Rabbit Curry
 |
|
| Vanderbilt Commodores | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Graduate |
| Career history | |
| College | Vanderbilt (1914–1916) |
| High school | Marlin |
| Personal information | |
| Born: |
August 4, 1894 Marlin, Texas |
| Died: | August 10, 1918 (aged 24) In combat over Perles, Aisne, France |
| Weight | 137 lb (62 kg) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Irby Rice "Rabbit" Curry (August 4, 1894 – August 10, 1918) was an American football quarterback for Vanderbilt University from 1914 to 1916. He was selected as a first-team All-Southern player in 1915 and 1916 and a third-team All-American in 1916. In August 1918, while serving as a pilot in the 95th Aero Squadron during World War I, he was killed in aerial combat over France. He was described as "the player who has most appealed to the imagination, admiration, and affection of the entire university community through the years."
Curry was born on August 4, 1894 in Marlin, Texas to his parents, Oscar E. Curry (1869–1964) and Emma C. (Fannin) Curry (1872–1963). He attended Marlin High School, where he was a stand-out athlete. In 1912, he was the Texas state champion in the pole vault as a junior with a then-record 10' 4" (3.14 m), and in 1913, he was on the Texas state champion mile-relay team with a then-state record 3:49.
After graduating from high school, Curry enrolled at Vanderbilt University where he became the quarterback for the school's football team from 1914 to 1916. He was nominated though not selected for an Associated Press All-Time Southeast 1869–1919 era team. Curry weighed only 130 pounds while playing football for Vanderbilt. He was an elusive runner who reportedly "only needed the suspicion of an opening to wriggle through, and once into the open — zip, flash and a touchdown." Curry also played center field on the baseball team and would pole vault, hurdle, and broad jump for the track team. He was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and the Delta Sigma Delta medical fraternity.
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