Bill Curry thoughts

[Bluegrass79]

I didnt know how accomplished Bill Curry was as a player. I surely didnt know he was a Green Bay Packer Superbowl champion!
As a player
2× Super Bowl champion (I, V)
3× NFL champion (1965, 1966, 1968)
Second-team All-Pro (1969)
2× Pro Bowl (1971, 1972)


As a coach
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (1989)
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (2007)
ACC Coach of the Year (1985)
2× SEC Coach of the Year (1987, 1989)



Damn! He should've been good here at Kentucky. 😪. We had a Lombardi Packer as a coach And I never knew it.

 

[m080470]

His pedigree goes beyond just Lombardi. He played for Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech who was one of the greatest college coaches (and namesake of Coach of the Year award) , was traded to Colts where he played for Don Shula ( before he left for Dolphins) and was the starting center for Colts in Super Bowl III when they lost to Namath and the Jets in the "Guarantee Game" , and as part of the Colts he was the center for Johnny Unitas it at the end of his career. It's too bad that didn't translate to success at UK.

 

[yoshukai]

Evidently there was reason Bama pushed him out the door into our waiting arms .

 

[Glenn's take]

Anyone got an extra brick?

 

[wildcat_bigd]

By the time Spurrier came into a coach in the sec, curry’s tactics were done

 

[Johnfarrel]

He was a good man, a good player, and a good coach. For whatever reason he did not work out at Kentucky, he made his mark on the game.

 

[JDHoss]

If Cash Money Newton had opened the check book for Curry to hire and retain quality assistants, things would have likely gone better.

 

[Bluegrass79]

If Cash Money Newton had opened the check book for Curry to hire and retain quality assistants, things would have likely gone better.

Interesting take

 

[Deeeefense]

Also Bill Curry was SEC Coach of the Year in 1989 the year before Kentucky hired him. Bama was 10-2 with losses only to Auburn and Miami in the sugar bowl by 8 points. Had they beaten Miami Bama would have had at least a share of the national championship.

I have been a fan of Curry and believe most of his inability to succeed at Kentucky is due to lack of resources - facilities, recruiting budget, and staff salaries. The criticism that many fans have directed at him is simplistic and misguided IMO.

 

[zannmann]

Curry was an excellent recruiter. When he left Georgia Tech and Alabama both teams won National Championships with his players.

 

[colonelcat78]

Also Bill Curry was SEC Coach of the Year in 1989 the year before Kentucky hired him. Bama was 10-2 with losses only to Auburn and Miami in the sugar bowl by 8 points. Had they beaten Miami Bama would have had at least a share of the national championship.

I have been a fan of Curry and believe most of his inability to succeed at Kentucky is due to lack of resources - facilities, recruiting budget, and staff salaries. The criticism that many fans have directed at him is simplistic and misguided IMO.

I agree, he had disadvantages that he couldn’t control, like facilities, recruiting budget, etc. However, the players had to play to his style instead of developing a style that best fit the players. Hence Tim Couch running the option 🤦‍♂️

 

[Freetaxreturn]

If Cash Money Newton had opened the check book for Curry to hire and retain quality assistants, things would have likely gone better.

@jauk11 opinion please 🍺

 

[The-Hack]

I agree, he had disadvantages that he couldn’t control, like facilities, recruiting budget, etc.

Curry openly complained to Oscar Combs of the lack of “unknown assistants,” for recruiting, such as he had had at both Georgia Tech and Bama.

 

[colonelcat78]

Curry openly complained to Oscar Combs of the lack of “unknown assistants,” for recruiting, such as he had had at both Georgia Tech and Bama.

Yeah, he was limited here. But, there’s a reason Kio Sanford, Craig Yeast, Tim Couch, and Anthony White were far more productive the year after he left. They played in a system that fit to their strengths.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

The more I think about it..it wasn’t Curry. It was the administrations. Claiborne was cuffed, too.

 

[Katonic]

Curry’s biggest mistake was leaving Bama without them having to fire him. He could have walked into any other job in the country. His 2nd biggest was not knowing Newton’s total disregard for the UK football program.

 

[bthaunert]

The more I think about it..it wasn’t Curry. It was the administrations. Claiborne was cuffed, too.

It was both. Curry played Couch in the option offense for crying out loud.

 

[jauk11]

He was a good man, a good player, and a good coach. For whatever reason he did not work out at Kentucky, he made his mark on the game.

Who did work out at UK with the support Football had?

 

[UKat51]

He was a good man, a good player, and a good coach. For whatever reason he did not work out at Kentucky, he made his mark on the game.

Kentucky recruiting sucked

 

[CatPatrick13]

I have been a fan of Curry and believe most of his inability to succeed at Kentucky is due to lack of resources - facilities, recruiting budget, and staff salaries. The criticism that many fans have directed at him is simplistic and misguided IMO.

Absolutely..

 

[The-Hack]

Who did work out at UK with the support Football had?

@Freetaxreturn was jonesing to hear from
you Jauk.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas.

 

[yoshukai]

Bill Curry hired Elliott Uzalec and allowed him to have Tim Couch run the option offense. That’s all I need to know.

 

[Freetaxreturn]

@Freetaxreturn was jonesing to hear from
you Jauk.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas.

Hack, we always need a fresh and unbiased opinion and account when it comes to former and current Kentucky AD’s, @jauk11 is the resident expert IMO 🍺 plus he has the most experience 🏆🏴‍☠️

 

[KYCAT78]

I didnt know how accomplished Bill Curry was as a player. I surely didnt know he was a Green Bay Packer Superbowl champion!
As a player
2× Super Bowl champion (I, V)
3× NFL champion (1965, 1966, 1968)
Second-team All-Pro (1969)
2× Pro Bowl (1971, 1972)


As a coach
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (1989)
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (2007)
ACC Coach of the Year (1985)
2× SEC Coach of the Year (1987, 1989)



Damn! He should've been good here at Kentucky. 😪. We had a Lombardi Packer as a coach And I never knew it.

He sucked, only won at Bama because it was Bama. I got one of the biggest drunks of my life when he was hired because living in Alabama I saw first hand he was a terrible Coach.

 

[Kybluedude]

Bama’s fans didn’t complain. They knew he wasn’t going to cut it. That should have told CM that he wasn’t the answer. Great speaker.

 

[cats2010]

Also Bill Curry was SEC Coach of the Year in 1989 the year before Kentucky hired him. Bama was 10-2 with losses only to Auburn and Miami in the sugar bowl by 8 points. Had they beaten Miami Bama would have had at least a share of the national championship.

I have been a fan of Curry and believe most of his inability to succeed at Kentucky is due to lack of resources - facilities, recruiting budget, and staff salaries. The criticism that many fans have directed at him is simplistic and misguided IMO.

You forget he had Tim Couch running the option?

 

[jeffky]

Bill ran the option and Tim couch was going to transfer cm made the right call

 

[Glenn's take]

The halfback option pass he called against Vanderbilt after he had been fired was the most set up play in the history of football. It was 7 years in the making.

 

[jlkirk]

Bama’s fans didn’t complain. They knew he wasn’t going to cut it. That should have told CM that he wasn’t the answer. Great speaker.

Didnt he also burn a player's redshirt the last game of the season with no chance to win?

 

[Glenn's take]

Didnt he also burn a player's redshirt the last game of the season with no chance to win?

Jimmy Haley. Put him in at fullback because he said he didn't have anyone else to play when he had Michael Woodfork on the kickoff team who had played the position.

 

[southindycat]

Curry openly complained to Oscar Combs of the lack of “unknown assistants,” for recruiting, such as he had had at both Georgia Tech and Bama.

Bag men?

 

[BlueBallz]

He ran the Stack I, which I referred as the Stagnant I. His offense was run, run, run, punt. I remember a Florida player after a game saying they knew where every play was going.

 

[The-Hack]

Bag men?

Yes.

I befriended (as did many) Mel McCane, the founder of Wildcatfaithful web site.

He was an nice guy, living a very modest life in Lexington in an apartment.

But his web site exploded in the late 90’s, and became the most popular Kentucky website.

It gave him amazing access. He regularly fed pretty big names at his apartment, or ate out with them.

I stopped by one day, like in 2000 or 2001, and he mentioned Oscar had had dinner with him at the apartment the night prior, and related the story to me. When Oscar asked Curry what he meant, Curry clarified this way: “I mean the supporters of the program whose names I will never know.” Obviously, Curry had asked this of Oscar some years prior to relating it to Mel.

It was clear to Oscar and to Mel Curry was talking about bag men.

Mel seemed surprised. I told him Curry’s college experience was playing/coaching at Georgia Tech then at Bama. I would have been shocked if no money was involved in recruiting at any deep Southern School of significance.

 

[satcheluk]

I'm more of a butter curry guy.

 

[trueblujr2]

Bama’s fans didn’t complain. They knew he wasn’t going to cut it. That should have told CM that he wasn’t the answer. Great speaker.

I had always thought Curry would have made a better AD than coach.

 

[trueblujr2]

Yes.

I befriended (as did many) Mel McCane, the founder of Wildcatfaithful web site.

He was an nice guy, living a very modest life in Lexington in an apartment.

But his web site exploded in the late 90’s, and became the most popular Kentucky website.

It gave him amazing access. He regularly fed pretty big names at his apartment, or ate out with them.

I stopped by one day, like in 2000 or 2001, and he mentioned Oscar had had dinner with him at the apartment the night prior, and related the story to me. When Oscar asked Curry what he meant, Curry clarified this way: “I mean the supporters of the program whose names I will never know.” Obviously, Curry had asked this of Oscar some years prior to relating it to Mel.

It was clear to Oscar and to Mel Curry was talking about bag men.

Mel seemed surprised. I told him Curry’s college experience was playing/coaching at Georgia Tech then at Bama. I would have been shocked if no money was involved in recruiting at any deep Southern School of significance.

Great Memories of Mel. I got to meet Oscar at Mel's funeral.

 

[Cobb4uk]

Yes.

I befriended (as did many) Mel McCane, the founder of Wildcatfaithful web site.

He was an nice guy, living a very modest life in Lexington in an apartment.

But his web site exploded in the late 90’s, and became the most popular Kentucky website.

It gave him amazing access. He regularly fed pretty big names at his apartment, or ate out with them.

I stopped by one day, like in 2000 or 2001, and he mentioned Oscar had had dinner with him at the apartment the night prior, and related the story to me. When Oscar asked Curry what he meant, Curry clarified this way: “I mean the supporters of the program whose names I will never know.” Obviously, Curry had asked this of Oscar some years prior to relating it to Mel.

It was clear to Oscar and to Mel Curry was talking about bag men.

Mel seemed surprised. I told him Curry’s college experience was playing/coaching at Georgia Tech then at Bama. I would have been shocked if no money was involved in recruiting at any deep Southern School of significance.

I enjoyed Wildcatfaithful site very much, seems like it was much less stressful than today's posters.

 

[Bluegrass79]

Damn I didnt expect to get this much out of making this thread. I made it because Im a Packer fan and Kentucky fan and heard his name in a packer video.
I said to myself " there's only one bill Curry, was he a Packer?!".
I looked him up. I was surprised at his accomplishments. We fans always put him down alot. He accomplished more in football that 98% of all players .... Ever.

Really awesome to learn about Bill for sure.
Go Pack Go
Go Big Blue!!!

 

[The-Hack]

Damn I didnt expect to get this much out of making this thread. I made it because Im a Packer fan and Kentucky fan and heard his name in a packer video.
I said to myself " there's only one bill Curry, was he a Packer?!".

Curry’s connection with the Packers was well known and discussed during his tenure.

It was said that Paul Hornung pushed the Couch family pretty hard for Tim to attend UK in 1995, the Packer connection being obvious with Curry.

Frankly, I am tad surprised to find a Pack fan “surprised” by the depth of the connection, but I’m a 60 year old, old fart.

 

[The-Hack]

I enjoyed Wildcatfaithful site very much, seems like it was much less stressful than today's posters.

I was a moderator.

The “ole days,” always look best from a distance.