Eric Felece Curry (born February 3, 1970) is an American football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1990s. He played college football for the University of Alabama, and earned All-American honors. A first-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL. Early years Curry was born in Thomasville, Georgia. He graduated from Thomasville High School, and played for the Thomasville High School Bulldogs high school football team. College career Curry accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Bill Curry and coach Gene Stallings' Alabama Crimson Tide football teams from 1989 to 1992. As a senior in 1992, Curry was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American and the United Press International Lineman of the Year. He was a member of the Crimson Tide squad that won the first SEC Championship Game in 1992, and a consensus national championship by defeating the Miami Hurricanes 34–13 in the Sugar Bowl. Curry and fellow defensive end John Copeland were known as the "bookends" during their time at Alabama, and were key players in the Crimson Tide's No. 1 rated defense in 1992. Professional career The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Curry in the first round, with the sixth overall pick, of the 1993 NFL Draft. He gained notoriety for happily hugging the NFL Commissioner, Paul Tagliabue, after he was picked by the Buccaneers in the draft. He played for the Buccaneers from to . He signed a free agent deal with the Green Bay Packers in , but was released during the preseason. Curry played for the Jacksonville Jaguars from to . In seven NFL seasons, Curry played in 75 regular season games, started 44 of them, and contributed 95 tackles, 12.5 quarterback sacks, and seven forced fumbles. NFL statistics Life after football , Curry resides in Jacksonville, Florida. References 1970 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football players All-American college football players American football defensive ends Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Jacksonville Jaguars players People from Thomasville, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Green Bay Packers players