Bill Curry to retire at the end of this season at Georgia State.

The reasons that Curry didn't last long at Bama are as follows.

1) 0-for-auburn. While we don't base our entire season every year on the iron bowl, (like they do) not beating them at all won't cut it. Just ask Shula how that works out.

2) Notre Dame 38 Bama 6 I remember this game quite well. I didn't expect a win on that day, as we were clearly over matched, but it was clear that the team was unprepared.

3) Ole Miss 22 Alabama 12 Homecoming 1988- The brick through the window would happen the very next day. And this was not exactly an Eli Manning Ole Miss team that we lost to either. It was when Billy Brewer was their coach. It remains the only time Ole Miss has ever won in Tuscaloosa.

4) Memphis 13 Alabama 10-Nuff said!

5) LSU 19 Alabama 18 We had them beat. Curry's fourth quarter play calling got us in that one.

6) Michigan 28 Alabama 24-

I think he's retiring rather than moving further down the ladder. He probably senses that he won't exactly be able to set the woods on fire at Ga State, and they do need someone who will lead them upwards rather than downwards. As has been said by others here, he's not exactly known for his successes.
So, he'd be better off retiring than being an assistant water-boy at some high school. :wink:

IMO, regardless of the talent he recruited he would have never won a NC at Alabama because he would never have beaten AU. It always appeared to me and I may be wrong, but his teams always appreared to be finesse teams, not line up and knock the other team off the ball. That is just not Alabama football and I suspect one of the reasons he could never beat AU.

Two things:

1) Wallace Wade never went to Kentucky, he coached at Duke.

2) The Duke stadium - not Kentucky - is named after Wade.

selmaborntidefan said:

Two things:

1) Wallace Wade never went to Kentucky, he coached at Duke.

2) The Duke stadium - not Kentucky - is named after Wade.

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1) The point was that Duke is in the same category as Kentucky when it comes to focus on football vs. basketball.

2) Kentucky's FIELD is C.M. Newton Field. Newton is a Kentucky alum, coached basketball at Alabama, and was the AD at Kentucky.

Well, it was starting to sound like folks were saying Wade went to Kentucky. That was news to me.

Bama Torch in Pcola said:

I'm not sure where you get the 26-6 thing. He was 26-10 at Bama. He went 7-5 in '87, a year that included a clubbing by Florida at Legion Field, a 13-10 loss to Memphis State, and a shutout loss to Auburn. The only good move he made at Bama was hiring Homer Smith. Without him '88 and '89 would have been more of the same.

This is the same guy who had Tim Couch running the option at Kentucky.

Curry is a master of one thing - selling himself. He sold himself to Gaylon McCullough and Joab Thomas and they hired him instead of Bobby Bowden.

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Must you really remind me of my glory days on campus? I can vividly remember walking across campus the week after we got beat by Memphis State and it was like the whole freaking campus was in mourning. Do. not. want. to. remember.

rizolltizide said:

Must you really remind me of my glory days on campus? I can vividly remember walking across campus the week after we got beat by Memphis State and it was like the whole freaking campus was in mourning. Do. not. want. to. remember.

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So, you were there for the 19-18 heart breaker to LSU at BDS in '88 as well. That one still gets me down!

My only gripe is that Curry gets slammed and trash talked more than any other Bama coach I can ever remember.
I mean I don't know that I've ever seen a bash Dubose thread or a bash Mike Price thread.
But mention Curry and whoooaaaaaa bring on the smack lol
I'm not saying he was a great coach or even a real good one. I just think he did a good job at Bama. Not great by any means, but good.

selmaborntidefan said:

Well, it was starting to sound like folks were saying Wade went to Kentucky. That was news to me.

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Sorry for adding to the confusion. I knew Duke plays at Wallace Wade Stadium. I just threw in the bit about Kentucky playing on C.M. Newton Field because I thought it was interesting and somewhat related to the thread. I know it is because he was the AD, but it is still weird the football field is named for a basketball guy. It would be like our basketball team playing on Mal Moore Court.

Alasippi said:

My only gripe is that Curry gets slammed and trash talked more than any other Bama coach I can ever remember.
I mean I don't know that I've ever seen a bash Dubose thread or a bash Mike Price thread.
But mention Curry and whoooaaaaaa bring on the smack lol
I'm not saying he was a great coach or even a real good one. I just think he did a good job at Bama. Not great by any means, but good.

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I'd be glad to start a bash DuBose and Price thread, but I suspect I'd get a nasty letter from the higher ups around here. _smile:

We_are_Bama said:

So, you were there for the 19-18 heart breaker to LSU at BDS in '88 as well. That one still gets me down!

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Oh yeah. I was there for all the Ray-Ban glory Curry had to offer.

I am in agreement with Sip that Curry seems to elicit more outrage on TF than any other former coach we have had post-Bryant.

I am going to be gracious and ASSUME this is because Curry used his platform as an analyst to rip Alabama at every opportunity.

What was up with those Cliff Engle sweaters he wore while he was Bama HC?

Alasippi said:

My only gripe is that Curry gets slammed and trash talked more than any other Bama coach I can ever remember.
I mean I don't know that I've ever seen a bash Dubose thread or a bash Mike Price thread.
But mention Curry and whoooaaaaaa bring on the smack lol
I'm not saying he was a great coach or even a real good one. I just think he did a good job at Bama. Not great by any means, but good.

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Sip, having been a member here for quite a few years, the ire of most on here is directed at Franchione and Curry in that order both for obvious reasons. They kind of go hand in glove much like Dubose and Shula. Since Price never coached a down and has no record to hold up, he is pretty much a non person in Alabama football lore.

Bamabuzzard said:

I think the difference is because you don't hear Dubose, Price or Franchione getting behind a microphone and continuing to take shots and jabs at Alabama and/or the fanbase. It seems Curry can't get enough of it. I've heard one too many games he's broadcasted (in the recent past) in which out of nowhere he'd somehow work a jab at Alabama or the fanbase into his commentary. In games that Alabama wasn't even playing in. At some point Bill needs to quit throwing fuel on the fire and let it die.

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Yes, and also unlike DuBose and Shula, Curry left on his own accord. He was weak. Puny. Fake.

And unlike fRAN, there was no probation issues when Curry left. But like fRAN, I think a majority of Alabama fans liked Curry. No, the Auburn losses weren't ideal, but he was welcome to continue coaching at Alabama and he ran away like a chicken little because he couldn't withstand a little criticism.

TideEngineer08 said:

Yes, and also unlike DuBose and Shula, Curry left on his own accord. He was weak. Puny. Fake.

And unlike fRAN, there was no probation issues when Curry left. But like fRAN, I think a majority of Alabama fans liked Curry. No, the Auburn losses weren't ideal, but he was welcome to continue coaching at Alabama and he ran away like a chicken little because he couldn't withstand a little criticism.

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Well said. And it wasn't like he left for good job either. At least fRAN bolted for TAMU, which was and still is a solid program.

Another thing that always gripes me is when folks point out that Stallings won a championship with Curry's players. Sure, there were Curry players on the team, and several were key players. But without Langham, Shade, T. Johnson, Stevenson, Palmer, Sherman, Curtis Brown, and a host of others that were signed by CGS, we don't win that championship in 92.

By comparison, I don't see many folks giving Shula credit for the 09' season.

Alasippi said:

Curry recruited most of the players on the 92 championship team. Not too shabby.

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The Core contributors of that championship team were brought in by Stallings.....And coached up by Stallings. Under Curry those players were weak and poorly coached especially on Defense. 2009 had a bunch of Shula players as well...but needed to be coached up as 2009 would have never been the same with Shula as coach. Bill Curry was a below average coach and still is......You all can believe what you want but I was around the program as a student back then and the players discipline was horrible, the guy was a fake and was way over his head coaching at Bama. He was out coached and out recruited every year. He signed 1 QB in 3 years....care to name that QB? A hint, he was from NY and Never played a down. Homer Smith saved his Bacon in 1989 with smoke and mirrors as the team was weak and undisciplined (off the field and I wont get into how)---with a QB signed by of all people Ray Perkins. Curry was never consistent with recruiting, his coaching and his discipline. Bill Curry was/is a nice guy, but he blames his problems on Bama, when he should have been looking in the mirror to find blame.

Do you really believe Bama would have won a NC in 1992 with Bill Curry as HC? I dont believe he would have won a NC if he had stayed 20 years, seeing the things I saw and the things I knew back then.

Times up....that QB was Ray Stanton. Remember him?

To hell with Bill Curry, it is 2012 and time for Bama to go play for #15.