14/11/2024
Per Marshall University Athletics
Legend Vinny Curry Pays Tribute To ‘75’ With Retirement:
Marshall Hall of Famer, Philadelphia Eagles great’s career comes full circle on Nov. 14
On Nov. 14, 2024, Vinny Curry’s football career came full circle.
Curry, a Marshall Hall of Famer, legend and Super Bowl champion, officially retired as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.
The Neptune, N.J. native did so intentionally, opting to retire his No. 75 on the 54th anniversary of the 1970 Marshall plane crash.
With the Eagles, Curry wore No. 75 as a tribute to Marshall University and those lost in that plane crash, carrying their legacy and memory with him while sharing the story of Marshall’s history each time he suited up in the NFL.
“I look at it like this: those players weren’t fortunate enough to make it to the league, so I was doing it for them,” Curry said of wearing No. 75. “It gives you one of those moments to pay respect and homage to those that came before you.”
When Curry was making the decision to retire as a Philadelphia Eagle, there were several dates available to do so in the 2024 season and serve as the Honorary Captain.
In a poetic symmetry for Curry, Nov. 14 was one date available – a prime-time Thursday night game against the rival Washington Redskins.
It wasn’t a date; it was THE date.
The emotions of the moment could be heard in Curry’s voice as he discussed seeing that option and retiring ‘75’ on such a meaningful date to him and his beloved university.
“Man, it was meant to be! I feel like it was meant to be and it was meant to happen this way!” Curry said. “The way I came in representing Marshall University is the way I’m going out – representing Marshall University. And on the day for the ‘75’ – such a memorable day, you know? I was like, ‘Damn, what’s the odds of that? A game to retire on the anniversary?’ That’s crazy!
“Retiring my 75 on the date of the anniversary – the reason that I even wore the number – is super-special. It’s like a movie or a book telling a story. You just can’t even make this up!”
Curry’s journey took him from a little boy in Neptune, N.J. writing in his 1st grade journal that he would one day win a Super Bowl for his favorite team - the Philadelphia Eagles - to actually doing so in the 2017 season when he helped the Eagles capture their first Super Bowl title since the AFL-NFL merger, which also took place in 1970.
Curry remains steadfast that the key to manifesting his boyhood dreams into reality with the Philadelphia Eagles was Marshall University.
Like Marshall Football’s story with the 1970 plane crash, Curry’s story is one of perseverance and overcoming adversity to achieve greatness, which was forever captured with his induction into the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
Out of high school, Curry was an Academic Non-Qualifier – known as “Props” in those days due to Proposition 48 in NCAA legislation, which outlined GPA and testing requirements for athletes to qualify to compete.
While that turned other programs away, Marshall gave him a chance to work toward qualifying in 2007.
Curry remembers being in the Marshall Memorial Student Center cafeteria when he found out he would not qualify that season and that he would have to sit out.
“We were in the cafeteria and I didn’t know how it was about to go,” Curry said. “I was
like, ‘Man, they can’t send me home.’ They didn’t send me home. They stuck by me. I said, ‘If they ever put me on the field, I’m going to give them something they’ve never seen.”
That’s exactly what Curry did in his Marshall career, blooming into a First Team All-American and Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2011 before being selected in the 2nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 59th overall pick.
Once he left Marshall for greatness in the NFL, Curry never forgot where he came from, though, wearing the ‘75’ proudly and giving back to his university in many ways, including the Vinny Curry Locker Room Project.
Anyone who knows Curry knows he wears his heart on his sleeve – both figuratively and literally – as his passion for Marshall and the ‘75’ has never wavered.
“To come out there and really grind from the beginning of it – from being a ‘Prop’ and having to sit out that first year but having the university and fans still stick behind me – then to prosper into what was to become – All-American, Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and all the different type of accolades that I was able to win, there’s a gratitude and an appreciation to wear No. 75 in the league to represent the history of the folks in that plane crash and that legacy,” Curry said.
As we remember the ‘75’ today, we also celebrate Curry’s legacy for an incredible NFL career that spanned 11 seasons and saw him register 209 tackles and 32.5 sacks while forcing five fumbles and recovering two fumbles.
All of Herd Nation is applauding the guy who gave so much while in Huntington and continued to give after he left to become one of our biggest ambassadors on football’s biggest stage and carry the ‘75’ legacy proudly with him.
“From the moment I met Vinny, he began his introduction with me by simply stating ‘ I love Marshall! It was so sincere, so genuine and I just knew he would always honor us,” said Christian Spears, Marshall’s Director of Athletics. “What Vinny has done by retiring on Nov. 14, by wearing No. 75, by representing Marshall with positivity and a message that you can accomplish all your dreams coming from Marshall, he has become a true ambassador for why playing for The Herd is so special.
“We are honored that he is in our Hall of Fame, honored that he wore the Green and White, honored that he is a Son of Marshall and so incredibly happy for him and his family that he leaves professional football on his terms after an 11-year, Super Bowl winning career!
“Vinny, we are so proud and we wish you and your amazing family the very best! Enjoy it! You earned every bit of it.”
In closing, we will simply say Congratulations and Thank You, Vinny!
Thank you for the incredible memories on and off the field and thank you for carrying the ‘75’ legacy with you throughout your football journey.
Most of all, thank you for reminding us all to Never Forget!
https://herdzone.com/news/2024/11/14/football-herd-legend-vinny-curry-pays-tribute-to-75-with-retirement
