Bill Curry to be Head Coach at GSU

[mathman]

Georgia State that is. xnodx

Just saw the announcement in the Atlanta paper. I think it is a good choice. Bill Curry certainly understands college ball better than Dan Reeves. Curry didn't have a stellar career as coach at Tech or Alabama but I think he will be a good start for Georgia State.

[gvilleapp]

Bill Curry did a great job when he was on the broadcast crew for one of our '06 playoff games on ESPN. Very knowledgeable and respectful of not just App, but all of FCS. I'll be pulling for him. Lots of talent within 50 miles of that campus and I'm sure he will get some good players.

[citdog]

he's an ahole who has been run ot of every job he's ever had by shooting off his big fat mouth.



he also called his first team defense back onto the field in the middle 80's when he was at GA Tech while leading The Citadel 58-0 with 1:00 remaining in the 4th quarter when we recovered a fumble on Tech' s 6 yard line.xmadx xmadx xmadx xmadx

[Ivytalk]

he's an ahole who has been run ot of every job he's ever had by shooting off his big fat mouth.



he also called his first team defense back onto the field in the middle 80's when he was at GA Tech while leading The Citadel 58-0 with 1:00 remaining in the 4th quarter when we recovered a fumble on Tech' s 6 yard line.xmadx xmadx xmadx xmadx

Well, did you score?xconfusedx ;)

[citdog]

Well, did you score?xconfusedx ;)

final was 58-3

[dbackjon]

final was 58-3


Congrats ;)

[Ivytalk]

final was 58-3

A moral victory! Curry probably made his defense do laps after the game.

[TexasTerror]

Believe Ga State just built some excitement around their program.

Now, this is a head coach that does this (unlike the hire of Woodard at Lamar) and this is more along the hire of what I figured LU would have done or atleast more on the scale of what Old Dominion did (hire a proven commodity at the FCS level).

Great job Ga St!

[catamount man]

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2008/06/11/curry_0612.html

Welcome back to football Coach Curry. I actually was hoping WCU would look him up after Briggs got canned. IIRC, he has a home in Murphy, NC.

Good luck Georgia State.

GO CATAMOUNTS!!!xthumbsupx

[catdaddy2402]

Here's one link
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1144&CID=816794

That being covered..


THANK GOD!!!

Curry has to be one of the worst football broadcasters out there. Hopefully Georgia State keeps him for a long, long time so the rest of the country doesn't have to put up with him in the announce booth anymore.

[Jiggs]

Curry didn't have a stellar career as coach at Tech or Alabama but I think he will be a good start for Georgia State.

Curry was 26-10 in 3 years at Bama, with one SEC championship and 3 bowl appearances. Not bad. He was smart enough to get away from those crazies in Tuscaloosa.

[hoseman]

Curry was 26-10 in 3 years at Bama, with one SEC championship and 3 bowl appearances. Not bad. He was smart enough to get away from those crazies in Tuscaloosa.

Agree. Excellent choice for Ga State to get a man of this caliber to start the program. Any idea what conference they will enter?

[IndianaAppMan]

Agree. Excellent choice for Ga State to get a man of this caliber to start the program. Any idea what conference they will enter?

yeah, the CAA. they're already members in other sports.

[MplsBison]

Lots of talent within 50 miles of that campus and I'm sure he will get some good players.

It'll be interesting to see what ATL area kids do now that they have that FCS option while staying home.


They don't have to go out to the boonies of GSoU to play FCS ball anymore.

[catamount man]

Curry was 26-10 in 3 years at Bama, with one SEC championship and 3 bowl appearances. Not bad. He was smart enough to get away from those crazies in Tuscaloosa.

That and the lousy contract extension they gave him after that 1989 season was something of a no win situation. Of course, going 0-3 against Auburn didn't help him either.

[Monarch History]

I think Curry was a good hire for Georgia State. A recognizable name for a new upstart CAA FCS program. xnodx

[IndianaAppMan]

I think Curry was a good hire for Georgia State. A recognizable name for a new upstart CAA FCS program. xnodx

Is that avitar the official helment for ODU? I like it! xthumbsupx

[blueballs]

It'll be interesting to see what ATL area kids do now that they have that FCS option while staying home.


They don't have to go out to the boonies of GSoU to play FCS ball anymore.

Stupid, ignorant, hateful post...xsmhx

Atlanta metro kids have other FCS options just as close if not closer than GSU in UTC, Furman, Wofford, Samford, Jacksonville State. Georgia Southern is actually more than 200 miles from the south side of Atlanta, 250+ from the northern and western metro.

They CHOOSE to go to Georgia Southern to play in the always competitive Southern Conference, which has had a team in the national championship game 7 out of the last 10 years winning 5, to have a chance to win and play in a tradition that includes Erk Russell, Tracy Ham, Paul Johnson, Adrian Peterson, etc.

[jaxstatealum]

Curry was 26-10 in 3 years at Bama, with one SEC championship and 3 bowl appearances. Not bad. He was smart enough to get away from those crazies in Tuscaloosa.

Jiggs I seldom agree with you, but they are crazy in T-town xthumbsupx

[Franks Tanks]

I think Curry was a good hire for Georgia State. A recognizable name for a new upstart CAA FCS program. xnodx

Yes he will bring some excitment to the program. Also a crazy fact-- He played for Bobby Dodd and GT--wow

[Cobblestone]

he's an ahole who has been run ot of every job he's ever had by shooting off his big fat mouth.



he also called his first team defense back onto the field in the middle 80's when he was at GA Tech while leading The Citadel 58-0 with 1:00 remaining in the 4th quarter when we recovered a fumble on Tech' s 6 yard line.xmadx xmadx xmadx xmadx

Now THAT'S a defense guy! xthumbsupx

[catdaddy2402]

Curry was 26-10 in 3 years at Bama, with one SEC championship and 3 bowl appearances. Not bad. He was smart enough to get away from those crazies in Tuscaloosa.
He had a solid record at Alabama....a place that pretty much recruits itself. Not to mention that the program had gone 32-15 in the four years prior to Curry taking over.

He was 31-43-4 at GT and 25-52 at Kentucky ....places where you have to work to get decent players.

He's also been away from coaching for 12 years right now, by the time he takes the field it's going to be 14 years since he was on the sideline. The players he will be recruiting will have no knowledge of him ever being a coach.

I'm sure that a lot of parallels will be drawn to Howard Schnellenberger taking on the job of building football at Florida Atlantic, but IMO there are some very distinct differences.

1. Schnellenberger had only been out of coaching 6 years when he coached his first game at FAU. Curry is going to be double that.

2. Schnellenberger was able to capitalize on the fact that he was a legend in South Florida from his days at Miami. Curry was unremarkable at Georgia Tech.

3. Schnellenberger can show off a National Title ring, and champions rings from the Orange and Fiesta Bowls. Curry has an SEC championship, a Hall of Fame and Sun Bowl ring.

4. Schnellenberger is a publicity machine. He is a media favorite because with his outspoken nature he's a media favorite. His fans love him and opponents love to hate him. Curry is more reserved, even while in the broadcast booth.

While his ESPN gig makes Curry somewhat of a name in college football circles, there were far better choices out there IMO.

[hoseman]

I've recently watched several parents financially struggle to attend their son's football games. Many times not being able to attend any away games. With gas going to $4.15/gallon and staying there, the problem worsens. America is changing...I see public transportation getting slamed everyday.

We are personally done attending any football game further than 5 gallons each way.

Ga State is brilliant starting a FCS football program in downtown Atlanta where huge numbers of excellent local athletes reside. A home game is a bus ride away for fans and parents. This team will become competitive fast with their own personal local talent pool, just watch Curry have some fun with this new team.

[OL FU]

Stupid, ignorant, hateful post...xsmhx

Atlanta metro kids have other FCS options just as close if not closer than GSU in UTC, Furman, Wofford, Samford, Jacksonville State. Georgia Southern is actually more than 200 miles from the south side of Atlanta, 250+ from the northern and western metro.

They CHOOSE to go to Georgia Southern to play in the always competitive Southern Conference, which has had a team in the national championship game 7 out of the last 10 years winning 5, to have a chance to win and play in a tradition that includes Erk Russell, Tracy Ham, Paul Johnson, Adrian Peterson, etc.

Furman recruits the Atlanta area xnodx No doubt we recruit against many different schools, but for the most part I don't see us recruiting heavily against this GSUxsmhx

[bluehenbillk]

Being lazy here, when will GSU field a team?

[Cobblestone]

Stupid, ignorant, hateful post...xsmhx

Atlanta metro kids have other FCS options just as close if not closer than GSU in UTC, Furman, Wofford, Samford, Jacksonville State. Georgia Southern is actually more than 200 miles from the south side of Atlanta, 250+ from the northern and western metro.

They CHOOSE to go to Georgia Southern to play in the always competitive Southern Conference, which has had a team in the national championship game 7 out of the last 10 years winning 5, to have a chance to win and play in a tradition that includes Erk Russell, Tracy Ham, Paul Johnson, Adrian Peterson, etc.


AND Tim Stowers! :p :o

[soweagle]

AND Tim Stowers! :p :o

He did win a title.

[93henfan]

Being lazy here, when will GSU field a team?

2010 - The Year We Make Contact (with Georgia State)

[Monarch History]

Is that avitar the official helment for ODU? I like it! xthumbsupx

Thanks, yes that's our new helmet.xnodx

[BlazerDawg]

Curry provides a media splash now two years before they field a team, and perhaps he garners Atlanta media attention over the long haul, but as stated above, a generation of players have no memory of him as a coach in the field. They will only know him as the guy that talks real slow on ESPN.

As for on the field, he won somewhat in the end at GT. He won at Bama, but he couldn't beat Auburn and win over the fan base, and he had Tim Couch running the option at UK.

I'm not passing judgment per se, but I admit to being a bit shocked with this hire. There are other coaches out there that would have given the same media splash with better on the field resumes. Plus, his age means that he is a short term guy most likely.

[MplsBison]

Atlanta metro kids have other FCS options just as close if not closer than GSU in UTC, Furman, Wofford, Samford, Jacksonville State. Georgia Southern is actually more than 200 miles from the south side of Atlanta, 250+ from the northern and western metro.

Obviously I meant staying within Georgia.

West Georgia is looking at DI and I think Kennesaw perhaps too. That will give ATL kids 2 more closer options than GSoU.




They CHOOSE to go to Georgia Southern to play in the always competitive Southern Conference, which has had a team in the national championship game 7 out of the last 10 years winning 5, to have a chance to win and play in a tradition that includes Erk Russell, Tracy Ham, Paul Johnson, Adrian Peterson, etc.

All the tradition of GSoU lies with the triple option.


When the triple option went extinct some years ago, so did that tradition.

I guess we'll see this year if GSoU can survive outside that tradition (I think so).

[mrklean]

Obviously I meant staying within Georgia.

West Georgia is looking at DI and I think Kennesaw perhaps too. That will give ATL kids 2 more closer options than GSoU.





All the tradition of GSoU lies with the triple option.


When the triple option went extinct some years ago, so did that tradition.

I guess we'll see this year if GSoU can survive outside that tradition (I think so).

dream on, we are still and great program.

[GeauxLions94]

Curry provides a media splash now two years before they field a team, and perhaps he garners Atlanta media attention over the long haul, but as stated above, a generation of players have no memory of him as a coach in the field. They will only know him as the guy that talks real slow on ESPN.

As for on the field, he won somewhat in the end at GT. He won at Bama, but he couldn't beat Auburn and win over the fan base, and he had Tim Couch running the option at UK.

I'm not passing judgment per se, but I admit to being a bit shocked with this hire. There are other coaches out there that would have given the same media splash with better on the field resumes. Plus, his age means that he is a short term guy most likely.

Just like us when we hired Hal Mumme to start up our program in 2003. He had been out of coaching for a short while and spent two years in Hammond before taking the job at New Mexico State.

Also, Mumme scrapped Couch's option days ... you know what happened from there.

[seantaylor]

Curry won't see the field until he is 68. Can't build a program at that age.

[Longhorn]

he's an ahole who has been run ot of every job he's ever had by shooting off his big fat mouth.



he also called his first team defense back onto the field in the middle 80's when he was at GA Tech while leading The Citadel 58-0 with 1:00 remaining in the 4th quarter when we recovered a fumble on Tech' s 6 yard line.xmadx xmadx xmadx xmadx


So you're saying he already knows how to beat your team? xsmiley_wix

[Longhorn]

He had a solid record at Alabama....a place that pretty much recruits itself. Not to mention that the program had gone 32-15 in the four years prior to Curry taking over.

He was 31-43-4 at GT and 25-52 at Kentucky ....places where you have to work to get decent players.

He's also been away from coaching for 12 years right now, by the time he takes the field it's going to be 14 years since he was on the sideline. The players he will be recruiting will have no knowledge of him ever being a coach.

I'm sure that a lot of parallels will be drawn to Howard Schnellenberger taking on the job of building football at Florida Atlantic, but IMO there are some very distinct differences.

1. Schnellenberger had only been out of coaching 6 years when he coached his first game at FAU. Curry is going to be double that.

2. Schnellenberger was able to capitalize on the fact that he was a legend in South Florida from his days at Miami. Curry was unremarkable at Georgia Tech.

3. Schnellenberger can show off a National Title ring, and champions rings from the Orange and Fiesta Bowls. Curry has an SEC championship, a Hall of Fame and Sun Bowl ring.

4. Schnellenberger is a publicity machine. He is a media favorite because with his outspoken nature he's a media favorite. His fans love him and opponents love to hate him. Curry is more reserved, even while in the broadcast booth.

While his ESPN gig makes Curry somewhat of a name in college football circles, there were far better choices out there IMO.

Disagree. I think Curry is a brilliant choice. Yes, he's been out of coaching for awhile and is getting a little long in the tooth, but he's more than a "somewhat...name" in college FB. His media ID is current (already Mike n Mike on ESPN are playing this hire up)....and Curry is a native of Atlanta and the local market will eat this news up. That connection alone makes his rep in recruiting local Georgia kids a major positive. Oh, and don't forget that Curry can also point to his National Coach of the Year award (which your spin failed to mention).

GSU made an excellent hire...the proof will be forthcoming soon enough on the field.

[Cobblestone]

He did win a title.

We thought he'd win for us as well xnonono2x . But all we got out of him was one (count it!), one winning season. Even his one winning season wasn't good enough to get us into the playoffs. I hear his playbook has been donated to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

xlolx xlolx xlolx

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college/2008/06/bill-curry-retu.html

It's an interesting hire by Georgia State and would seem to lend some credence to the idea that this downtown Atlanta university has big plans of moving beyond Division I-AA fairly quickly.

Some observations from a reporter who covered Curry when he was head coach of the Crimson Tide ...

Georgia State fans -- if there is such a thing yet -- should get ready for:

1) Stories about being the last player selected in the draft.

2) Sweaters.

3) And aviator shades.

4) A steel-jawed glint.

5) Lots of saying the right things on the coaches show and then the team doing the wrong things on Saturday.

Ah, I digress. I actually had great admiration for Curry's time at Alabama and thought for years that he got a raw deal there. That is, until Gene Stallings won a national title with Curry's players. Curry also always seemed to have an air of "I'm smarter than all you Alabama rubes" while in Tuscaloosa, which people picked up on ... And I never quite believed that whole "brick through the window" story, or the grandstanding over the hurricane game vs. Texas A&M.

[aust42]

It will be interesting to see if Georgia State can be successful under the shadow of Georgia Tech which is literally right around the corner from them. I'm sure they won't want to schedule home games when G-Tech is home. Atlanta is a transient town and Georgia State is a commuter school so getting people to come to the Georgia Dome would be a tough sell IMO. If I was being recruited by Georgia State I would definetely take this into consideration. Playing in front of 3k people at the 70k Georgia Dome would not motivate me whatsoever at all as a player.

I'm personally sad to see the CAA expanding. This will ultimately push out long time football only members Villanova, UMASS, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Richmond. It will be interesting to see if they bolt and form a new conference as has been previously discussed on this board.

[BlazerDawg]

Just like us when we hired Hal Mumme to start up our program in 2003. He had been out of coaching for a short while and spent two years in Hammond before taking the job at New Mexico State.

Also, Mumme scrapped Couch's option days ... you know what happened from there.

While Mumme had been out for a few years, he was still known to the current generation of football players and high school coaches. Plus, his system is one that would attract QBs and receivers.

I have no idea whether or not Mumme left your institution with any semblance of class, but he left VSU in a completely classless manner. VSU was in the playoffs and had granted permission for UK and Mumme to meet under the provisions that Mumme would stay until the VSU season was finished and that no announcement would be made until the the season was finished (that was the scuttlebutt around campus anyway). Many players believed that Mumme abandoned them during the playoff loss to Carson-Newman. I heard this from more than one player. After the loss, he didn't come back to Valdosta with the team. Instead, he flew to UK for the announcement. There wasn't anger that he took the UK job as it more than tripled his salary at the time and moved him to the SEC. VSU people were just ticked about the manner in which he conducted the move.

At UK, things were fine at first, but he made such a pain of himself that when things got rocky, nobody was there to stand up for him. He's had a few Mumme moments at his current gig as well.

[IndianaAppMan]

Curry won't see the field until he is 68. Can't build a program at that age.

Howard Schnellenberger is in his mid-70's and has done very well starting FAU from scratch.

[IndianaAppMan]

West Georgia is looking at DI and I think Kennesaw perhaps too. That will give ATL kids 2 more closer options than GSoU. All the tradition of GSoU lies with the triple option.
When the triple option went extinct some years ago, so did that tradition.
I guess we'll see this year if GSoU can survive outside that tradition (I think so).

The tradition at GSoU is winning football games, not just the triple option. They'll be just fine. They might not win national titles year-in, year-out, but nobody does that forever.

[henfan]

I'm personally sad to see the CAA expanding. This will ultimately push out long time football only members Villanova, UMASS, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Richmond. It will be interesting to see if they bolt and form a new conference as has been previously discussed on this board.

I flat out disagree that the admittance of CAA core members ODU and GSU will necessarily or "ultimately push out" the group of affiliate members.

1) There's nowhere for those schools to go.

2) The CAA is in no hurry to see affiliates leave because the league values the historic rivalries the affiliates have with core members (think UR-W&M, UR-JMU, VU-UD, UD-UR, NU-UNH, NU-UMass, UD-UNH, ect.), sees need to preserve the competitive balance of the league, and enjoys the FB exposure in the city of its home office (Richmond), one of the largest media markets in the country (Philly) and all across New England.

Tom Yeager told me directly that there will be no jettisoning of affiliate members. He did suggest that the league may adopt participation standards at some point, which, aside from leading to a stronger league, could cause a few members to look elsewhere.

3) With expansion of the FCS playoffs on the horizon, there's likely to be no shortage of post-season opportunities for the eventual 14-team CAA league.

Ultimately, yes, some affiliates may leave the CAA for other opportunities, especially if the America East can cobble together a league. League memberships change everywhere all the time. I just don't ever see the sort of doomsday exodus you've laid out.

Back to GSU, having a presence in Atlanta will likely help the CAA in ways we've yet to imagine, especially if the Panthers can field a team as competitive as, say, Coastal Carolina.

[aust42]

I flat out disagree that the admittance of CAA core members ODU and GSU will necessarily or "ultimately push out" the group of affiliate members.

1) There's nowhere for those schools to go.

2) The CAA is in no hurry to see affiliates leave because the league values the historic rivalries the affiliates have with core members (think UR-W&M, UR-JMU, VU-UD, UD-UR, NU-UNH, NU-UMass, UD-UNH, ect.), sees need to preserve the competitive balance of the league, and enjoys the FB exposure in the city of its home office (Richmond), one of the largest media markets in the country (Philly) and all across New England.

Tom Yeager told me directly that there will be no jettisoning of affiliate members. He did suggest that the league may adopt participation standards at some point, which, aside from leading to a stronger league, could cause a few members to look elsewhere.

3) With expansion of the FCS playoffs on the horizon, there's likely to be no shortage of post-season opportunities for the eventual 14-team CAA league.

Ultimately, yes, some affiliates may leave the CAA for other opportunities, especially if the America East can cobble together a league. League memberships change everywhere all the time. I just don't ever see the sort of doomsday exodus you've laid out.

Back to GSU, having a presence in Atlanta will likely help the CAA in ways we've yet to imagine, especially if the Panthers can field a team as competitive as, say, Coastal Carolina.

A 14 team league is fine in the FBS where they can have a Conference Championship game and determine a true Champion but not in the FCS. Postseason opportunities aside, how can you have a true Conference Champion when you don't even play FOUR teams in your own conference? I wonder what the school AD's think about that?

[Ronbo]

I liked him in Caddyshack. xlolx

[henfan]

A 14 team league is fine in the FBS where they can have a Conference Championship game and determine a true Champion but not in the FCS. Postseason opportunities aside, how can you have a true Conference Champion when you don't even play FOUR teams in your own conference? I wonder what the school AD's think about that?

Other than bragging rights, I don't see a whole lot of stock placed in CAA conference championships. Like Lambert Cups, they're nice, sure, but beyond that, few value them all that much. The goal is to win national championships and having 14 teams in the league won't hurt CAA teams' chances one iota.

ADs answer to CEOs and BOTs. I've not read or heard of any outcry from CEOs, ADs, coaches or players. Have you?

[terrierbob]

I sure as hell don't love 'bama but I remember hearing this on the radio in '79. Was he coach then?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICkQWWRgapM&feature=related

[catdaddy2402]

I sure as hell don't love 'bama but I remember hearing this on the radio in '79. Was he coach then?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICkQWWRgapM&feature=related

No, Bear Bryant was still head coach in '79.

Curry was at 'Bama from '87-'89

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Other than bragging rights, I don't see a whole lot of stock placed in CAA conference championships.

You can't hype something you don't really have...

And the coin toss is.... Tails! UMass is the conference champion!

xlolx xlolx xlolx

Then you have Richmond, who made rings claiming they're the CAA champs because they advanced father than UMass - even though they didn't play each other in the regular season...

And as you well know, Delaware advanced farther than all of them, and they had a player drafting in the first round of the NFL draft. So are they the real champion?

Sure, it's not broken... xrolleyesx

[henfan]

You can't hype something you don't really have...

And the coin toss is.... Tails! UMass is the conference champion!

xlolx xlolx xlolx

Then you have Richmond, who made rings claiming they're the CAA champs because they advanced father than UMass - even though they didn't play each other in the regular season...

And as you well know, Delaware advanced farther than all of them, and they had a player drafting in the first round of the NFL draft. So are they the real champion?

Sure, it's not broken... xrolleyesx

I think you misunderstand.

The CAA does indeed award conference championships or, depending on the circumstances, conference co-championships. In '07, UMass & UR were recognized as CAA co-champions. When required, head-to-head records or, alternately, a coin flip doesn't determine who is awarded the conference championship but, rather, who will be awarded the automatic playoff bid.

No, the system isn't broken; it's just that finding a way to cleanly name a FB conference champion doesn't superceed more important membership and post-season issues.

Yes, in a perfect world, all CAA teams would play one another each season. Alas, the world is not perfect and more critical competitive reasons dictate that this won't be happening any time soon. It just hasn't been that important issue over time* and, arguably, has become even less so since the advent of multiple playoff bids for the conference. Again, CAA teams aspire to win national championships, not simply conference championships. Winning the latter without winning the former is deemed a hollow accomplishment by comparison.

*Conference co-championships have occurred many, many times over the decades going back to the 1940's and the Yankee Conference, right up through the A-10 in the '90s and, now, the CAA.