George Jessel "Buddy" Curry (born June 4, 1958) is a former American college and professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for eight seasons from 1980 to 1987. He played college football for the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

. A 2nd-round pick in the

1980 NFL Draft The 1980 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1980, at the New York She ...

by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, he and his Falcons teammate Al Richardson were selected as the 1980

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Various entities present a National Football League Rookie of the Year Award each season to the top rookie(s) in the National Football League (NFL). The NFL considers the (rookie) of the year awards by the Associated Press (AP) to be its official ...

. He is currently the head master trainer for

USA Football USA Football is the national governing body for amateur American football in the United States. It is an independent non-profit based in Indianapolis, Indiana. USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental and competitive p ...

's "Heads Up Football Program", which teaches youth athletes proper tackling techniques.

High school career

Buddy Curry was the defensive stalwart on Coach Alger Pugh's fine mid-1970s George Washington Eagles teams in Danville, VA.

College career

NFL career

In his rookie year, Curry co-shared the Defensive Rookie of the Year award with fellow Atlanta linebacker Al Richardson. In 1983, Curry made 229

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

, which remains the most by a Falcons defender in a season, followed by

Keith Brooking Keith Howard Brooking (born October 30, 1975) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft and also played for the Dallas Cowboys an ...

's 212 tackles in 2002. He blocked a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

during a 26–14 victory against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

on October 12, 1986.

Personal life

His son, Jessel Curry was a 2009 recruit to the University of Auburn Tigers Football team. He also has another son named David Curry who is a Linebacker at Georgia Tech. His daughter, Gaby plays libero for Kentucky.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curry, Buddy 1958 births Living people American football linebackers North Carolina Tar Heels football players Atlanta Falcons players National Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winners