Tiger Tuesday features a Clemson athlete from the past that significantly impacted the their program.
Airese Currie – Wide Receiver, 2001-04
- RTR 200 Ranking: 182
- First-team All-ACC in Football in 2004
- 137 receptions
- 2,025 receiving yards
- 10 tds
- 12 receptions vs MTSU in 2003 (tied for 7th best single game in Clemson history)
- 3X All-ACC in Track & Field
Airese Currie was one of the many wide receivers who found success at Clemson playing for Head Coach Tommy Bowden.
Currie grew up in a military family that spent some time in Germany when he was kid. He also loved in North Carolina and Virginia before his family moved to Columbia, South Carolina. He played high school football for the Richland Northeast Cavaliers. Like many other speedy receivers, he also ran track. He won the South Carolina state championship in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes.
That speed led Coach Bowden to recruit Currie to Clemson. As Currie puts it:
"“Of course the obvious decision at the time was Clemson, because Carolina was trash.”"
“The Fastest Man In College Football” contributed immediately, playing eleven games as a freshman in 2001. His production jumped in his junior season with 43 receptions for 560 yards and 4 touchdowns. As a senior in 2004, he led the team with 61 receptions for 868 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was named to the All-ACC first-team that season.
He currently ranks 17th in career receptions and 16th in receiving yards.
He also ran track at Clemson. He was a 3X All-ACC selection, and in his senior year won the NCAA Regional East Title in the 100-meter dash.
Pro football may not have turned out the way he intended, but today Curry is giving back to the community that gave him so much.
He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 5th round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He spent his first season in Chicago on injured reserve. In 2006, he played one game before going back on the IR. He was released at the end of the season. He spent some time from 2007-09 in the Canadian Football League with both the BC Lions and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Today, Currie is giving back to the community where he played high school sports.
"“My wife and I have a private medical clinic that we just opened up two weeks ago, Lyon’s Heart Primary Care. We offer a number of services including family medicine visits to IV therapy to DOT physicals, sports physicals, work or college physicals, hair restoration, weight management, acute disease care, etc.”"