Daily Dose of Crimson Tide: Bill Curry

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BillCurry.net

When Ray Perkins left the Capstone following the 1986 season to take over the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Alabama’s search committee and university president Joab Thomas decided to hire the football program’s first head coach without an Alabama tie since Frank Thomas in 1937.

Bill Curry's coaching career had begun as an assistant at Georgia Tech in 1976, followed by three seasons in the NFL (1977–1979) as offensive line coach of the Green Bay Packers. Georgia Tech brought him back to be the head coach in 1980.

Even with a 9-2-1 finish in 1985 he had a career record of 31-43-4, but with three winning seasons at his alma mater when Alabama came calling. 

For the next three years, most accomplishments would be offset by setbacks, and vice-versa, leading to growing tensions between the coach and fans. Even though Alabama won the Southeastern Conference championship in 1989, it lost for the third straight time to Auburn, leading to the famous story about the brick thrown through his window.

Unhappy and feeling unwanted despite flirting with a national championship, Curry resigned after a 33-25 loss to Miami in the Sugar Bowl, which clinched the national championship for the Hurricanes, and accepted the job at Kentucky.

“I knew Coach Curry was leaving when he came in the squad room with a blue jacket on and in its lapels were tickets to the Kentucky Derby,” center Roger Shultz said.

Curry’s record at Alabama was 26-10.

Overall, he was 93–128–4, including a three-year stint as Georgia State's first head coach.

1980–86 Georgia Tech

1987–89 Alabama

1990–96 Kentucky

2010–12 Georgia State

Some of this post originated from "100 Things Crimson tide Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die," published by Triumph Books