Curtis Conway

Curtis Lamont Conway (born January 13, 1971 in Los Angeles) is a former National Football League wide receiver and was a first round 1993 NFL Draft choice out of the University of Southern California. He was college teammates with fellow receiver Johnnie Morton and linebacker Willie McGinest.

High school years

Conway attended Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne, California and was a football and a track star. He won All-America honors as a senior quarterback. His high school quarterback coach was Dave Keller. Even though he was an All-American QB, he was more known for his exploits on the track. During that era, Hawthorne was a regular contender at the CIF California State Meet. In 1987 as a sophomore he was the anchor of the California State Record 4X100m relay team (40.24) set in the preliminaries, Hawthorne High School was DQ'd at the finals after initially finishing second. In 1988 as a junior he placed second in the 100m (10.85) and placed third 3rd in the 200m (21.30). In 1989 as a senior he won the 100m state title with the time of 10.42 and placed 2nd in the 200m (20.89).^[1]

College career

Prior to USC, Conway attended El Camino Junior College in Torrance, California, but did not play.

Professional career

He had over 1,000 yards three times in his twelve year NFL career, in which he played for the Chicago Bears, the San Diego Chargers, the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers.

During his twelve years in the NFL, Conway threw for two touchdown passes, a rarity for the wide receiver position. The most notable of the two came during a game against the Miami Dolphins on November 13, 1994. Conway lined up split off of and parallel to the holder, on a bizarre field goal formation. Rather than the snap being taken by Eric Kramer, Conway received it, and threw a pass which was tipped up into the air by a Dolphins' defender and caught by fellow Bears' teammate and tight end, Keith Jennings and run into the endzone for a touchdown.

Broadcasting

Beginning in 2009, Conway began working as a color analyst on national NFL radio broadcasts by Compass Media Networks. He teams with Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton and Gregg "Free Beer" Daniels on play-by-play.

Personal life

On July 23, 2007, Conway married female boxer champ Laila Ali, the daughter of Muhammad Ali.^[2] He has three children from a previous marriage. Cameron and Kelton are 15 year old twins, and Leilani who is 11. Curtis Conway and Laila Ali, welcomed their first son together on August 26, 2008, Curtis Jr. On April 4, 2011, they welcomed their second child, a daughter, Sydney.

References

1. ^ http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm California State Meet results
2. ^ Associated Press (2007-07-23). "Laila Ali marries former NFL receiver Curtis Conway". ESPN Internet Ventures. http://sports.espn.go.com./sports/boxing/news/story?id=2946594.