Eric Curry
{{Short description|American football player (born 1970)}}
{{For|the photographer|Eric Curry (photographer)}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Eric Curry
| number = 75
| position = Defensive end
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|2|3|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Thomasville, Georgia, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 5
| weight_lb = 270
| high_school = Thomasville
| college = Alabama
| draftyear = 1993
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 6
| pastteams =
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers ({{NFL Year|1993|1997}})
- Green Bay Packers (1998)*
- Jacksonville Jaguars ({{NFL Year|1998|2000}}){{cite web |title=Eric Curry |url=https://www.nfl.com/transactions/league/terminations/2000/9 |website=NFL.com |access-date=December 26, 2024 |archive-date=December 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219131916/https://www.nfl.com/transactions/league/terminations/2000/9 |url-status=live }}
| highlights =
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (1993)
- Consensus national championship (1992)
- UPI Lineman of the Year (1992)
- Consensus All-American (1992)
- First-team All-SEC (1992)
- Second-team All-SEC (1991)
| statlabel1 = Tackles
| statvalue1 = 95
| statlabel2 = Sacks
| statvalue2 = 12.5
| statlabel3 = Forced fumbles
| statvalue3 = 7
| pfr = CurrEr20
}}
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.
Early life
Curry was born in Thomasville, Georgia.National Football League, Historical Players, [http://www.nfl.com/player/ericcurry/2500260/profile Eric Curry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420104611/http://www.nfl.com/player/ericcurry/2500260/profile |date=April 20, 2019 }}. Retrieved February 16, 2012. He graduated from Thomasville High School,databaseFootball.com, Players, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120324222639/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=CURRYERI01 Eric Curry]}}. Retrieved February 16, 2012. 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.{{Cite web |title=1993 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1993/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en |archive-date=October 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030130727/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1993/draft.htm |url-status=live }}Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, [http://www.profootballhof.com/history/story.aspx?story_id=2029 1993 National Football League Draft] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122520/http://www.profootballhof.com/history/story.aspx?story_id=2029 |date=September 24, 2015 }}. Retrieved February 16, 2012. 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 {{NFL Year|1993}} to {{NFL Year|1997}}. He signed a free agent deal with the Green Bay Packers in {{NFL Year|1998}}, but was released during the preseason.Packers.com, PACKERS SIGN BUCS DE CURRY AS UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT, [http://nfl.packers.com/news/releases/1998/04/04-01.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305070848/http://nfl.packers.com/news/releases/1998/04/04-01.html|date=March 5, 2016}}. Retrieved October 10, 2012. Curry played for the Jacksonville Jaguars from {{NFL Year|1998}} to {{NFL Year|1999}}.{{Cite web |title=Eric Curry Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CurrEr20.htm |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} 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.
=NFL statistics=
| class="wikitable" | ||||||||
| Year | Team | Games | Combined Tackles | Tackles | Assisted Tackles | Sacks | Forced Fumbles | Fumble Recoveries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | TB | 10 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 5.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1994 | TB | 15 | 23 | 17 | 6 | 3.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1995 | TB | 16 | 29 | 25 | 4 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1996 | TB | 12 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1997 | TB | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | JAX | 11 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | JAX | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 75 | 90 | 72 | 18 | 12.5 | 6 | 2 |
Life after football
As of 2020, Curry resides in Jacksonville, Florida.{{cite news |url=http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/Arrest-Warrant-for-Former-NFL-Player-for-Unpaid/wCGxqnQBhE6PbWlQ11kV2Q.cspx |title=Arrest Warrant for Former NFL Player for Unpaid Child Support |work=ActionNewsJax |date=June 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006151911/http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/Arrest-Warrant-for-Former-NFL-Player-for-Unpaid/wCGxqnQBhE6PbWlQ11kV2Q.cspx |archive-date=October 6, 2013 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football navbox}}
{{1992 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{UPI Lineman of the Year}}
{{1993 NFL Draft}}
{{BuccaneersFirstPick}}
{{Buccaneers1993DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curry, Eric}}
Category:Alabama Crimson Tide football players
Category:All-American college football players
Category:American football defensive ends
Category:Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Category:Jacksonville Jaguars players
Category:Players of American football from Thomasville, Georgia