AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > November > 06 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USAs usual, Curry does credit to task
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
When last I saw Bill Curry on Sunday night, he was on my television screen, broadcasting from Robertson Stadium in Houston. University of Houston was playing SMU, and he was analyzing. He got to bed at 12:30, arose at 3:30 and caught a plane to Atlanta, where at noon he would be the speaker at the weekly Touchdown Club luncheon.
The Touchdown Club is an American original, like a Rockwell painting or the disc jockey. A lot of such organizations have fallen victim to the intrusion of pro football or other community influences. But the Touchdown Club of Atlanta forges on, and it may be the oldest surviving function of its kind. My memory tells me it chugged into action in 1938, but I might be off a year or so. It has remained true down the line, to college and high school football, with hardly a burp in its mission. It turns to the sideline, the broadcast booth and the press box, mainly, for its headliners each week.
This time, it was Curry, and for him, it was like trying to squeeze toothpaste back into the tube. He was tired. It showed on his face, but not in the volume of his message. The gallery at Fox Sports Grill was primed for him, and he delivered. As a kid, Curry told them, he had plans to be a pitcher for the New York Yankees. Football changed all that, and while he was a solid center at Georgia Tech, he was never a headliner. Centers rarely are. NFL teams had 20 draft choices in those times, and when the Green Bay Packers came to No. 20, Vince Lombardi is said to have told his drafting delegate, “Make it something good and funny.”
Or at least that’s what Curry said. He was their No. 20.
“Instead of pitching for the Yankees, I wound up pitching between my legs to Bart Starr and Zeke Bratkowski and Johnny Unitas,” he said.
He put in eight seasons between the Packers and Colts, and added a couple in the twilight of his time in Houston and Los Angeles, and in the course of it, was elected president of the players union, a capacity he did not relish. As a center, he said, “You learn how to snap the ball and be run over slowly.”
He coached, put in some miserable times at the old school (see below), some high times at Alabama — where he was a target of abuse because he wasn’t Bear Bryant — and Kentucky, and there the bus stopped. What coaches with a command of the language can do after that is turn to the broadcast both, with the title of “analyst.” It requires resilience and honorable perspective, for all analysts would rather be coaching, and it isn’t easy to sit high above the roiling action, grit your teeth and not say, “That’s not the way I’d have done it.”
In the midst of those miserable times, he pulled off the upset of the ages. It was a tie. Notre Dame came to Grant Field in 1980 ranked No. 1 in the land and had to kick a field goal in the gloaming to settle for a 3-3 score. Then he won an SEC championship at Alabama, and a Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award at Kentucky, and there one of his players was shot dead on the porch of the place where the player lived, and I don’t know if it was ever solved, but he gave up coaching not long afterward.
What the Touchdown Club does is bring in such coaches as Paul Johnson, Pat Sullivan, Mark Richt, Chan Gailey and George O’Leary, as in this season, and the members get a closeness to the men they see only on the sideline otherwise. Another feature is the designation of the high school team and lineman and back of the week, and a coach of the week, on this occasion, Tommy Webb. Tommy has coached Fayette County High out of the doldrums up to a glowing level, and plays Starrs Mill on Friday night in what might be loosely designated the “Fayette County Bowl” game.
Not that this is the mission of the speaker — mainly he’s there to be looked at and be funny — but seldom, if ever, will the TD Club have been sent away with a more inspirational message ringing in their ears than Curry’s. All he needs is a team.
Permalink | Comments (31) | Post your comment | Categories: Furman Bisher, Tech / ACC
Comments
By I bleed white and gold
November 6, 2007 7:19 PM | Link to this
I love Bill Curry. He is an inspiration to all who will wait long enough to hear his words.
By K.I.S.S.
November 6, 2007 8:22 PM | Link to this
As usual, Curry does credit to task
WTF?!?!? Why can’t these journalistic types stick to headlines that are SIMPLE and MAKE SENSE??? He “does credit”?
How absolutely AWFUL is that? Stick to grammatically-correct and simple titles and maybe the rest of your message will actually be read…
By doggright
November 6, 2007 8:23 PM | Link to this
They just don’t come any better than Bill Curry! It doesn’t even pain this ole dog to say that about that particular former Bee.
By hop
November 6, 2007 8:34 PM | Link to this
truly a class act, and darn good football player both in college and the nfl.
he did fairly good job coaching,but he does a great job as a TV announcer.
By Laura Smith
November 6, 2007 10:26 PM | Link to this
we need alot more curry’s in coaching now. he’s the best announcer for ESPN and leadership teacher at Baylor HS. yes, he is a class guy!
By yellowblood
November 6, 2007 10:28 PM | Link to this
We,at Tech, gave away a lot when we let Curry leave and Alabama gave away even more.
By laura
November 6, 2007 10:34 PM | Link to this
we need more curry’s in coaching now. he is the best at what he does in helping the young students at Baylor HS in teaching them leadership. i enjoy watching and listening to the games he announces. yes, he is a class guy and a good friend.
By The Big Bug
November 6, 2007 11:29 PM | Link to this
Curry seems like a nice enough guy but let’s face it, as a coach at Tech he stunk.
By Tom
November 7, 2007 12:11 AM | Link to this
Some great video clips of Curry’s various appearances here……
BillCurry.net
By m
November 7, 2007 8:12 AM | Link to this
One thing is for sure, Bill Curry was (and is) a heck of a lot better coach than CHAN GAILEY will ever be. CHAN is absolutely the worst coach in the history of college football….and he should be fired TODAY!!
By Bama Boy
November 7, 2007 8:17 AM | Link to this
Curry came to a talented Bama team and still couldnt beat Auburn. The players were out of control (check police blotter for that period) and he was over his head. To make it worst he took shots at the school this year for hiring Saben. Curry couldnt get hired back at Tech. he is just a bitter old man.
By Steviejoe
November 7, 2007 8:32 AM | Link to this
Hear! Hear! Bama Boy nailed it. If I hear “I was the last player taken in the draft,and look at me now” one more time, I’ll puke. He couldn’t coach, and that’s why he’s in the booth. Does “sour grapes” ring a bell?
By Atl Dawg
November 7, 2007 8:48 AM | Link to this
Curry is a class act. “Bama Boy” can’t even spell Saban correctly; how can you expect him to recognize class? He’s probably one of those idiots that threw cups on the field after the UGA and LSU games.
By Concerned
November 7, 2007 9:16 AM | Link to this
Curry is a joke. Every time he was about to get fired, he concocted some outlandish fairy tale about how the fans being mean to him in order to divert attention away from his below-average coaching.
From the brick-throwing incident where no glass was found on the inside of the window (think about that for a second) to receiving death threats as Kentucky’s Football coach - who in Kentucky cares enough about football to do that. Funny how those things only happen to Curry and only when he was losing - which is pretty much all of the time.
After preaching integrity, upon his leaving Alabama, those players were in the worst shape academically than at any other time in the last 40 years. To scared to go play A&M when a hurricane passed 200 miles away from College Station 2 days before the game…using Tim Couch to run the option…the tales go on and on.
Considering how awful he was as a coach and how arrogant, self-righteous, boring, and inept he is as a broadcaster - thank goodness he is not a doctor because no telling how many people would have expired either through his incompetence or because they were bored to death with one of his “stories”.
By Go Home Sidewalk Alumni
November 7, 2007 9:25 AM | Link to this
Let’s cover a list of all the things that “Bama Boy” couldn’t do (aka, “Things you should’ve learned with a basic education”).
Wasn’t able to spell “couldn’t” (Bama Boy: “couldnt”)
Used “worst” when he should’ve used “worse.”
Couldn’t spell the coach’s name correctly- “Saban”, not “Saben.” You have to cut Bama Boy some slack here, though. I’m not sure that Nick Saban can even spell his own name correctly.
Once again, used “couldnt” instead of “couldn’t.”
Please Bama Boy, get somebody to help you out with those tuff werds. Wee no that you like them Bama teems, but you really do need to lern to rite.
By Wrecker1
November 7, 2007 10:17 AM | Link to this
Personally I don’t care for Curry. I think he’s a self righteous, holier than thou, pompous jerk. I can overlook his poor coaching and boring analysis on ball games. What steams me about Curry is being 2 faced and portraying the caring out-reaching soul. I went to his office when he was at TECH hoping to be able to get him as a guest speaker at a Junior High football banquet. I was from a town 150 miles from Atlanta. Of course his secretary greeted me and my friend and I told her what I was trying to do. Well Curry is sitting in his office and can hear the conversation. He never came out of the comfort and security of his office but rather talked to me from around the wall. No eye ball to eye ball. No “hey glad to see you, how can I help?” As it turned out we got Keith Colson, an asst coach at TECH b/c the head coach didn’t do Jr High banquets, which I can live with that. So you people can preach on about his wholesome good character, leadership speeches, etc, I’ve seen the real Curry. Oops, I take that back. I DIDN’T SEE Curry.
By Jimmy Etheridge
November 7, 2007 11:03 AM | Link to this
Hopefully one day soon an AJC sports editor will walk in and borrow an old Bisher line; “Furman, I’ve got a great assignment for you today. Go find yourself another job.”
By Edward Owen
November 7, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this
UK fan here and a fan of Bill Curry the MAN, but not necessarily the coach. I had occasion to work with him a few times on some alumni items.
In my opinion, he let assistants dictate far too many times what common sense should have overridden, such as putting Tim Couch on the bench his freshman year, and only putting him in desperate situations, and once in he was stuck running an option offense.
Article makes it sound like Curry left of his own accord after the murder of player Trent DiGiuro. DiGiuro was gunned down in July of 1994. Curry was fired midway through the THIRD season after that, his last being 1996.
2 I’ve always said that I’d love to have Bill Curry as a philosophy teacher. He’s a gentleman AND a scholar.
YOU can have him as a coach tho!
By laura
November 7, 2007 12:09 PM | Link to this
Bama Boy - curry isn’t a bitter old man. he’s a good man with alot of excellent traits for young people. yes,he might not had won alot of coaching victories in past but he won some good games too.
why can’t bama’s band stop playing Rammer Jammer after when they win?…..i forgot, bama doesn’t know how to show class after wins.
By ben
November 7, 2007 12:13 PM | Link to this
Here we are with a third-rate football program, and we treat our former heroes like s—- because they are human. No wonder we can’t find anyone better than Gailey to coach here. We don’t offer real money, we don’t offer great recruiting, and we treat our own like crap. Give Father Bill a break.
By Burdell
November 7, 2007 1:05 PM | Link to this
Curry left Tech because he didn’t think he could win here. Ross proved him wrong and O’Leary proved him wrong.
Sorry but we aren’t taking him back.
By College Football Fan
November 7, 2007 1:09 PM | Link to this
This is absolutely the funniest column that I have ever read. Obviously Furman Bisher wants Curry back at Tech.
Bill Curry had a 83-105-4 (43%) won loss record in 17 years of college coaching.
I should not that the record includes a 31-43-4 (39.9%) record in 7 years at Tech.
He left his alma mater in 1986 to go to Alabama, and is one of the few football coaches in the history of NCAA football hstory that Kentucky actuall fired.
Yea, Bill Curry would really be a step up for Tech.
Note: His most famous quote was when he was at Tech and he proclaimed “we will bring the cheaters to their knees.” That quote wa cited often around 2000 when Tech got put on probation for playing 13 academically unqualified athletes over a 7 year period.
Go on Furman and bring Curry back. Let’s see how Tech has to deal with firing one of their very favorite sons when he posts his 43% won-lost record again at Tech. Are you actually trying to put the final nail in Tech’s coffin?
By S.Hamilton
November 7, 2007 2:11 PM | Link to this
Bill Curry was my Sunday School teacher at Norcross UMC. He lived in a little trailer close by with his wife Carolyn, attended GA Tech, played football and even wrestled a little. He was an inspiration to 13 year old boy then, and, as I’ve followed his career, is an inspiration today.
By Blue Fox
November 7, 2007 2:31 PM | Link to this
One thing’s for certain, if Curry had been named GIT AD after Braine two years ago, Gailey would no longer be the coach.
By Forrest Gump
November 7, 2007 6:14 PM | Link to this
Maybe Curry wasn’t successful as a coach because he wouldn’t cheat or tolerate cheating.
By Billy
November 7, 2007 6:25 PM | Link to this
All discussion of Bill Curry’s coaching abilities or personality aside, Jimmy Etheridge (above) is a scumbag. Furman Bisher is the only columnist at the AJC worth reading. Show a little respect for someone who cr@ps more enlightening things than you could ever hope to write.
By College Football Fan
November 7, 2007 6:30 PM | Link to this
Maybe Curry wasn’t successful as a coach because he did not know how to coach. I mean 17 years, come on.
By "GOOD" Dawg
November 7, 2007 6:47 PM | Link to this
I am comfortable saying that Curry is an arrogant, selfish man. It started as a player at College Park H.S. when his basketball coach had to constantly reprimand him for not passing the ball to his open teammates.He was a great player in college and the pros but his coaching has always sucked.In the early 80s he was constantly making disparaging remarks about the UGA players often on his post-game radio show.I guess he had to since we had just beaten his a* on the field. As an analyst, he doesn’t communicate much more information than most Friday night H.S. PA announcers and has a terrible time saying anything positive about UGA when he “analyzes” our games.I feel comfortable saying this because I really didn’t have to do so. He indicts himself every time he speaks on a broadcast.
By richbrave
November 7, 2007 8:13 PM | Link to this
Virginia and Virginia Tech rule. Georgia and the SEC couldn’t carry their baggage.
By Who is Jimmy Etheridge
November 7, 2007 8:47 PM | Link to this
Jimmy,
I think it’s time for you and Bama Boy to take off your shoes and count to 20.
By Forrest Gump
November 7, 2007 9:34 PM | Link to this
I remember Curry forcing all of his players at GT to attend church services on Easter.