Eric Curry

Last updated

Eric Curry
No. 75
Position Defensive end
Personal information
Born (1970-02-03) February 3, 1970 (age 55)
Thomasville, Georgia, U.S.
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school Thomasville
College Alabama
NFL draft 1993: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics
Tackles 95
Sacks 12.5
Forced fumbles 7
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Eric Felece Curry (born February 3, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and earned consensus All-American honors. A first-round pick in the 1993 NFL draft, he played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.

Contents

Early life

Curry was born in Thomasville, Georgia. [2] He graduated from Thomasville High School, [3] and played for the Thomasville High School Bulldogs high school football team.

College career

Curry accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Bill Curry and coach Gene Stallings' Alabama Crimson Tide football teams from 1989 to 1992. As a senior in 1992, Curry was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American and the United Press International Lineman of the Year. He was a member of the Crimson Tide squad that won the first SEC Championship Game in 1992, and a consensus national championship by defeating the Miami Hurricanes 34–13 in the Sugar Bowl. Curry and fellow defensive end John Copeland were known as the "bookends" during their time at Alabama, and were key players in the Crimson Tide's No. 1 rated defense in 1992.

Professional career

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Curry in the first round, with the sixth overall pick, of the 1993 NFL Draft. [4] [5] He gained notoriety for happily hugging the NFL Commissioner, Paul Tagliabue, after he was picked by the Buccaneers in the draft. He played for the Buccaneers from 1993 to 1997. He signed a free agent deal with the Green Bay Packers in 1998, but was released during the preseason. [6] Curry played for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1998 to 1999. [7] In seven NFL seasons, Curry played in 75 regular season games, started 44 of them, and contributed 95 tackles, 12.5 quarterback sacks, and seven forced fumbles. [7]

NFL statistics

YearTeamGamesCombined TacklesTacklesAssisted TacklesSacksForced FumblesFumble Recoveries
1993 TB 10181445.021
1994 TB 15231763.020
1995 TB 16292542.011
1996 TB 128802.010
1997 TB 61100.000
1998 JAX 116330.000
1999 JAX 55410.500
Career 7590721812.562

Life after football

As of 2020, Curry resides in Jacksonville, Florida. [8]

References

  1. "Eric Curry". NFL.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  2. National Football League, Historical Players, Eric Curry Archived April 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  3. databaseFootball.com, Players, Eric Curry [ usurped ]. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  4. "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  5. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1993 National Football League Draft Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  6. Packers.com, PACKERS SIGN BUCS DE CURRY AS UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT, Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Eric Curry Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  8. "Arrest Warrant for Former NFL Player for Unpaid Child Support". ActionNewsJax. June 27, 2013. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013.