Isaac Curtis
Encyclopedia
Isaac Fisher Curtis is a former professional American football
wide receiver
who played his entire National Football League
career with the Cincinnati Bengals
(1973–1984).
for three years. He excelled as a member of Cal's track team, but was a little used running back
for the football team
. After he finished his junior season, Curtis transferred to San Diego State University
, and excelled as a slot wide receiver during his senior season under the famed Aztecs
coach
Don Coryell
.
, the Cincinnati Bengals needed a wide receiver who had speed to spread the field and opposing defenses for their franchise quarterback Ken Anderson. Isaac Curtis had world-class speed, running a 9.30 seconds in the 100-yard dash as a member of Cal's track team, making him faster than Jesse Owens
, who ran it in 9.40 seconds. Given all the variables, that would indicate his 40-yard dash time would be around a 4.17, which meant he would easily be one of the most athletic people to ever wear an NFL uniform. Although he had played only one year at wide receiver, Paul Brown
decided to take a chance on Isaac Curtis and drafted him in the first round (15th overall selection). Later on in his career Paul Brown would say that what he liked the most about Isaac Curtis was not so much his athleticism but his always quietly confident personality, saying "He's a very gentle person...no jumping up and down, spiking it, or trash talking".
as a rookie
and had a superb season, recording 45 receptions
for 843 yards and 9 touchdown
s, an average of 18.7 yards per catch. Curtis continued to be a major contributor for the Bengals until his retirement after the 1984 season.
Although he never reached the 1,000 receiving yards milestone during a season, he was known as a superb clutch player and excelled at gaining extra yards after making a catch. In 1974 and 1975, he averaged more than 21.1 yards per reception. He was a Pro Bowl
selection four times (1973–1976) and was selected 2nd Team All-Pro
for three consecutive seasons (1974–1976). Curtis assisted the Bengals to a Super Bowl
appearance in the 1981 season and had a solid performance in Super Bowl XVI
, catching 3 passes for 42 yards. Years after his retirement his quarterback for his career Ken Anderson said that Isaac Curtis was "The Jerry Rice
before Jerry Rice".
In his 12 NFL seasons, Curtis recorded 416 receptions for 7,101 yards and 53 touchdowns, while also gaining 76 rushing
yards on 25 carries. His 17.1 yards per catch average is a Bengals record and his 7,101 receiving yards was a franchise record until broken by Chad Ochocinco on September 16, 2007. His 53 touchdown receptions were a Bengals record until surpassed by Carl Pickens
in the late 1990s.
. Don Shula
's defensive backs didn't have the speed to cover Curtis and decided that he would have them push, bump, and hold him down the field. After that game, the NFL defenses including the Steelers started doing the same thing to stop Isaac Curtis. Paul Brown wanted the rule changed, telling the NFL Competition Committee "What good is it for us to have performers, if they aren't allowed to perform."
"The Isaac Curtis Rule": A defender is allowed to block a receiver within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. After the initial 5 yards, any contact will be considered holding, which is a 5-yard penalty and an automatic first down.
, Inc., a hotel management company in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash
. He has remained good friends with former teammate Louis Breeden
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who played his entire National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
career with the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
(1973–1984).
College career
Curtis attended University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
for three years. He excelled as a member of Cal's track team, but was a little used running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the football team
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
. After he finished his junior season, Curtis transferred to San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, and excelled as a slot wide receiver during his senior season under the famed Aztecs
San Diego State Aztecs football
The San Diego State football team represents the San Diego State Aztecs in college football. The Aztecs, a Division I FBS team and a member of the Mountain West Conference, play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The field is natural grass and has a maximum capacity of...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
Don Coryell
Don Coryell
Donald David Coryell was an American football coach, who coached in the NFL first with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1973–1977 and then the San Diego Chargers from 1978-1986. He was well known for his innovations to football's passing offense. Coryell's offense was commonly known as "Air Coryell"...
.
Draft
Entering the 1973 NFL Draft1973 NFL Draft
The 1973 National Football League Draft was held on January 30–31, 1973.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
, the Cincinnati Bengals needed a wide receiver who had speed to spread the field and opposing defenses for their franchise quarterback Ken Anderson. Isaac Curtis had world-class speed, running a 9.30 seconds in the 100-yard dash as a member of Cal's track team, making him faster than Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
, who ran it in 9.40 seconds. Given all the variables, that would indicate his 40-yard dash time would be around a 4.17, which meant he would easily be one of the most athletic people to ever wear an NFL uniform. Although he had played only one year at wide receiver, Paul Brown
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
decided to take a chance on Isaac Curtis and drafted him in the first round (15th overall selection). Later on in his career Paul Brown would say that what he liked the most about Isaac Curtis was not so much his athleticism but his always quietly confident personality, saying "He's a very gentle person...no jumping up and down, spiking it, or trash talking".
Professional career
Isaac Curtis made the starting lineupStarting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
and had a superb season, recording 45 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
for 843 yards and 9 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, an average of 18.7 yards per catch. Curtis continued to be a major contributor for the Bengals until his retirement after the 1984 season.
Although he never reached the 1,000 receiving yards milestone during a season, he was known as a superb clutch player and excelled at gaining extra yards after making a catch. In 1974 and 1975, he averaged more than 21.1 yards per reception. He was a Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection four times (1973–1976) and was selected 2nd Team All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
for three consecutive seasons (1974–1976). Curtis assisted the Bengals to a Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
appearance in the 1981 season and had a solid performance in Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
, catching 3 passes for 42 yards. Years after his retirement his quarterback for his career Ken Anderson said that Isaac Curtis was "The Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
before Jerry Rice".
In his 12 NFL seasons, Curtis recorded 416 receptions for 7,101 yards and 53 touchdowns, while also gaining 76 rushing
Rush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
yards on 25 carries. His 17.1 yards per catch average is a Bengals record and his 7,101 receiving yards was a franchise record until broken by Chad Ochocinco on September 16, 2007. His 53 touchdown receptions were a Bengals record until surpassed by Carl Pickens
Carl Pickens
Carl McNally Pickens is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL who played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans....
in the late 1990s.
The Isaac Curtis rule
"The Isaac Curtis rule" should not be confused with the "Mel Blount rule", which was a more stricter revising of "The Isaac Curtis Rule". Because Isaac Curtis had world-class speed, there weren't defensive backs that could keep up with Curtis and all teams would double and sometimes even triple cover him. In 1973 in his first year, the Bengals won the Central Division and faced the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
's defensive backs didn't have the speed to cover Curtis and decided that he would have them push, bump, and hold him down the field. After that game, the NFL defenses including the Steelers started doing the same thing to stop Isaac Curtis. Paul Brown wanted the rule changed, telling the NFL Competition Committee "What good is it for us to have performers, if they aren't allowed to perform."
"The Isaac Curtis Rule": A defender is allowed to block a receiver within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. After the initial 5 yards, any contact will be considered holding, which is a 5-yard penalty and an automatic first down.
After football
Curtis is a sales executive for Winegardner and HammonsWinegardner and Hammons
Winegardner and Hammons is a full-service hotel management and development company established in 1961 Roy E. Winegardner and John Q. Hammons. It is one of the original franchisers of Holiday Inn.-Company history:...
, Inc., a hotel management company in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash
Blue Ash, Ohio
Blue Ash is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an inner suburb of Cincinnati, which is located just to the south. The population was 12,513 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blue Ash is located at ....
. He has remained good friends with former teammate Louis Breeden
Louis Breeden
Louis Breeden is a former professional American Football player who played defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League.-Career:...
.