Where Are They Now: Kevin Curtis

Kevin Curtis only played at Utah State for two seasons, yet he left his name in the record books all the same. He began his Aggie career as a walk-on; he ended his career as one of the best wide receivers to put on a Utah State jersey. What has happened to Kevin Curtis since being named the 2002 TrueAggies.com Football Player of the Year?

by Craig J. Peterson
September 7, 2005 (c) TrueAggies.com

Logan, UT - Aggie fans delighted in watching number three during the 2001 and 2002 football seasons. Kevin Curtis was just plain fun to watch. Now he can be seen making his remarkable catches and showing his tremendous speed in the National Football League. Kevin is beginning to do in St. Louis what he did at Utah State. He is beginning to find his way into the Rams' record books just like he did at Utah State University.

Draft day in 2003 found a humble Miami Dolphin's fan changing his allegiance to the St. Louis Rams. Following in the footsteps of another great Aggie, Merlin Olsen (third pick of the first round in 1962), Kevin was drafted by the Rams as the 74 th overall pick in the third round. Now only time will tell if Kevin can follow in Merlin's footsteps in the Rams' record books and in the NFL record books. If his first complete season in the league is any indication, he will leave his mark in plenty of records both for the Rams and the NFL.

When asked if Rams fans ever mention Merlin Olsen to Kevin he responded, "They sure do love him around here.I even wonder, sometimes, if that's how I got my foot in the door." The NCAA records and USU records probably had more to do with it than being from the same school as the likes of Merlin Olsen and Bill Munson, both first round draft picks of the Rams. It probably didn't hurt either. "It's been good working for such a strong organization. I'm fortunate to be playing for a team that has had some of the greatest players to ever play this game both past and present."

During the off-season Kevin makes his home in Las Vegas but spends a great deal of time in Utah . He enjoys traveling and following the Aggies "religiously!" Kevin graduated from Utah State 's College of Business with a degree in Marketing. He would like to see himself still working in the NFL for the foreseeable future, but only time will tell when he will be working his second career. What will the second career be? Kevin is leaving that wide open for now.

Kevin's most memorable event to happen after leaving Utah State was playing in the NFL playoffs. "Playing in the playoffs is a whole different atmosphere," Kevin said. You can see from the statistics presented at the end of this article that Kevin made the most of his first playoff experience by leading his team in receiving during the 2004 playoffs. There are sure to be more playoffs and possibly the ultimate NFL experience still awaiting a young receiver of Kevin's abilities.

So what brought Kevin to Utah State ? "I liked Cache Valley ," he said. "It was away from home but still close to home. In-state tuition helped and I liked the fact that Utah State had scheduled nationally ranked teams. I wanted to play against the best." Utah State played four ranked teams in 2001 and one in 2002 with one team each year ranked in the top ten when Utah State played them. Kevin had plenty of experience playing against nationally ranked schools and proved he could compete. The tuition part was key because Kevin was not on scholarship until his last year at Utah State being a walk-on for his redshirt season and his Junior season. Aggie fans were very pleased that Kevin chose Utah State . Regardless of the reasons, it was nice to have him arrive and even nicer that he chose to remain at Utah State.

It was mentioned that Kevin follows the Aggies "religiously." So what does he think of the changes happening at Utah State and where does he see Utah State going in the future? "I think the first step was bringing in the new AD. The next thing is money. It's hard to compete with some of these organizations when you're not on an equal playing field. Financially we don't stack up to the majority of division 1 teams. The truth of the matter is you can't bring in a lot of bigger recruits without some of the nicer perks that other schools have. I'm still looking to that day WHEN (not if) we become more nationally recognized. I'm really impressed with our new athletic director and football coaches. I think we have a promising future."

To recap some of Kevin's accomplishments at Utah State:

Kevin Curtis spent the 1996 and 1997 football seasons at Snow Junior College where he earned second-team All-America honors as a wide receiver. He caught 85 passes for 1,700 yards during those two seasons. No one would have guessed that this two-year letter winner at Bingham High School would have had to walk-on at Snow JC. Things didn't change at Utah State ; he still had to walk-on and prove to the coaching staff that he was worth a scholarship.

Kevin walked on to the Utah State football team in 2000 and redshirted. He showed the coaches what he could do during his redshirt year, but the coaching staff still wasn't able to offer him a scholarship for the 2001 football season. Even without a scholarship in hand, Kevin decided to come back to Utah State and play for the Aggies. Aggie fans know how fortunate Utah State was that Kevin made this decision.

His records are impressive, particularly for a two-year player and more particularly for a walk-on player. His first season at Utah State produced some of his best single season records as he was an unknown for much of the season. His second season he was double and triple teamed frequently, but still managed to notch some impressive numbers in the single season record book. Kevin holds several single season number one rankings and one career number one ranking at Utah State . He also has several top 20 rankings in the NCAA record books.

During the 2002 football season, Kevin led the Aggies in either receptions or receiving yards in all but one game (that game was against Troy State , it was also the only game in which Kevin did not start). In 2002; Kevin led the Aggies in receptions eight times, he led the team in receiving yards nine times, and he led the team in both categories seven times. His contribution to the team for 2002 can be seen in the following percentages: 29% of all receptions, 37% of all receiving yards, 43% of all receiving touchdowns, 26% of all touchdowns scored, and 20% of all points scored by the Aggies.

Statistical Rankings for Kevin Curtis:

2004 ( St. Louis Rams): Played in 15 games, deactivated for one, and started two (the only two for the Rams) playoff games. Recorded 32 receptions for 421 yards with two touchdowns and three rushes for 24 yards. Led the team in receiving in the playoffs with 11 receptions for 235 yards with one touchdown. One of three players in Rams' history to have back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in the playoffs, joining Isaac Bruce (2) and Hall of Famer Tom Fears (3). Second player in NFL history to have two 100-yard receiving games in the playoffs before having one in the regular season.

2003 ( St. Louis Rams): Missed most of the season with a broken fibula suffered in the preseason. First NFL career start vs. Baltimore 11/9 as Rams opened in four-wide receiver set.

NCAA Records in 2001 (Top 20 rankings)

NCAA Records in 2002 (Top 20 rankings)

Career USU Records (Top 10 rankings)

Season USU Records (Top 10 rankings)

Game USU Records (Top 10 rankings)

Rankings on the USU Team in 2002

Longest Plays at Utah State

Leaders by Class at Utah State (Season)

Leaders by Class at Utah State (Single Game)