Rennie Curran "The Liberian Dream"
Drive, determination, resiliency, intensity, and humility. Any of these characteristics can be used to describe linebacker Rennie Curran.
Considered an undersized player by numerous critics going into college, he quickly silenced any doubters by striking fear into the hearts of opposing offenses during his three dominant years as an All-American football player at the University of Georgia.
Drafted in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Titans, Curran is a force to be reckoned with in the National Football League. However, to truly understand Rennie Curran as a man, one must look deeper than his playing career.
Curran has “The Liberian Dream” tattooed on his left bicep, and rightfully so. He has great pride in his Liberian heritage. This pride was brought on by the hard work and determination he witnessed from his family during their numerous struggles with adversity. Curran’s parents came to America from Liberia during the mid-1980s and remained permanently after civil war broke out in their homeland. During that time, his mother earned a master’s degree in nursing from Emory University and would become a certified diabetes educator, while his father started a shoe repair business. Curran grew up witnessing the sacrifices his family made as they supported and sheltered their Liberian family members and friends during the war. Through his family, he has gained pride in his Liberian heritage, and learned that faith, a hard work ethic, and resiliency can help him overcome any obstacles in his life.
Curran is also giving back to the Liberian community and hopes to continue giving support to the educational and social institutions, while also promoting goodwill and building a positive relationship with the Liberian people and government.
Curran’s experiences in life have paved the way for him to become the man that he is today. He still lives his life through the lessons he learned from his family. His on the field intensity and drive to help others is a testament to that. He currently spends much of his time with his daughter, Eleana, giving her the same love he received as a child. Rennie Curran truly is “The Liberian Dream”.
Football Career
HIGH SCHOOL
Curran attended Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia, where he participated in multiple sports, including wrestling and track. However, it was on the Broncos’ football field where he became a player to watch.
Curran started for the varsity football team as a sophomore, playing both linebacker and fullback. While attending a football camp in Atlanta, he met former Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl linebacker Jessie Tuggle. Tuggle played an important role in Curran’s development as a linebacker, and continues to serve as one of his mentors.
Throughout his high school career, Curran accumulated a number of accolades:
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Super Southern 100
- Class AAAAA First Team
- Georgia Sports Writers Association’s Class AAAAA All-State Team
- Super Prep All-American Team
- All-Dixie Team
- Gwinnett County Linebacker of the Year
- Gwinnett County Defensive Player of the Year
As the college recruitment process began, Curran was considered by Rivals.com as a 4 star recruit, and was listed as the number 11 inside linebacker prospect in the nation. Offers from multiple universities began pouring in, but Curran was interested in only one school – The University of Georgia.
COLLEGE
Curran’s three year career at the University of Georgia was nothing short of spectacular.
As he began his career for the Bulldogs in 2007, he was considered by many as being too undersized to start at linebacker for an SEC team. But once Curran stepped onto the field, he quickly silenced any doubters with one punishing tackle at a time. Making up for his lack of size with superb technique, quickness, and strength, Curran was poised to break onto the SEC scene.
During his freshman season, Curran played in 11 games, starting 5 of them. He compiled 53 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. He was named first-team Freshman All-American by Rivals.com, second-team Freshman All-American by Scout.com and was an Honorable Mention by The Sporting News. As a sophomore, he started all 13 games, leading the team in tackles on 9 separate occasions and topping all Bulldog defenders with 115 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. He also recorded 3 sacks and forced 2 fumbles. He was honored as a Butkus Award Finalist and earned the Bulldogs Defensive MVP Award. Additionally, he was named first-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches, second team All-SEC by the Associated Press, Sophomore All-American by College Football News and College Athlete of the Year by the Allied Athlete Group Foundation in Atlanta. As a junior he led the team in tackles 11 different times, accumulating an SEC-leading 130 tackles, with 5 tackles for loss, half a sack, 3 pass breakups and 10 quarterback pressures. A finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, he also earned first-team All-SEC accolades by the Associated Press and the SEC coaches, first-team All-American by CBSSports.com and was awarded the Bulldog’s Vince Dooley MVP Award.
In January of 2010, Curran decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. He finished his Bulldog career cementing his legacy as one of the greatest linebackers in the history of the program. In his three years between the hedges, he played in 37 games, starting 30 of them, and ranked 16th in school history with 298 career tackles. He became only the 10th player in school history to lead the team in tackles during multiple seasons, and was the first Bulldog to record consecutive 100 tackle seasons since Greg Bright accomplished the feat during the 1996-97 season.
PROFESSIONAL
The Tennessee Titans selected Rennie Curran with their second pick in the third round (97th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, Curran played in 9 games and recorded 8 total tackles. He spent some time with the Tampa bay Buccaneers before joing the Edmonton Eskimos in 2013.
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