Track & Field | February 25, 2020
Edsel Curry, a two-sport athlete at USC who played on the 1944 Rose Bowl champion football squad and also helped a 4-man Trojan track team win the 1943 NCAA championship, died on Jan. 8 of natural causes in Montrose, Calif. He was 97.
Curry lettered in football (1943-46-47) as a halfback. The Trojans went 21-8-1 during his time and played in a pair of Rose Bowls.
He also was a 4-year (1943-44-47-48) letterman in track as a long jumper. He was among just 4 USC competitors at the 1943 NCAA meet, but he along with sprinters Jack Trout and Cliff Bourland and javelin thrower Doug Miller placed in the top 3 of all 6 of their events to score 46 points, enough to capture the NCAA title (Curry, a freshman, was second in the long jump). He then captained the 1944 Trojan tracksters. He was presented with the USC track and field program's Heritage Award in 1996.
His USC career was interrupted when he served 2 years in the Navy during World War II.
He came to USC from Glendale (Calif.) High.
After USC, he was a managing sales director for a variety of companies.
His wife, Kathleen, died the day after he did on Jan. 9.
Curry is survived by his son Mark, daughters Linda McKitterick and Kathy Kiesser, 7 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.
A memorial service for Edsel and Kathleen will be held this Saturday (Feb. 29) at 2 p.m. at Burbank First United Methodist Church (700 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, Calif. 91502).
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