Pat Curran (American football)

Pat Curran (born September 21, 1945) is an American former professional football tight end. Curran played for the National Football League (NFL)'s Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers between 1969 and 1978. In 1969, Pat Summerall while announcing the syndicated NFL Films series This Week in Pro Football dubbed Curran "the meanest man in the NFL" due to Curran's penchant for "spearing" opponents; flying head first and using his helmet to brutally strike into their mid-sections, a type of blocking and tackling technique or maneuver that has since been outlawed in the league.

Curran is a 1964 graduate of Milwaukee's Solomon Juneau High School and a 1968 graduate of Lakeland College near Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He was a two-time NAIA All-American while playing running back at Lakeland and he set a number of school records. Today, he holds Lakeland school records in career, single season and single game scoring and touchdowns, he is #3 in career rushing yards and #4 in single season rushing yards. He is a member of Lakeland's Athletic Hall of Fame.

After retiring as a player, Curran served as a color analyst on Chargers radio broadcasts from 1978 to 1994. He was a manager for El Cajon Western Little League Baseball in 1987 and coached his son Vinny Curran.^[1] Curran was elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2013.^[2] He is now a sales representative for Snap-On tools, working out of several automotive technical schools.