Fran Curci
Fran Curci was an all-american quarterback at the University of Miami in 1959. He also served as head coach at his alma mater from 1971 to 1972 and the University of Kentucky from 1973 to 1981.
Curci was head coach at Miami during the infamous Gator Flop in 1971, when Florida's defensive players allowed Miami to score a touchdown late in the fourth quarter by dropping to the ground mid-play so that UF quarterback John Reaves could get the ball back and set an NCAA career passing record. The Gators would win the game 45-16. Curci, who was known as "The Little General", refused to shake hands with Florida coach Doug 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."[1][2]
Curci's record during his two-year stint at Miami was 9-13.
During his tenure at Kentucky, he compiled a record of 46-52-2. He is known to have had one of the shortest fuses as a head coach. During a game against Florida he went after Gators head coach Doug Dickey.
At Kentucky, Curci led the Wildcats to the Southeastern Conference championship in 1976 and 1977. The 1976 Wildcats finished 8-4, undefeated in conference play, and defeated North Carolina in the Peach Bowl 21-0, finishing ranked #18 in the final Associated Press poll. The 1977 Wildcats finished 10-1, including a win at #4 Penn State and an undefeated record in the SEC. The 1977 did not go to a bowl game due to NCAA sanctions, but finished the season ranked #6 in the final Associated Press poll.
Curci's tenure as Kentucky's coach ended after problems continued to erupt in the program, including NCAA sanctions that were imposed for recruiting violations. In his final game as Kentucky's coach, Curci led the Wildcats to a 21-10 victory over Tennessee on November 21, 1981.
Curci later coached in arena football and did radio broadcasts for college football games.
After leaving coaching, Curci served as Parks Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. [3] [4]
| Preceded by John Ray |
Kentucky Wildcats Football
Coaches 1973–1981 |
Succeeded by Jerry Claiborne |
| Preceded by Walt Kichefski |
Miami Hurricanes Football
Coaches 1971–1972 |
Succeeded by Pete Elliott |
Miller • Thompson • Finney • Mason • Short • Eaton • Bass • Kiler • McLeod • Wright • Schact • Guyn • Sweetland • Douglass • Brumage • Tigert • Boles • Gill • Juneau • Winn • Murphy • Gamage • Wynne • Kirwan • Shively • Bryant • Collier • Bradshaw • Ray • Curci • Claiborne • Curry • Mumme • Morriss • Brooks
| Miami Hurricanes Starting Quarterbacks |
|---|
| Curci • Biletnikoff • Mira • Cochrane • Carney • Fortner • Glover • Rodrigue • J. Kelly • Richt • Vanderwende • Kosar • Testaverde • Ge. Torretta • Walsh • Erickson • Gi. Torretta • Costa • Clement • Covington • K. Kelly • Dorsey • Berlin • Freeman • Wright |
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