Georgia State to make Bill Curry first FB coach

[EPJr]

By CHARLES ODUM

ATLANTA- Once again, the lure of college football is bringing Bill Curry back to Atlanta.

Almost 50 years after he began his college playing career at Georgia Tech, Curry will become the first coach of Georgia State's new football program Thursday.

Curry's hire was confirmed by a person with knowledge of the process who did not want to be identified because the school has scheduled a news conference for Thursday.

The 65-year-old Curry will join former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves as patriarchs of the program. Reeves has served as a consultant and helped raise $1.2 million in pledged funds for the program.

Reeves said he was not part of the selection process but said "I can tell you this, I think that is a heck of a choice, a great deal for Georgia State, if that is the case.

"I think Bill will do a super job. He's got a great reputation. You couldn't ask for anyone better to start Georgia State's program. He's got college experience, he has recruited and he lives in Atlanta. I think that's fantastic."

Reeves said he was asked if he'd be interested in the job.

"They talked to me but I just felt they needed to get somebody with college experience and who has recruited and is excited about the job," Reeves said.

Georgia state athletic director Mary McElroy and university president Carl Patton announced in April the school will begin play in 2010 as a Football Championship Subdivision team (formerly Division I-AA).

The Panthers will compete in the Colonial Athletic Association and will play their home games at the Georgia Dome.

Curry played at Tech from 1960-64 and coached the Yellow Jackets from 1980-86. He later coached Alabama to the 1989 Southeastern Conference championship before leaving to coach at Kentucky.

Curry, who effectively retired from coaching after going 26-52 at Kentucky, has worked the last 10 years as a color analyst for ESPN.

Curry did not return phone messages left at his home in Murphy, N.C., or on his cell phone. He also has kept a condominium in Atlanta.

Curry tried to return to Atlanta two years ago. He was the runner-up when Georgia Tech hired Dan Radakovich as athletic director on Feb. 22, 2006.

Curry was a star center at Georgia Tech under coach Bobby Dodd. He played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts.

Dodd was Tech's athletic director when Curry replaced Pepper Rodgers as football coach in 1980.

Curry had a 31-43-4 record at Tech before he moved to Alabama, where he was 26-10 in three seasons.

[dbackjon]

Good hire - great way to get visibility for the program.

[EPJr]

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sport ... _0619.html


By JENNA MARINA

Georgia State has offered new football coach Bill Curry an annual salary of $350,000, according to documents obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution through the Freedom of Information Act.

This is not a contract but a memorandum of understanding. Curry has three months to sign the document. When Georgia State introduced him as head coach last week, Curry had agreed to a five-year contract.

In addition to his salary, he will receive an annual $50,000 bonus that's tied to certain athletic and academic achievements that will be included in the contract. He will also receive a $500 month car allowance. He will have a pool of $450,000 with which to hire six assistant coaches, a director of football operations and an administrative assistant.

Curry, 65, will begin the job officially on July 1.

According to the memorandum, Georgia State will allow Curry to attend six speaking engagements in 2008 as well as his three-week book tour in August to promote his soon-to-be published book, Ten Men You Meet in the Huddle: Lessons from a Football Life, as long as these engagements do not diminish his job performance.

[EPJr]

http://www.georgiastatesports.com/Sport ... PSID=53626