 Curci in 1957 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-06-11)June 11, 1938 (age 86) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1957–1959 | Miami (FL) |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1961–1967 | Miami (FL) (assistant) |
| 1968–1970 | Tampa |
| 1971–1972 | Miami (FL) |
| 1973–1981 | Kentucky |
| 1991 | Tampa Bay Storm |
| 1992 | Cincinnati Rockers |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 81–70–2 (college) |
| Bowls | 1–0 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| |
Fran Curci (born June 11, 1938) is a formerAmerican football player and coach. He was anAll-Americanquarterback at theUniversity of Miami in 1959. He served as head coach at theUniversity of Tampa from 1968 to 1970, the University of Miami from 1971 to 1972 and theUniversity of Kentucky from 1973 to 1981, compiling a careercollege football coaching record of 81–70–2.
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Curci led theUniversity of Tampa Spartans to a 25–6 record in three seasons (1968–1970). After his team defeated theMiami Hurricanes at theOrange Bowl in 1970, and Tampa finished that season 10–1, he was hired by theUniversity of Miami.[1]
Curci's record at Miami was 9–13. He was head coach at the University of Miami during the infamousFlorida Flop in 1971 when theFlorida Gators defense allowed Miami to score a touchdown late in the fourth quarter by dropping to the ground mid-play. The defense wanted quarterbackJohn Reaves to get the ball back and set anNCAA career passing record. Florida won the game 45–16. Curci was particularly upset at the Gators' actions since the game was well out of reach by then. He refused to shake hands with Florida coachDoug Dickey after the game, and was quoted as saying, "I lost all respect for [Dickey] as a coach and as a man. What he did shows no class... I think he made a fool of himself."[2][3]
During his tenure at theUniversity of Kentucky, Curci compiled a record of 47–51–2. The 1976 Kentucky Wildcats finished 9–3 and 5–1 in conference play—their first winning season in 13 years—and defeatedNorth Carolina in thePeach Bowl 21–0, finishing ranked #18 in the finalAssociated Press poll. After that season, the Wildcats were slapped with two years' probation for numerous recruiting and amateurism violations. The Wildcats were also banned from bowl games and live television in 1977, and limited to only 25 scholarships in 1977 and 1978.[4]
The 1977 team finished 10–1, including a win at #4Penn State and an undefeated record in conference play though they were ineligible for the title due to probation. They finished the season ranked #6 in the final Associated Press poll. It was only the second 10-win season in school history.
Due in part to the loss of scholarships from the 1976 infractions case, Curci was never able to put together another winning team. In his last four years, he only won eight games in SEC play. Curci's tenure as Kentucky's coach ended after nine seasons, then the longest of any Kentucky coach (but since surpassed byMark Stoops). In his final game as Kentucky's coach, Curci led the Wildcats to a 21–10 victory overTennessee on November 21, 1981.
Curci later coached in the Arena Football League with theTampa Bay Storm in1991, and theCincinnati Rockers in1992. He led the Storm, quarterbacked by future Washington Redskins head coachJay Gruden, to anArenaBowl V championship and was named Coach of the Year in his only season with Tampa Bay. Curci also did radio broadcasts forTampa Bay Buccaneers and college football games.
After leaving coaching, Curci served as Parks Commissioner for the Commonwealth ofKentucky.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Spartans(NCAA College Division independent)(1968–1970) | |||||||||
| 1968 | Tampa | 7–3 | |||||||
| 1969 | Tampa | 8–2 | |||||||
| 1970 | Tampa | 10–1 | |||||||
| Tampa: | 25–6 | ||||||||
| Miami Hurricanes(NCAA University Division independent)(1971–1972) | |||||||||
| 1971 | Miami | 4–7 | |||||||
| 1972 | Miami | 5–6 | |||||||
| Miami: | 9–13 | ||||||||
| Kentucky Wildcats(Southeastern Conference)(1973–1981) | |||||||||
| 1973 | Kentucky | 5–6 | 3–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1974 | Kentucky | 6–5 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1975 | Kentucky | 2–8–1 | 0–6 | 10th | |||||
| 1976 | Kentucky | 8–4 | 4–2 | T–3rd | WPeach | 19 | 18 | ||
| 1977 | Kentucky | 10–1 | 6–0 | T–1st ‡ | ‡ | ‡ | 6 | ||
| 1978 | Kentucky | 4–6–1 | 2–4 | T–7th | |||||
| 1979 | Kentucky | 5–6 | 3–3 | T–5th | |||||
| 1980 | Kentucky | 3–8 | 1–5 | 8th | |||||
| 1981 | Kentucky | 3–8 | 2–4 | T–6th | |||||
| Kentucky: | 47–51–2 | 25–30 | ‡ Ineligible forSEC title, bowl game andCoaches Poll | ||||||
| Total: | 81–70–2 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Media related toFran Curci at Wikimedia Commons