Billy Curry back in coaching

[AUTiger1 0]

Bill Curry will be Georgia St.'s first football coach

Former Georgia Tech, Alabama coach picked to build Panthers' program

By STAN AWTREY

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/11/08

Former Georgia Tech and Alabama coach Bill Curry has been chosen to start the football program at Georgia State and will be introduced Thursday as head coach at a 1:30 p.m. press conference, a school official has confirmed.

Georgia State will play its first season in 2010, competing at the level formerly known as Division I-AA. The Panthers will continue to play in the Colonial Athletic Association and will play their home games at the Georgia Dome.

The decision to hire Curry, who has been a college football analyst at ESPN since 1997, is expected to energize the Georgia State fan base and stir interest in the program.

Curry's arrival enhances the school's athletic ramp-up begun by GSU Athletics Director Mary McElroy, who a year ago hired Rod Barnes as men's basketball coach.

Curry will soon begin the process of hiring assistant coaches. The Panthers will begin recruiting its first class of players in the fall and will have spring practice in 2009. School officials are currently looking for possible sites for a downtown-area practice facility.

Curry, 65, grew up in College Park and played at Georgia Tech, where he graduated in 1965 with a degree in industrial management. Curry played in the NFL from 1965-74 with Green Bay, Houston, Baltimore and Los Angeles. He was an all-pro center with the Colts in 1971 and 1972. He spent three seasons as an assistant at Green Bay under Bart Starr.

Curry spent 17 years as a head coach in college, starting with Georgia Tech from 1980-86, where his record was 31-43-4 and he was ACC Coach of the Year in 1985 after a 9-2-1 season. Curry was 26-10 during his three-year stint at Alabama (1987-89), won the SEC championship in 1989 and was named National Coach of the Year in 1989. He moved on to Kentucky from 1990-96, where his teams went 26-52.

Curry also served as chief operating officer at the National Consortium of Academics and Sports, which helps athletes earn their college degrees.

Curry was a finalist last year for the vacant athletics director job at Georgia Tech, which eventually went to Dan

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[AU alum 2]

Bill Curry will be Georgia St.'s first football coach

Former Georgia Tech, Alabama coach picked to build Panthers' program

By STAN AWTREY

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/11/08

Former Georgia Tech and Alabama coach Bill Curry has been chosen to start the football program at Georgia State and will be introduced Thursday as head coach at a 1:30 p.m. press conference, a school official has confirmed.

Georgia State will play its first season in 2010, competing at the level formerly known as Division I-AA. The Panthers will continue to play in the Colonial Athletic Association and will play their home games at the Georgia Dome.

The decision to hire Curry, who has been a college football analyst at ESPN since 1997, is expected to energize the Georgia State fan base and stir interest in the program.

Curry's arrival enhances the school's athletic ramp-up begun by GSU Athletics Director Mary McElroy, who a year ago hired Rod Barnes as men's basketball coach.

Curry will soon begin the process of hiring assistant coaches. The Panthers will begin recruiting its first class of players in the fall and will have spring practice in 2009. School officials are currently looking for possible sites for a downtown-area practice facility.

Curry, 65, grew up in College Park and played at Georgia Tech, where he graduated in 1965 with a degree in industrial management. Curry played in the NFL from 1965-74 with Green Bay, Houston, Baltimore and Los Angeles. He was an all-pro center with the Colts in 1971 and 1972. He spent three seasons as an assistant at Green Bay under Bart Starr.

Curry spent 17 years as a head coach in college, starting with Georgia Tech from 1980-86, where his record was 31-43-4 and he was ACC Coach of the Year in 1985 after a 9-2-1 season. Curry was 26-10 during his three-year stint at Alabama (1987-89), won the SEC championship in 1989 and was named National Coach of the Year in 1989. He moved on to Kentucky from 1990-96, where his teams went 26-52.

Curry also served as chief operating officer at the National Consortium of Academics and Sports, which helps athletes earn their college degrees.

Curry was a finalist last year for the vacant athletics director job at Georgia Tech, which eventually went to Dan

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I never had a problem with him. I always thought he was a good coach and I enjoyed him as an analyst.

[Hoopie 6]

Professor Curry is too dry as an analyist. After a year o2 we had heard all he had to offer without redundancy. He built good teams at Ga Tech and Bama that won MNC's at both schools a couple of years after he left. He is a good guy to build the program and make it credible. After about 5-7 years, he needs to leave and let his replacement win a championship.

He is a good guy and I wish him well.

[AUTiger1 0]

I never had a problem with him. I always thought he was a good coach and I enjoyed him as an analyst.

I agree. I actually thought he was a pretty classy, no nonsense kind of guy. I thought he was done pretty wrong, won the SEC and was coach of the year and was run out of town. I can take him or leave him as an analyst. I thought he was great at explaining the x's and o's but was very dry.

[AUslug 1]

I've always liked Curry, just thought he got a bum rap at Alabama. I just hope for his sake that GSU doesn't play any teams that wear orange and blue. He is 0-22 vs Florida and Auburn.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

I guess I'm in the minority. I have never liked Curry since his ridiculous stunt of claiming he needed protection on the drive from bama to Auburn because he feared for his safety. This is quite a comedown for someone with his ego. I'm glad he is off TV as well. He is really boring.

[kingfish 73]

I guess I'm in the minority. I have never liked Curry since his ridiculous stunt of claiming he needed protection on the drive from bama to Auburn because he feared for his safety. This is quite a comedown for someone with his ego. I'm glad he is off TV as well. He is really boring.

I recall in 1989 when Curry tried to get the FBI involved after saying threats had been received before the game. Essentially, Dye shrugged this off by saying that there is ne need to overact. Curry begged all the UAT people come to AU in '89 just to be around the stadium. On December 2, 1989 the crimson stood out among the great sea of orange and blue like a grain of black pepper on the beach at Gulf Shores.

[Bama My Heart 5]

I guess I'm in the minority. I have never liked Curry since his ridiculous stunt of claiming he needed protection on the drive from bama to Auburn because he feared for his safety. This is quite a comedown for someone with his ego. I'm glad he is off TV as well. He is really boring.

Bill Curry was an easy coach to like if he was winning, but he is the type that makes excuses when he loses,and he tells the lies so many times that he actually believes it. He told the tale about the brick thru his office so many times that people think that it is fact, but from where his office was there was no way to throw anything thru the window. People might have believed him, but it was always funny to me that when he went to Kentucky and lost a game that he shouldn't have lost, he suddenly could not make the news conference, because he needed to be with his wife that had received death threats. Come on, in Kentucky. They could not have cared less. Texas A&M still talk about how he made excuses about going there because of a storm. No other coach has ever had so many excuses for losing and to explain his actions.

What's the deal about wanting protection from Bama to Auburn? Don't all coaches travel with state troopers, and I don't remember anytime a coach ever being threatened. Frankly to me, he was just silly, and you hear that the players just did not like him. I thought for years that he got a bad deal at Bama, but after hearing a lot of things you find out that things aren't always as they seem. He was not run out of town, he started making excuses as to why he wanted to leave and go to a program that just didn't put any pressure on him, he is a whimp.

I am most thankful that he is off of TV, because you could not watch a game for him continuously talking about himsefl and what he knows. Someone would have to interupt him to talk about the game. He always made me sick when he covered Bama games, and how he would before the game have to walk the field and talk about his days at Bama, and goodness knows when we would play Miss. State, he and Sly Croom would be so silly walking the field and talking about their glory days at Bama, and he would have to tell Coach Croom how proud Coach Bryant would be of him.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

BMH.....good insight. You have said enough that I don't have to use the "trip to Auburn" thing but as I recall it was way beyond the state trooper escort. Curry got the FBI involved because he thougt there had been death threats. I don't remember any more details. Maybe someone else does. I just know it was a riduculous situation that he created in his mind. Sounds like it fits in with hs broader behavior which you describe.