Jackson State football great Roy Curry recalls being part of 'greatest show on turf'
Many Jackson State football fans may have forgotten the original Tigers gunslinger, Roy Curry. Time seems to dull the memories of his stellar play at quarterback.
Curry is so old school, that when he talked to the Clarion Ledger, he did so on a landline from his home in Chicago.
Curry, 84, can remember how he broke school records and instilled the championship standard for Jackson State football.
He remembers being recruited by Tigers coach John Merritt out of high school and how one of his most devastating losses was to Florida A&M in the 1961 national championship game for HBCU programs when Jackson State lost 14-8 in the Orange Blossom Classic in Miami.
Curry and wide receiver Willie Richardson vowed to exact revenge the next season. They got their chance in a rematch in the Orange Blossom Classic. The Rattlers entered on a 21-game win streak and led by "Bullet" Bob Hayes, who would go on to share the world record in the 100-yard dash and win two gold medals at the 1964 Olympics before starring in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.
Curry, at 6-foot and 195 pounds, was fast, too. He had 4.39 speed in the 40-yard dash. Curry dazzled crowds and controlled games with his running. He had a strong arm and could throw any pass.
In the rematch, he led the Tigers to a 22-6 victory. Jackson State finished 10-1 and earned its first national championship. Curry was voted MVP of the game.
“We were so happy to defeat them," Curry said. "Man, that plane was rocking coming back. Everybody had turned out and we celebrated for days.”
Curry said Jackson State had great personnel and that of the 44 Tigers who traveled to Miami to play against A&M, 17 went on to play in the NFL.
The Tigers used Curry on naked bootlegs and rollouts, things they were not doing prior to his arrival. He was a sturdy runner and unafraid to put his head down to pick up a key first down. Curry was selected an All-American two years in a row.
“The things that we did at that particular time were unbelievable,” Curry said. “We had great athletes like Willie Richardson, Lester 'Speedy' Duncan and we had great personnel, and we did some fantastic things. I was the leader of the team.”
Curry fulfilled his dream by being selected in the 12th round of the 1963 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played in six games at wide receiver and special teams and spent two seasons there.
“I made the team (Steelers) because of my speed -- 4.39,” Curry said. “They wanted to use me like Paul Horning and throw the ball out of the backfield. They only kept five Black ballplayers on the team.”
Curry said he remembers one event from his rookie season like it was yesterday. While riding home from practice with teammate Joe Womack around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, they heard on the radio that President John F. Kennedy had been shot. Kennedy was pronounced dead 30 minutes later.
The players and NFL did not know if they wanted to play the games scheduled for Nov. 24.
They did play and Curry beat Chicago Bears safety Rosey Taylor on a 31-yard corner route for the only reception and touchdown of his career, according to pro-football-reference.com. The next week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Curry injured a hamstring to end his season.
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Curry was released the following season and picked up by the Chicago Bears. Because Curry had not recovered from the hamstring injury, coach George Halas wanted to put him on the taxi squad. Curry decided to retire and went into coaching.
Curry coached high school football for 34 years in Chicago and had a record of 240-73. He is in the Illinois Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Chicago High School Hall of Fame, State of Illinois Hall of Fame, Jackson State Hall of Fame, Clarksdale-Coahoma County Sports Hall of Fame and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. He also was selected to the JSU All-Century team
“Don’t forget us,” Curry said. “We were the greatest show on turf. We are the ones that put Jackson State on the map. We were a show on the road, we were something to see. We went 31-11 for four years, two SWAC titles and played in two national championships and won the first national title for Jackson State.”
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Roy Curry led Jackson State football to first national championship
