Dawn and Buddy Curry (white pullovers) cheered for their daughter, Gabby, and UK volleyball in Omaha. Now they will be pulling for their youngest son, David, to hear his name called in the NFL draft this week. (NCAA Photo)
This has already been a special week for Gabby Curry and her family after Kentucky won the school’s first volleyball national championship behind some amazing play by Curry in the NCAA Tournament, especially the final two matches. Her mother, Dawn, admitted Gabby, a senior libero, “played out of her mind” in the semifinal win over Washington and the title match against Texas.
However, the week could get even better during the NFL draft if that is possible for the Curry family.
Gabby’s brother, David, a sixth-year linebacker at Georgia Tech, could get drafted this week or sign a preferred free-agent contract. He led Georgia Tech with 84 tackles and nine tackles for loss in 2020 and ranked fifth in the ACC and 64th nationally with 8.4 tackles per game. He had at least 12 tackles in his final three games.
“I have had four kids go through recruiting. My husband has been through it,” Dawn Curry said. “We have heard talk of anywhere from third to seventh round for David and then there is preferred free agent talk.”
Buddy Curry was a two-time All-Pro linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons and 1980 NFL Defensive rookie of the year. His son, Justin, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school and another son, Jessel, played football at Auburn from 2009-11 and Delaware from 2011-14.
Then there is All-American Gabby Curry coming off Kentucky’s national championship.
Even without COVID protocols, this has not been an easy journey for David Curry. In the last 10 minutes of his final college game in December, he hurt his thumb and needed surgery. That severely limited his ability to lift weights.
“He lost a little strength but figured out how to do other things,” Dawn Curry said.
The day before Georgia Tech’s Pro Day — even though he was still only about 50 percent back from his thumb surgery — he had a Grade 1 tear of his left calf muscle. Obviously, he missed Pro Day but Georgia Tech set up an individual Pro Day for him and about 60 Tech players and coaches turned out to support him.
“A 49ers scout tweeted that in all his years he never seen so many players and coaches turn out for one player’s Pro Day,” Dawn Curry said. “But David had a big impact on the program and did a lot to help the program.
“He has a ton of film for NFL scouts. He had a lot of good things going on and got his pedigree from Buddy. His name could be called (in the draft). He’s had Zoom calls with 13 or 14 teams. Special teams might be a good place for him even though his mother is not thrilled about that.”
So what would be bigger? Gabby’s national title or David hearing his name called in the NFL draft?
“It is a blessing. This family has been blessed with a lot of athletic, great children,” Dawn Curry said. “It has just been a joy to experience all we have. After the national championship, it was like you had to pinch us to make sure it was real. It was her final game. What a way to go out. It’s sad because it is over for her but they won the national championship. It was amazing.”
