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Ga. State Starts New Program in Tough Economy

ATLANTA — In his previous head coaching jobs, there were plenty of things for Bill Curry to worry about.

Who’s going to play quarterback? How does the defense look? Will these Alabama fans ever fully accept me?

There were other issues that never crossed his mind.

Do we have enough helmets and chin straps? What are we going to use for a locker room? Where are we going to practice?

But those are just the sort of things Curry has fretted over in what will certainly be the final coaching job of his career and arguably the most daunting one yet.

In less than two weeks, Curry will lead the Georgia State Panthers onto the field for their very first game, the culmination of a two-year journey that exposed the exhilarating highs and excruciating lows of starting a college football program from scratch.

“It’s been a real adventure and I’ve loved every minute of the challenge,” the 67-year-old Curry said, pausing briefly and adding with a wry grin, “Well, almost every minute.”

A New Track: Fostering Diversity and Equity in Athletics
American sport has always served as a platform for resistance and has been measured and critiqued by how it responds in critical moments of racial and social crises.
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A New Track: Fostering Diversity and Equity in Athletics