Almondo 'Muffin' Curry elected defensive captain for upcoming football season
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By Andrew Dressel
April 7, 2003
Almondo “Muffin” Curry has proven that size isn’t everything. Curry, a 5-8, 175 lb cornerback from Hampton, Va., was the smallest starter in last season’s depth chart and was successful despite what many would call a lack of size. He was an honorable mention All-ACC selection in 2002, and for the second straight year, led the ACC defensive backs with three sacks. His three sacks are the most ever by a Virginia cornerback, and tie the mark set by safety Anthony Poindexter in 1995 among UVa defensive backs. Also, his five tackles for lost yardage last season, are the most by a returning Cavalier defensive back this season.
In addition to his grid-iron success, Curry’s leadership has garnered respect from his teammates which is reflected in their decision to elect him as defensive captain. “I feel honored that the guys have enough confidence in me to be one of the team captains and be a leader on and off the field,” commented Curry, whose 17 defensive career starts trails only fellow cornerback Jamaine Winborne. “I hope to make sure everything is taken care of, and that everyone gets to practice on time and watches film.”
Now with spring practice in full swing, Curry and the rest of the defensive unit hope to build upon last year’s 9-5 campaign and improve. In 2002, Groh’s 3-4 defense gave up a staggering average of 421.9 yards a game, including an average of 11.2 yards per catch. “Last year, our team finished second to last in total defense in the conference,” said head coach Al Groh, “…obviously there’s a lot of areas in defense where we can show considerable improvement.The forecast for Virginia’s secondary, anchored by Curry and Winborne looks promising, especially with the recent signing of another Hampton product, Philip Brown, who is considered one of the top cover cornerbacks in the country. “We have a lot of experience coming back at corner and we have some young talent there too,” stated Groh. “Muffin Curry and Jermaine Winborne played well for us last season. It will be their third year in the system, and they ought to have a real good background in it. They are highly competitive players, have an excellent team attitude and should be amongst the leaders in our defense as well as our secondary.”
Although the defense will look to Curry and other experienced players on the squad for guidance, he doesn’t think he owns the defense. “As a group, we’ve always felt that there’s a key person in each position that players will listen to,” said Curry, who is a cousin of former UNC quarterback Ronald Curry. “Chris Canty is the guy that the players on the defensive line look up to. For linebackers we have older guys that the younger guys listen to, to get a good understanding, and the same is true for safeties and cornerbacks.”
Curry, who will be 23 when he suits up to face Duke in the 2003 season-opener on Aug. 30th, doesn’t think his new role will influence him a great deal or affect his performance. “I’m going to play with the same intensity and do the same thing that I’ve been doing,” said the Hampton high school product. “The only difference is now I’m the defensive captain. I just have to take another step to make sure guys understand what’s going on.”