Eck Curtis (August 8, 1902 – June 28, 1978) was an American football coach. After a 20-year high school coaching career, he became an assistant at the University of Texas at Austin and is credited with introducing the T formation to Longhorns football.
Early Life and Playing Career
Curtis was born in Texas and prepped at Vernon High School. He attended Abilene Christian University, where he played quarterback for coach Victor Payne and quarterbacked Abilene Christian's first football team in 1923.
Coaching Career
Curtis began his head coaching career in 1925 at Anson High School, where he remained for three seasons. He then spent six seasons at Ranger High School (1928–1933), a single season at Electra High School (1934), and then became head coach at Breckenridge High School (1935–1944). His 1942 Breckenridge squad made the state semifinals, and his overall record with the Buckaroos was 83–22–6.
In 1945, Curtis succeeded Rusty Russell as head coach at Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas. He guided the Scots to a 12–0–2 record and the state co-championship with Waco. The 7–7 tie in the finals attracted a then-record high school crowd of 45,790 into the Cotton Bowl.
After the 1945 season, Curtis was hired by Texas assistant Blair Cherry to coach the freshmen varsity. There he introduced the T formation to Texas Longhorn football, which was later adopted when Cherry took over as head coach. Cherry assigned Curtis to be his offensive backfield coach, a position Curtis held until 1954.
Head Coaching Record
Curtis compiled a 20-year high school coaching record of 168 wins, 47 losses, and 14 ties.
Honors
In 1985, Curtis was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
