Rennie Curran facts for kids

Rennie Curran, born on November 10, 1988, is a former professional American football player. He was a talented linebacker, which is a defensive position in football. Rennie played college football for the University of Georgia. Many people thought he was one of the best weakside linebackers of his time. The Sporting News even called him "the most dominant defensive player in the game." In January 2010, Rennie decided to leave college early to join the 2010 NFL draft. The Tennessee Titans picked him as the 97th player overall in that draft.

Early Life and High School Football

Rennie Curran grew up in Snellville, Georgia. He went to Brookwood High School. While playing for the Brookwood Broncos, he became their all-time leader in tackles. A tackle is when a defensive player stops an offensive player who has the ball.

Rennie was named the Gwinnett County Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year twice. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper also picked him for their Super Southern 100 team. Experts like Rivals.com thought he was a top recruit. They ranked him as the 11th best inside linebacker prospect in the country.

College Football Career

Rennie Curran played college football for the University of Georgia. He quickly showed how good he was on the field.

Freshman Year (2007)

In 2007, Rennie was a true freshman, meaning it was his first year in college. He played in 11 games and started five of them. He made 53 tackles, including 9 tackles for a loss. A tackle for a loss means stopping an opponent behind their starting line. He also had 3 quarterback sacks, which is when a defensive player tackles the quarterback. Rivals.com named him a Freshman First-team All-American.

Sophomore Year (2008)

During his second year in 2008, Rennie started all 13 games. He led his team with 115 tackles. He also had 10 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks. He even forced two fumbles, which is when a player drops the ball. His 115 tackles were the most by a Georgia Bulldog player since 1998. Rennie was a finalist for the Butkus Award, which goes to the best linebacker in college football. He also earned Sophomore All-American honors.

Junior Year (2009)

In 2009, Rennie's junior year, he continued to excel. He was voted First-team All-SEC by both the Associated Press (AP) and the Coaches. The SEC is a major college sports conference. He was also named First-team All-America by CBSSports.com. Rennie led the entire SEC conference with 116 tackles that season.

Professional Football Career

After a successful college career, Rennie Curran moved on to play professional football.

Playing for the Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans picked Rennie Curran in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was the 97th player chosen overall. He was given the number 53 jersey. This number was special because it belonged to Keith Bulluck, a popular linebacker who had recently left the team. Rennie played for the Titans until he was released on September 2, 2011.

Time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Rennie Curran later joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League during the 2012 NFL season. However, he did not play in any games for them.

Playing in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos

In 2013, Rennie joined the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in 16 out of 18 regular season games that year. In his first CFL season, he made 70 tackles and 10 special teams tackles. He also had 2 sacks and 2 interceptions. One of his interceptions was returned for a touchdown! In the 2014 CFL season, he had 53 defensive tackles and 7 special teams tackles. He became a free agent in February 2015.

Joining the BC Lions

On September 22, 2015, it was announced that Rennie Curran had signed with the BC Lions, another team in the CFL.

In 2017, Rennie took part in The Spring League. He hoped to return to the NFL, but he suffered a serious knee injury that ended his playing career.

Personal Life

Rennie Curran is also an author and a public speaker. On April 4, 2012, he published his first book, "Free Agent" - The Perspectives of A Young African American Athlete. The former head coach of the University of Georgia, Mark Richt, wrote the introduction for his book.

Rennie often speaks to different groups, including schools, churches, and businesses. He is also a talented musician. He started playing the piano when he was eight years old. He learned to play the drums at age ten and the viola at age thirteen.