{{Short description|American football player and coach (1935–2016)}} {{Other people|Charles Curtis}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox college coach | name = Chuck Curtis | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|7|15}} | birth_place = Gainesville, Texas, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|5|9|1935|7|15}} | death_place = Weatherford, Texas, U.S. | alma_mater = | player_years1 = 1954–1956 | player_team1 = TCU | player_years2 = 1957 | player_team2 = Winnipeg Blue Bombers | player_years3 = 1957 | player_team3 = New York Giants | coach_years1 = 1958 | coach_team1 = Holliday HS (TX) | coach_years2 = 1959–1962 | coach_team2 = Jacksboro HS (TX) | coach_years3 = 1963–1964 | coach_team3 = Garland HS (TX) | coach_years4 = 1965–1967 | coach_team4 = SMU (assistant) | coach_years5 = 1968 | coach_team5 = Grand Prairie HS (TX) | coach_years6 = 1979–1980 | coach_team6 = Jacksboro HS (TX) | coach_years7 = 1981–1983 | coach_team7 = Cleburne HS (TX) | coach_years8 = 1984–1985 | coach_team8 = UT Arlington | coach_years9 = 1987–1988 | coach_team9 = Aledo HS (TX) | overall_record = 11–10–1 (college)<br />138–48–3 (high school) | bowl_record = | tournament_record = | championships = | awards = * First-team All-SWC (1955) * Second-team All-SWC (1956) | coaching_records = }} '''Charles Curtis''' (July 15, 1935 – May 9, 2016) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Texas Christian University (TCU) and had a short stint with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) in 1957. Curtis spent most of his coaching career, which spanned from 1958 to 1988, at the high school level in the state of Texas. At the college level, he served as the last head football coach at the University of Texas at Arlington, from 1984 to 1985, before the Texas–Arlington Mavericks football program was disbanded.
==Football career== Growing up in Gainesville, Texas as the son of a minister, Curtis played quarterback at Gainesville High School in the late 1940s and early 1950s. During his senior year Curtis' father moved to Taylor but allowed him to remain at Gainesville in a garage apartment to keep his eligibility.<ref name="Pigskin Pulpit">{{cite book |last=Cashion |first=Ty |title=Pigskin Pulpit: A Social History of Texas High School Football Coaches |year=1998 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |location=Austin |isbn=0-87611-168-1 |pages=144–145 }}</ref> Despite All-State honors, college recruiters ignored him, except for Texas Christian's Abe Martin.<ref name="Pigskin Pulpit" />
At TCU, Curtis led the Horned Frogs to the 1955 Southwest Conference championship. In the 1957 Cotton Bowl, Curtis threw two touchdown passes and ran for another TD to lead the Horned Frogs to a 28–27 win over Syracuse and standout running back Jim Brown. Garnering All-Southwest Conference honors in 1955 and 1956, Curtis was selected 85th overall by the defending champions, the New York Giants, in the 1957 NFL draft. Curtis signed instead with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Curtis played sparingly in Winnipeg and only dressed for 2 games. On September 12, 1957, Winnipeg traded Curtis to the New York Giants for linebacker Pete Mangum. In New York, Curtis was the backup quarterback for Charley Conerly, but did not see any action during the 1957 NFL season, yet as an aspiring coach it worked to his advantage. Both Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry were assistants on the Giants staff, and their system, he soon realized, far surpassed anything he had seen in four years at TCU.<ref>{{cite news |first=Whit |last=Canning |title=Curtis has few regrets on long way 'home' |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |date=August 31, 1992 }}</ref>
==Coaching career== After one season with the Giants, Curtis returned to Texas to pursue a coaching career. He began at Holliday, where he led the 1958 Eagles to an 8–2 record and barely missed the playoffs. The following year Curtis moved to 2A Jacksboro, where he turned around a program in the dumps for ten consecutive years: culminating in the state title in 1962. The Tigers outscored their opponents 602–43 that year. Curtis soon moved on, as he succeeded Homer Johnson as head coach at 4A Garland. Guiding the Owls to back-to-back state titles in 1963 and '64, Curtis became the first coach in Texas high school football to win consecutive titles at different schools in different classifications, going 26–1–1 during that stretch.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ken |last=Costlow |title=Ex-UTA coach brought two titles to Garland |work=Arlington Morning News |date=December 8, 1999 }}</ref> He also joined, at that time, Waco's Paul Tyson, Amarillo's Blair Cherry and Abilene's Chuck Moser as the only coaches to win three consecutive state crowns.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
Curtis seriously considered the head coaching job at Odessa Permian, which just became vacant as Jim Cashion resigned, but eventually accepted an assistant coaching position on Hayden Fry's staff at SMU. In 1968, he returned to the high school level, taking over at Grand Prairie.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
In 1979 Curtis briefly returned to Jacksboro, before taking over head coaching duties at Cleburne High School in 1981. In 1982, he guided the Yellow Jackets to the state semifinals but lost 7–3 to Don Denbow's Corsicana squad.<ref>{{cite news |first=Lisa |last=Magers |title=Football coach led Jackets to state semifinals in 1982 |url=http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/local/local_story_284183901.html |work=Cleburne Times-Review |date=October 11, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723175207/http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/local/local_story_284183901.html |archive-date=July 23, 2012 }}</ref> Cleburne's 1983 team carried an unbeaten 13–0 record in the quarterfinal round, only to lose 13–3 to Lubbock Estacado. Curtis also coached in the Oil Bowl in 1983.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
In 1984 Curtis finally got his first head coaching job at the collegiate level, taking over as the thirteenth head football coach at the University of Texas at Arlington. His career coaching record for the Mavericks was 11–10–1. This ranks him sixth at UT Arlington in total wins and eighth in winning percentage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://utamavs.cstv.com/ |title=The University of Texas at Arlington – Official Athletic Site<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220134040/http://utamavs.cstv.com/ |archive-date=2009-02-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> UT-Arlington discontinued its football program after the conclusion of the 1985 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/dallas/ncf/columns/story?id=6770673|work=ESPN.com|first=Art|last=Garcia|title=Joining the WAC is first big step-UTA's move to higher profile conference would be enhanced with addition of football|access-date=April 22, 2012|date=July 15, 2011}}</ref>
After one year out of coaching, Curtis returned to the high school level, becoming head coach at 3A Aledo. He guided the Bearcats to a 6–5 and 8–3 record in 1987 and 1988, respectively, before he retired.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
==Death== Curtis died on May 9, 2016, following a lengthy undisclosed illness. He was 80.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/big-12/texas-christian-university/article76650722.html|title=Former TCU quarterback, UT Arlington coach Chuck Curtis dies|last=Mendez|first=Carlos|date=May 9, 2016|website=star-telegram.com|access-date=May 9, 2016}}</ref>
==Head coaching record== ===College=== {{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = UT Arlington Mavericks | conf = Southland Conference | startyear = 1984 | endyear = 1985 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1984 | name = UT Arlington | overall = 7–4 | conference = 4–2 | confstanding = 3rd | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1985 | name = UT Arlington | overall = 4–6–1 | conference = 2–3–1 | confstanding = T–5th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = UT Arlington | overall = 11–10–1 | confrecord = 6–5–1 }} {{CFB Yearly Record End | overall = 11–10–1 | bowls = no | poll = no | polltype = | legend = no }}
===High school=== {{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Holliday Eagles | conf = | startyear = 1958 | endyear = single }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1958 | name = Holliday | overall = 8–2 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Holliday | overall = 8–2 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Jacksboro Tigers | conf = | startyear = 1959 | endyear = 1962 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1959 | name = Jacksboro | overall = 2–8 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1960 | name = Jacksboro | overall = 9–1 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = conference | year = 1961 | name = Jacksboro | overall = 13–1 | conference = | confstanding = 1st | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = national | year = 1962 | name = Jacksboro | overall = 15–0 | conference = | confstanding = 1st | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Garland Owls | conf = | startyear = 1963 | endyear = 1964 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = national | year = 1963 | name = Garland | overall = 13–0–1 | conference = | confstanding = 1st | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = national | year = 1964 | name = Garland | overall = 13–1 | conference = | confstanding = 1st | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Garland | overall = 26–1–1 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Grand Prairie Gophers | conf = | startyear = 1968 | endyear = single }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1968 | name = Grand Prairie | overall = 3–6–1 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Grand Prairie | overall = 3–6–1 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Jacksboro Tigers | conf = | startyear = 1979 | endyear = 1980 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1979 | name = Jacksboro | overall = 4–6 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = conference | year = 1980 | name = Jacksboro | overall = 8–2–1 | conference = | confstanding = 1st | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Jacksboro | overall = 51–18–1 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Cleburne Yellow Jackets | conf = | startyear = 1981 | endyear = 1983 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1981 | name = Cleburne | overall = 7–3 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = conference | year = 1982 | name = Cleburne | overall = 13–2 | conference = | confstanding = 1st | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1983 | name = Cleburne | overall = 13–1 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Cleburne | overall = 33–6 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Aledo Bearcats | conf = | startyear = 1987 | endyear = 1989 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1987 | name = Aledo | overall = 6–5 | conference = | confstanding = 2nd | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1988 | name = Aledo | overall = 8–3 | conference = | confstanding = 2nd | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1989 | name = Aledo | overall = 3–7 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Aledo | overall = 17–15 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record End | overall = 138–48–3 | bowls = no | poll = no | polltype = }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Giants1957DraftPicks}} {{TCU Horned Frogs quarterback navbox|state=collapsed}} {{UT Arlington Mavericks football coach navbox}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Chuck}} Category:1935 births Category:2016 deaths Category:American football quarterbacks Category:New York Giants players Category:SMU Mustangs football coaches Category:TCU Horned Frogs football players Category:UT Arlington Mavericks football coaches Category:High school football coaches in Texas Category:People from Gainesville, Texas Category:Players of American football from Cooke County, Texas Category:Coaches of American football from Texas