Question: What was the deal with Bill Curry??
- Thread starter time_4_the_TIDE
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Here's all you need to know about Bill Curry:
1. He wore "Cliff Engel" sweaters and sans-a-belt pants on the sidelines.
2. The week before the Auburn game in 1989 (the big "first Iron Bowl ever in Auburn"), he decided to "motivate" the team by giving every player a cassette recording of Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time" -- I am not making this up!
3. He is 0-for-lifetime in games coached against Auburn (0-3 at Bama, and 0-for-whatever at Georgia Tech).
4. Bama could have had Bobby Bowden instead, and would have won multiple national titles in the late 80's and 90's.
1. He wore "Cliff Engel" sweaters and sans-a-belt pants on the sidelines.
2. The week before the Auburn game in 1989 (the big "first Iron Bowl ever in Auburn"), he decided to "motivate" the team by giving every player a cassette recording of Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time" -- I am not making this up!
3. He is 0-for-lifetime in games coached against Auburn (0-3 at Bama, and 0-for-whatever at Georgia Tech).
4. Bama could have had Bobby Bowden instead, and would have won multiple national titles in the late 80's and 90's.
All of the uniformed non Bama folks always say that Bebes won with Curry's players. But Curry was here only (3) years. With that being said was he (Curry) successful because of the bounty that Perkins left?
Also, Curry was not fired, he neglected to sign a contract offer because of control issues.
RTR
Also, Curry was not fired, he neglected to sign a contract offer because of control issues.
RTR
Re: My Thoughts On Curry
All you can do is make decisions based on the information available at the time. Knowing what we know about hurricanes, was it wrong to avoid where the NHC said one was going to be?
As to Jeff Dunn and Gary Hollingsworth, Dunn hurt his knee against Kentucky in 1989, opening the door for Hollingsworth to play for the first time ever. Dunn left the team after the 1989 season, probably because he knew his chances to play were limited after Hollingsworth's superb season.
We can have our opinions about Curry, but let's try to be factually accurate.
I lived in Texas in 1988 and Hurricane Gilbert WAS scheduled to hit farther north in Texas than it did. At the mid-week before the game, conditions were supposed to be terrible in College Station on Saturday. Gilbert DID veer off to the left and we got tornadoes in San Antonio instead.
All you can do is make decisions based on the information available at the time. Knowing what we know about hurricanes, was it wrong to avoid where the NHC said one was going to be?
As to Jeff Dunn and Gary Hollingsworth, Dunn hurt his knee against Kentucky in 1989, opening the door for Hollingsworth to play for the first time ever. Dunn left the team after the 1989 season, probably because he knew his chances to play were limited after Hollingsworth's superb season.
We can have our opinions about Curry, but let's try to be factually accurate.
After his Alabama mafia quote was played for CGS by Finebaum CGS had this to say "nobody leaves Alabama for Kentucky to coach football,basketball maybe." That my friends is all that needs to be said. Go Bama and RTR.
Re: My Thoughts On Curry
That would be like blaming Bill Belichick for Drew Bledsoe leaving.
Just A Moment
1) Btw - I am NOT dissing Curry AT ALL for that decision. I thought it was the right one at the time. Sherrill's comment that Curry didn't want to come "because his QB was hurt" was undone when you consider that Humphrey was out by the time the AtM game rolled around.
2) I guess I was wrong then - I thought Dunn got tossed off by Curry for breaking rules or something.
Thanks
I agree with you regarding factual accuracy. So on these two points:
1) Btw - I am NOT dissing Curry AT ALL for that decision. I thought it was the right one at the time. Sherrill's comment that Curry didn't want to come "because his QB was hurt" was undone when you consider that Humphrey was out by the time the AtM game rolled around.
2) I guess I was wrong then - I thought Dunn got tossed off by Curry for breaking rules or something.
Thanks
Curry rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. I was one of them. I met him and was turned off.
He was a pretty good coach, but not great. I don't think he would have won a championship. He lacked the drive.
Curry never really understood the importance of beating Auburn. He thought it was just another game. He didn't know it was much bigger in the state of Alabama.
Curry fled to Ky.
Gene Stallings came in at Alabama, and could coach. Coach Stallings made men out of Curry's boys.
Curry didn't really make it at KY either...
Curry went to the Broadcast Booth, and I hated him.
Curry never seemed to have time to say much nice about Alabama.
He was a pretty good coach, but not great. I don't think he would have won a championship. He lacked the drive.
Curry never really understood the importance of beating Auburn. He thought it was just another game. He didn't know it was much bigger in the state of Alabama.
Curry fled to Ky.
Gene Stallings came in at Alabama, and could coach. Coach Stallings made men out of Curry's boys.
Curry didn't really make it at KY either...
Curry went to the Broadcast Booth, and I hated him.
Curry never seemed to have time to say much nice about Alabama.
I can tell you that being a Tech coach most certainly mattered with the people I worked with. They hated him from day one. Now that did not cost him his job but it did make his job harder.
Interesting read. I remember when Curry was hired I was extremely disappointed. GT????? really???? I wasn't when he left though and was glad to see CGS come even though he had a losing record in the NFL. Anyone who can survive the Junction, coach for CPB and then for Coach Landry wasn't going to let job overwhelm him like it did Curry. Plus he knew what Alabama football meant to the state including the fact that you can't lose to the barn 3 years in a row.
With nearly 30 years to reflect on it, I think it came down to three things:
- Curry played and coached at Georgia Tech. In the 1950s and early 60s, GT was a powerhouse, and there was a ton of animosity between the two schools. So in 1987, the memories were still fresh for a lot of the fanbase's old guard. They were most certainly not happy day one.
- Curry didn't help himself on that front. He was sanctimonious and made no secret of the fact that he hated large sections of the fanbase.
Part of that sanctimony was talking out of both sides of his mouth. "Focus" became his own personal buzzword, so much so that it became a joke....because he himself was not terribly focused, going off on tangential rants about "the fellowship of the miserable," and "the Alabama Mafia."
Then he capped it off by calling the FBI when there were death threats that, at the time, were common during the lead up to the auburn game. That particular year was the first game in Auburn, and emotions were high, and Bill Curry was anything but focused.
- But the main thing was really extremely simple: He was simply in over his head. The job was just plain too big for him, and he demonstrated that on a continual basis.
He did, however, inspire one of the all-time great athletic quips.
Curry succeeded Pepper Rogers at GT. Rogers had also played his college ball there, so his alma mater had fired him.
Rogers said that, unless you're Bryant or Paterno or McKay, you take a head coaching job pretty much knowing that you'll eventually be fired. But being fired from your alma mater, and being replaced by Bill Curry, was kind of like having your wife run off with Don Knotts.
Still makes me smile every time I hear it.
- Curry played and coached at Georgia Tech. In the 1950s and early 60s, GT was a powerhouse, and there was a ton of animosity between the two schools. So in 1987, the memories were still fresh for a lot of the fanbase's old guard. They were most certainly not happy day one.
- Curry didn't help himself on that front. He was sanctimonious and made no secret of the fact that he hated large sections of the fanbase.
Part of that sanctimony was talking out of both sides of his mouth. "Focus" became his own personal buzzword, so much so that it became a joke....because he himself was not terribly focused, going off on tangential rants about "the fellowship of the miserable," and "the Alabama Mafia."
Then he capped it off by calling the FBI when there were death threats that, at the time, were common during the lead up to the auburn game. That particular year was the first game in Auburn, and emotions were high, and Bill Curry was anything but focused.
- But the main thing was really extremely simple: He was simply in over his head. The job was just plain too big for him, and he demonstrated that on a continual basis.
He did, however, inspire one of the all-time great athletic quips.
Curry succeeded Pepper Rogers at GT. Rogers had also played his college ball there, so his alma mater had fired him.
Rogers said that, unless you're Bryant or Paterno or McKay, you take a head coaching job pretty much knowing that you'll eventually be fired. But being fired from your alma mater, and being replaced by Bill Curry, was kind of like having your wife run off with Don Knotts.
Still makes me smile every time I hear it.
Curry was in line for a national championship shot in 1989, and recruited the 92 national championship team. So I think soft after 19-5 record in year 2 and 3 is a bit of a stretch.
As for your hypothetical... I can't see anyway we are working on 20 right now with anyone. I think you are referring to Bobby Bowden. But you are leaving out Bowden had an extreme Miami problem and played a weak schedule. I seriously doubt the 90's would be kind to him in the SEC.
You are certainly welcome to your opinion....but I remember vividly the running joke at the time as "Perkins was a jerk and Curry was a joke" and I agreed 100% about the Curry part. The only thing Curry was good at was staring at the TV camera after we got beat by someone like Vandy and spewing some political garbage designed to make him look tough, and he was anything but IMO.
I remember when Roger Schultz was asked what the biggest difference between Curry and Stallings was and he remarked that if you got in a fight, Curry made you go to Anger Management classes and Stallings just wanted to know if you won.
Think about it, Shula won 10 games one year and Dubose won the SEC after his 10 win year....does that mean either was a great coach? IMO I don't think it does.
The measure of a great coach at Alabama is whether or not he can win championships, I just don't think we ever would have under Curry.
Aside from never beating Auburn(shula and Curry) and having a sec championship under his belt (Curry and Dubose) there isnt that much in common with the 3.
Was Curry a great coach??? No but he was clearly better than those guys. Dubose had that masterpiece in 00 on a team many thought that would compete for a title, and Shula really lived off a great Franchoine class in 05 otherwise he wouldve just got his 6 wins like always. Curry atleast got his 9-10 wins and recruited monster teams. Objectively he is probably the 2nd best coach we have had between CPB and CNS.
Yes, no, maybe he does or doesnt. Dye's run at Auburn was dying and Spurrier was vulnerable in the early 90's so its possible Curry couldve won one. If Larry Coker and Gene Chizik can win a title off talent alone then so could Curry with the amount of talent we had from 1989-1999
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