First Lady of Football

Looking over a sheet cake decorated like a football field on her 17th birthday, Carolyn Curry had no idea that the sport would eventually become a way of life for her.

It was her first date with Bill Curry. He was a star football player, and she was captain of the cheerleaders at College Park High School.

"Little did I know my life was unfolding before me right then," Curry said.

The Currys married during their college years - she attended Agnes Scott College and he went to Georgia Tech - and in 1965, Bill Curry was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. That move to chilly Wisconsin was the first of more than 30 they would experience during his NFL playing and college coaching career.

Now they're back home in Atlanta, where she runs a non-profit organization focusing on older women's issues and Coach Curry is leading the upstart Panther football team.

"I encouraged Bill to take the job," Curry said.

She did so partly because, off the field, the university holds significant memories for her. She earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in history here. She jokingly says she got a "10:40" education because that hour of the morning was the only free time she could take a class. 

"I look back now, and I don't know how I did it," she said. "I read academic books in the carpool line."

When Bill Curry was head coach at Kentucky, she developed and taught a women's history course there. Older women, many of whom were dealing with issues such as their husband's death or illness, began seeking out Curry's courses. That's when an idea hit her.

"Many women outlive their spouses," Curry said. "I began thinking there's a need for a group where women could talk about these things."

A few years later, Curry approached Agnes Scott College for support. With their help, and that of fellow GSU alumna Carolyn Clarke, Women Alone Together was founded in 2002.

"We want to provide relevant information to help these women live happy, productive lives," Curry said.

For more information, visit womenalonetogether.org.