Anthony Robles did it last, Curley Culp did it first.

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If you are a Sun Devil fan, say 35 years or younger, you might just be familiar with the catchy name, Curley Culp. You’ve probably heard the news about the legendary Sun Devil (1965-67) being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend. But because his name is largely associated with Arizona State Football, you might not know about Curley Culp the wrestler.

In 1964, Culp was a big athlete hailing from Yuma, Arizona. At Yuma High, he excelled enough at both football and wrestling that he earned scholarship offers to play either sport. As he weighed his options, he was drawn to Arizona State because he was given the rare opportunity to play for Frank Kush’s Football program as well as the university’s Wrestling team.

At football, the 6’1”-270 lb Culp played primarily Defensive Lineman for Coach Kush, but at times he played on the Offensive line as well. In his final year as a Sun Devil football player, Curley Culp gained national attention when he was honored as an All-American defensive lineman. Later in 1975, he was inducted into Arizona State University’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Two years later, he was named to the WAC (Western Athletic Conference) 15-Year All-Star team. Then during the state’s centennial celebration, Culp was named the Greatest Athlete in the History of Arizona.

What’s lesser known about Curley Culp is that the very same year he was named to College Football’s best, he brought the Sun Devils their first NCAA National Championship as a heavyweight wrestler. It propelled ASU’s national stature in the sport, which still exists today. So for those of us in the Sun Devil “history” program, we want to get it right when telling the next generation of DieHard fans about this guy, Curley. We must remember that his Wrestling accomplishments for ASU are as much a part of his Sun Devil legacy as his acomplishments on the Football field.

Enjoy the video of Curley Culp’s 1967 NCAA Wrestling Championship match.

After ASU, Culp became a pro football player: 1968-1974 Kansas City Chiefs, 1974-1980 Houston Oilers and 1980-1981 Detroit Lions. He played nose tackle for a remarkable 14 seasons, played in six Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl Championship with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1970.

Lastly, it should be noted that Curley Culp joins another Arizona native High School player turned Sun Devil who was later named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame- the great Randall McDaniel.

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