Sept. 22, 2004
If you could open and run any kind of restaurant, what kind of food would you serve and where?
It would have to be a soul food type restaurant, where they serve collard greens, candied yams, all that type of stuff. I would open it in a college town because college students don’t get that many home cooked meals.
If you were elected to be the President of the U.S. tomorrow, what would be your first act?
That’s a hard one. I would try to solve all these world problems like war.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
That you have to get to know me. I might be a little standoffish at times, but that doesn’t mean that I’m a mean person or anything. I just don’t typically talk to people until I get to know them first.
What would be your ultimate Sports Center highlight?
Making the game winning catch in the national championship game down in Miami this year. I would it want it to be against Florida State because we don’t play them this year. That would be a nice way to end it all.
If you could communicate with any type of animal, which would you pick?
I have a pet snake, so I would probably say a snake. There is no telling what she is thinking. Sometimes I’m a little scared to pick her up because I don’t know if she is mad at me because I haven’t picked her up in a while. So I wish I could do that. It’s an albino Burmese python, and she is about 6 and a half feet.
What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?
I really don’t have a favorite piece. There is one piece that sticks out to everyone though, the purple suit; the lilac suit. I like to dress up. My mom always taught me its better to be overdressed than underdressed. I just like to clean when I do dress up.
If you had to exchange wardrobes with someone on the team, whose clothes would you want?
A lot of people on the team have nice wardrobes, but I would have to say my roommate Mark Logan. He comes in with a different pair of shoes each week; two pair of shoes each week. As a matter of fact, last night, he bought a new pair of shoes and a new outfit. So if I had to exchange wardrobes, it would be with him.
Whose wardrobe on the team would you not want?
I-Perfection [Harris]. Just his style and the tight clothes sometimes. I wouldn’t want to exchange with him.
Tell about one visible scar…
I guess it would have to be my knee injury. It was high school, third round of the playoffs in my senior year. I believe it was Tony Hargrove. We were playing against Tony Hargrove’s team. I didn’t know it back then, but we realized it in the two years he was here. I was running down the sidelines, and he cut me off, and pulled the back of my shoulder pads. That’s how I tore my ACL the first time.
If you could relive any single family outing in your life what would it be?
I would have to say it wasn’t really a family outing, but it was the first time all of my family had gotten together since I have been in college. It was Christmas. My sister came from North Carolina. My other sister came back home. My brother came back from North Carolina. I came back from college. And everyone was back in the house again for the first time in about five years, since I have been away. That was a real touching moment. It was this past Christmas. With the bowl games, I’m never home. There is always at least one person missing so that was a good moment.
If you could have season tickets for any team, sitting in any place in the stadium, which team would it be and where would you sit?
I really don’t have a favorite team. But if I got the tickets, I would have to say Georgia Tech. You have to stick with your team that you play for. I really don’t have an NFL team. Hopefully, once I get up there and that team will become my favorite team. That’s how it is right now, Georgia Tech. I grew up a Dolphin fan. I am from down there so I grew up a Dolphin fan. I always wanted to play for the Dolphins because my family is down there. I used to like when Mark Clayton and Mark Duper were down there. They used to call them the “Marks Brothers”. They were the best receiving duo at the time. That’s how I always remember the Dolphins. I knew they were the best people on the team so every time I would watch the game I would look for them.
What is the nicest compliment that you have received?
That I have a nice smile, even though I don’t smile that much.
When your Tech days are over, how would you like to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as someone who always worked hard and did the most with what he had. Someone who always gave it his all and never gave up and always persevered through it all even when some would have quit.
Who has had the greatest influence on your athletic career?
I would say my parents. They taught me that if you really want to do something, then it is worth all the heartache and pain that it takes to go through it. There are many times that people want to quit, when I want to quit with all the injuries I have had, and I never did quit. I feel that everything makes you stronger and this will make me stronger in the long run. They taught me to persevere and that things that don’t kill you only make you stronger. Also, God only puts things in your way that he feels that you can handle that other people can’t handle. That’s how I look at things.
If you could teach any subject/thing, what would it be?
I like math, and I love computers. It would be a computer class, some kind of programming. I like to be creative with stuff like that.
Who has had the most significant impact on your life?
My parents. I tried to take the good things in my father and the good things in my mother. I learned a lot through their relationship, the good things and the bad things. I always said this is what I want to have; this is what I don’t want to have. They were just always there. I learned a lot from my sisters. I come from a big family so everyone had an influence on me. My grandfather was always there when I couldn’t talk to my father. I could call my grandfather now and I know he would be there to answer the phone. It was a whole family thing.
If you were forced to give up all of your possessions but one, what would it be?
Cell phone. I have to have my cell phone. I have to get in contact with people.
What is your best non-athletic talent?
Some people say I can dance. I like to dance. I have gotten a little bigger and a little stiffer, but I still like to go dancing.
What one thing makes you smile?
When someone tells me to smile or they crack a joke or something. Just having a conversation with someone makes me smile when I am having a bad day.
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from being a college athlete?
I learned a lot of things like responsibility. I came here responsible, but you are own in college so I became more responsible. Time management and things like that. You need to take care of your business when it needs to be taken care of. Beware of deadlines. Basically everything goes back to being responsible. You are an adult now and you are going to be held accountable for what you do and what you don’t do.
Do you have any pre-game rituals?
Nothing out of the ordinary. The night before the game, I have been doing this since high school; I soak in the bathtub for a good hour and a half to two hours. I sleep the whole day before a game, and then listen to some music. Then go out there and play.
What is the best thing about being a college athlete at Tech?
The fans and the student body. They make you feel like what you are doing is worthwhile. Everybody comes up to you and says “hi.” I don’t know how it is at other schools, but I love it here.
What has been the most memorable game that you have been a part of?
I would have to say, I don’t know what year it was, but when Kerry [Watkins] made that one handed catch. The season hasn’t started yet, so that is it as of now. We ran “two-minutes” for the whole fourth quarter, and some key passes to keep the game going. I had a couple of out routes to the sidelines. Going across the middle and getting hit, but holding onto the ball. I remember that game because I was a freshman and I was thrown into it, and I did well. I grew up a lot during that game. It was the first time playing at Clemson, and that is a loud stadium. It was a crazy game.
What won’t you miss about being a college athlete?
I honestly can’t say that I’m not going to miss anything, because I am missing it now. I don’t go to as many classes because I have graduated already. I don’t see everybody. I am not going to missthe mandatory breakfast at eight o’clock in the morning. I’m not going to miss that. As far as everything else, it has become a part of me over the last three or four years, so I am going to miss everything.
With one year of eligibility, what thoughts were going through your head, as you were about to graduate?
It wasn’t ever a doubt that I wasn’t going to come back. I knew I was going to come back regardless of whether I graduated. I never was scared that I wasn’t going to graduate. I knew I was going to graduate. I had a plan. I knew I was going to graduate on May 1, 2004. When it happened, I walked across the stage, got my diploma and that was it. I didn’t realize until the day after that I had just graduated and what exactly I had just done. For the whole four years, I was on a set course, and I stayed focused the whole time. The day after feeling was shock. I couldn’t believe it. But also I was like, man time flew and I knew it was almost over. Everyone came up for my graduation. I told them it wasn’t a big deal, but to family it is a big deal. I look back on it now and see the diploma and I still can’t believe it now. It is something that I don’t know if I’m going to appreciate until later down the road.
If you could have the largest collection of one thing, what would it be?
Can you count money as a collection? I wish I had a lot of money because then you could buy everything else. I would have to probably say clothes. I like to dress nice. I don’t dress up all the time. I like to dress comfortable on campus. When I do dress up, I like to look nice. I would probably say clothes.
What is the one clothing item you get if you had the funds?
I would say another suit. I need another suit. Everyone has seen what I have. I think I have one suit that no one has seen. When you become the center of attention, everyone wants to see what Nate Curry has on. You have to have something new. I have already called my mom and she said she would get me something before the first game. She is going to hook it up for me.
What is your all-time favorite meal?
I eat it all the time. It’s not my favorite, but fast food is Taco Bell. I would eat Taco Bell all day, everyday. I get a #8; beef supreme hard shell taco, seven-layer burrito, two gorditas. I know it by heart. All this comes up to $5.98. My favorite meal though is spaghetti. Home cooked spaghetti with sausage and meatballs in it.
If you were a pro wrestler what would your name be?
It would have to be a catchy name. Some of the coaches call me “Nate the Skate”. I was never interested in wrestling. I would probably have some back flip in the air and slam somebody.
What was your favorite Halloween costume growing up?
I never really dressed up for Halloween. I would dress up in regular clothes.I had aTales from the Crypt mask. One of those realistic looking masks. So I would just wear regular clothes, put a hood over it, and then throw on the mask. I would freak out little kids with that one. That was the only one I really ever had.
What team would you add to the schedule?
I would want to play the number one team in the nation. I don’t know what the polls say at the moment. In order to be the best you have to play the best. Whoever is at number one, that’s who I would like to play.
Name a professor that has had an impact on you here at Tech:
I would have to say, and she has helped me a lot, Maureen Wagner. She is a teacher in the BC [Building Construction] department. She has helped a lot of football players. She teaches a lot of classes in the department. You might have her for one semester, then the next and the one after that for all different classes. She knows what she is talking about. She worked and did all of that stuff before she started teaching so she knows what she is talking about. She has field experience. She has helped me a lot as far as first hand experience.
