From Gridiron Foes to Respected Friends

Photo By Spc. Justin Snyder | Sgt. 1st Class Twillie Curry, 619th contingency contracting team and a native of Cliffwood, N.J.,reminisces with Keith Elias, retired New York Giant and Indianapolis Colt football player, in his office during a morale booster trip. Elias and Curry both played high school football in the same area of New Jersey at the same time.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

11.17.2008

Story by Spc. Justin Snyder 

Multi-National Division-Central

By Spc. Justin Snyder
Multi-National Division - Center

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq – When Keith Elias, retired New York Giant and Indianapolis Colt football player, walked through the doors of the Contingency Contracting office on Camp Victory during a morale booster trip, Sgt. 1st Class Twillie Curry, 619th Contingency Contracting Team, was brought back to a familiar time in his life.

It was 1988 and Curry, then a junior at Matawan Regional High School, was on the verge of making true on a promise he made to his high school football coach three years prior.

"When I was in eighth grade and me and my twin brother were starting football, I told our coach we were going to win a state football championship by my senior year," said Twillie, a native of Cliffwood, N.J.

In the waning moments of the matchup, Curry, a star defensive back for his school, made a pivotal play that helped propel the Huskies to a coveted NJSIAA sectional championship over Franklin Township.

Curry remembers the play vividly.

"Their running back came out of the backfield and broke down the right sideline,' said Curry. "I was on the opposite side of the field and came over and tracked him down to prevent a touchdown.

"We went on to stop them from driving down the field further and won the game 14-6. I like to think my play was pivotal in us winning and helped us gain momentum," added Curry.

While Elias didn't play on the same team as Curry or even on the Franklin team that Curry's Huskies defeated on that winter day, his name was one very familiar to Curry.

"Keith played for Lacey Township, another team in our area, and he was an all-state running back," said Curry. "His team went undefeated also, along with four other teams. We were state champions, but I wished we could've had a playoff amongst the teams from the other conferences."

That playoff never happened, and neither did Curry's ambitions of playing football. Elias went off to Princeton University, where he still hold rushing records today.

"I went to football at Montclair State University in New Jersey and red-shirted my freshman year," said Curry. "I attended school for one semester and quickly realized that I wanted to travel and find new adventures."

His quest to see the world led him to the Army, and he enlisted in 1990. Following basic training and advanced individual training, he found himself stationed in Germany.

On the other side of the world, Elias was graduating from Princeton and got signed as a free agent running back by the New York Giants. Curry said he was happy to see someone from his area making it big.

However, the thought of playing professional football was still lodged in the back of his mind.

"While at my first duty station in Germany, I wrote a letter to the Frankfurt Galaxy asking for a tryout," said Curry, referring to the semi-pro football team. "I wanted one last shot at playing football."

The team wrote back to him, but he was conducting field training and never made it to the tryout. His dream was over.

However, Curry had already embarked on a new dream, one that he is still living today, 18 years later: the Army.

He deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 and is now in the midst of a 12 month deployment at Camp Victory, Iraq, where he serves as a contingency contracting officer in support of the 10th Mountain Division.

"We acquisition the supplies the units might not be able to get right away," said Curry. "The units submit purchase requests to us, and we obtain the quotes so they can get their product."

After a few seasons with Giants, Elias moved on to the Indianapolis Colts and finally ended his career in the short-lived World Wrestling Entertainment founded Xtreme Football League.

He realized that he wasn't completely happy with football and his life and became a devout Christian, which brought him to Iraq.

"I'm here in Iraq to show these Soldiers that I support them and love them," said Elias, a native of Lacey Township, N.J. "While I'm going to tell about my faith and do that part, I'm really here for the Soldiers.

"To see a guy like Sergeant 1st Class Curry, who grew up playing football in the same area as me, it shows that it really is a small world out there. He and these Soldiers are the real heroes, not us," added Elias referring to Bryan Hickerson and Anthony Telfano, baseball players who traveled with Elias part of Unlimited Potential Incorporated, an international Christian organization.

"It's always good to see athletes come to visit the Soldiers," said Curry. "What Keith is doing is a great thing. He is serving the lord through his faith, and by visiting the Soldier, he is serving his country."

While Curry never realized his dream to play football, he said that the sport has given him important attributes that have helped him along his Army career like mental toughness, teamwork and discipline.

That same toughness and leadership that helped him propel his teammates to a state championship has also rubbed off on his peers along the way.

"One of my assignments was as an instructor at Fort Lee [Virginia] and I served as a teacher for a lot of young Soldiers," said Curry. "That was probably the most prestigious thing I've ever done. Above anything I have ever done in football, I got to share my knowledge and help guide young Soldiers.

"I had Soldiers come back to me down the road and tell me that I helped them in their career path and they remembered the things I taught them. It made me proud to know I made a difference and I'm proud to be serving my country."

• Date Taken: 11.17.2008
• Date Posted: 11.17.2008 09:04
• Story ID: 26432
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ