Ex-Gator football star Ivory Curry dies unexpectedly at 28 Two weeks after checking into a Brandon hospital with pneumonia, Ivory Curry was getting his strength back. The former University of Florida and Tampa Bay Buccaneers football player was going for walks on his own and was scheduled to go home Wednesday afternoon. “He was in good spirits,” said his wife Norma. “He was back to being the old Ivory again.” But Tuesday evening, Curry slipped into a coma. He died early Wednesday. Norma Curry said her husband also had a heart infection that apparently caused a blood clot, leading to his death. Humana Hospital officials in Brandon would not release further details. “It was very unexpected. The pneumonia had cleared up,” Mrs. Curry said. “I was going to pick him up that same day.” Curry was 28. He is survived by his wife, 21-month-old son, Ivory Keith, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ivory Curry Sr. of Miami. Curry was a cornerback and kick return specialist at Florida from 1979-82, setting team records for most punt returns (75) and punt return yardage (631) in a career. “Ivory never knew the meaning of fair catch as a punt returner. He was such a fighter and competitor,” said Buccaneers assistant coach Joe Kines, who was Florida's defensive coordinator when Curry played there. “And he was very happy with his life. Always in a good mood and always on the go.” He went on to play two years in the Canadian Football League and was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three games during the players strike in 1987. The Currys settled in Brandon in 1985 when he was given a tryout with the Buccaneers. A broken ankle in Ottawa the year before had robbed Curry of some of his speed so he retired from the game when the Bucs did not sign him, his wife said. “It never bothered Ivory to quit football,” she said. “He said he was ready to settle down and take care of himself and his family.” Curry grew up in Miami and was an All-Dade County quarterback at Central High in 1978. For the past 11 months he worked at the Tampa Bay Academy, a psychiatric treatment center for children. Tom Zucco, The St.Petersburg Times 25 August 1989