familiar to most people in this city, even if most of the 18-year-olds Curry recruits will need to Google his name for some clue on his background.
Mary McElroy, the athletics director, knew visibility was important. She offered the job to Dan Reeves first, as expected. He turned it down, as expected. Reeves, a consultant, suggested she hire a college coach and gave her a list of names.
“Bill wasn’t on it,” he said.
That wasn’t a slap. He just didn’t know Curry was interested. The thought hadn’t even occurred to Curry until McElroy asked him two weeks ago. And then: “There was a pause on the phone — about 10 seconds,” she said.
Curry: “I just sat there. It must’ve been 20 seconds.”
Take the average. The point is the same.
Curry hadn’t thought about coaching in at least four years (the last time he was approached about a job). He hadn’t formulated a game plan since 1996 (at Kentucky). The only job he had pursued: Georgia Tech athletics director, and that didn’t end well.
Like Reeves, he expected only to give McElroy a list of candidates. Unlike Reeves, she asked the question and his heart started pounding.
“I literally started thinking about blocking sleds again,” he said. He thought about it. He phoned Reeves, who asked, “Is this something that excites you?” Curry, surprising himself, said yes.
“They don’t have a transfusion to get coaching out of your blood,” Reeves said Thursday. “Age doesn’t have anything to do with it. One of the best coaches on my staff in Atlanta was Marvin Bass, and he was 82.”
It’s logical to presume this is just a stopover for Curry before slipping into administration on campus. McElroy admitted the subject came up in their talks. But Curry’s take now: “I thought I would have those thoughts. But now I’m just thinking about coaching as long as I can go.”
Earlier, he had stood at a podium, surrounded by students, officials and media. He offered an explanation for people’s passion for football: the huddle.
“In that huddle is black America; in that huddle is white America,” he said. “And liberal and conservative and Jew and gentile and atheist and Muslim and Christian and agnostic. I can go to South Central Los Angeles and the hills of Eastern Kentucky and bring [recruits] together. They’ve been raised to hate each other. But when they put the blue jersey on, they realize their sweat smells the same and their blood is red.”
This is how you script a beginning.
