1. Curley Culp was an American professional football defensive tackle in the American Football League and National Football League.
18 Facts About Curley Culp
1. 2.
Curley Culp played college football at Arizona State University, where he was an NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion.
3.
Curley Culp played football professionally in the AFL for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1968 and 1969, and in the NFL for the Chiefs, Houston Oilers, and Detroit Lions.
4.
Curley Culp grew up in Yuma, Arizona, the youngest of 13 children including a twin sister, Shirley.
5.
Curley Culp was recruited to Arizona State University to play both sports.
6.
Under legendary Arizona State football coach Frank Kush, Curley Culp played nose guard, including on the 1967 team that allowed opponents an average of only 79.8 yards per game.
7.
Curley Culp won All-America honors in football, as well as wrestling.
8.
Curley Culp played for Kansas City for seven seasons, appearing in 82 games, achieving nine sacks in 1973 with nine QB takedowns, and recovering five fumbles during his career with the team.
9.
Curley Culp's role as a nose tackle in the pros actually took root in Super Bowl IV, where he was a starting defensive tackle.
10.
When Curley Culp arrived in Houston, Bum Phillips was the defensive coordinator for Sid Gillman.
11.
Curley Culp was so strong he required two and three players to block him, opening lanes for Elvin Bethea, Gregg Bingham, Ted Washington, Sr.
12.
Houston won seven of their remaining nine games after Curley Culp came to Houston.
13.
Midway through the 1980 season, Curley Culp was released and was claimed by Detroit, where he stayed an additional season before closing out his 14-year NFL career.
14.
Curley Culp was twice honored as the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Week.
15.
Curley Culp was inducted into the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame at its inception in 1975, and was named Greatest Athlete in the history of Arizona during the state's centennial in 2006.
16.
Curley Culp is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs 25-Year All-Time Team, and in March 2008 was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame.
17.
Curley Culp announced on November 16,2021, that he had been diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer.
18.
Curley Culp died eleven days later at the age of 75.