Canute Curtis

Canute J. Curtis (born August 4, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, earning consensus All-American honors in 1996. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL draft.

After his playing career, he became a coach for multiple college programs.

Early life Curtis was born in Amityville, New York. He attended Farmingdale High School in Farmingdale, New York, where he played for the Farmingdale high school football team.

College career Curtis attended West Virginia University, where he played for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team from 1993 to 1996. As a senior in 1996, Curtis led the nation's top-ranked defense by setting the Mountaineers' single-season record for quarterback sacks with 16.5, and also made 11 tackles for a loss. He totaled 67 tackles, forced two fumbles, and had an interception. Curtis was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and was named the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was also among the finalists for the Dick Butkus Award for best college linebacker and for the Bronko Nagurski Award for best college defensive player. Curtis finished his career as WVU's all-time sack leader with 33.5 sacks.

He also became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

In 2011, Curtis was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career The Cincinnati Bengals selected Curtis in the sixth round (176th pick overall) of the 1997 NFL draft. He played for the Bengals from to .

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds TD Lng FF FR Yds TD 1997 CIN 3 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1998 CIN 5 0 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1999 CIN 15 0 18 15 3 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2000 CIN 15 0 16 14 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2001 CIN 16 4 29 15 14 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 2002 CIN 16 11 51 42 9 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 70 15 118 89 29 3.0 0 0 0 0 3 2 3 0

Coaching career In 2004, Curtis became the linebackers coach at Towson University. In 2005, he became the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Tennessee State University. In 2007, he became the defensive ends coach as well as remained the special teams coordinator. In 2008, he was named the defensive line coach at Hampton University. From 2009–2012 he was named the defensive line coach at Hampton.

Personal life As of 2009, Curtis was married to his wife LaToya and the couple have two children.