The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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60 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2026 BY STEVE KORNACKI T om Curtis, who played quarterback and defensive back on Michigan's freshman football team in 1966 before becoming a starting safety for three memorable seasons, holds all the school's interceptions re- cords. Curtis nabbed the final 2 of his 25 college interceptions in the 1969 upset of No. 1 Ohio State to set a Michigan career mark that might live forever, having withstood 1997 Heisman Tro- phy winner Charles Woodson's 18 career interceptions. "I met Charles one day and he didn't know me," Curtis said. "My daughter [Tammi Carr] introduced me to him. When she said my name, he said, 'Oh, yeah, you're the guy who had more interceptions than me.' He recognized me after that." Curtis' 10 interceptions as a junior in 1968 also set a mark that has yet to be topped. And his 3 interceptions in one game as a sophomore at Illinois on Nov. 11, 1967, remain tied for the most by a Wolverine in a single game. What do those records mean to him? "They certainly mean a lot," said Cur- tis, who turns 79 on Nov. 1, "and it's something that will carry on in my fam- ily forever as history of the Curtis family and Michigan. They can see the records that I have, and I had an NCAA record, too, that's since been broken in intercep- tion return yardage [still a school-record 431 yards]." A COLLEGE FOOTBALL LEGACY Daughter Tammi also graduated from Michigan and married Jason Carr, the former Michigan quarterback and son of legendary Wolverine head coach Lloyd Carr. Their oldest son, CJ Carr, is a Heis- man Trophy candidate quarterback for Notre Dame. Their middle son, freshman Tommy Carr from nearby Saline, threw his first touchdown pass for the Wol- verines against UTEP and has a bright future under center. And the sons' full names tell the story of their unique lineage as the only college players ever to have both grandfathers in the College Football Hall of Fame. Curtis Jason Carr carries his maternal grandfather's last name and father's first name. "Nobody really knows that his name is Curtis Jason," said his proud grandfather, Thomas Newton Curtis. "He's been CJ since the day he was born. It's a proud moment I have when Notre Dame plays. I'm studying his play and hoping and wanting him to do well." Thomas Lloyd Carr carries his mater- nal grandfather's first name and paternal grandfather's first name. Isn't that something? "Tommy has yet to come," Curtis told The Wolverine prior to the Penn State game on Oct. 17. "[Bryce] Underwood has played so far, and I think Tommy should be playing. I'm hoping it will happen, but I don't know." Tammi Carr went viral on- line when video surfaced of her celebrating with Lloyd Carr and others in a Michigan Stadium luxury suite after Tommy's 19- yard touchdown pass to Salesi Moa against UTEP. "I was excited just like she was," Curtis said. "I was jump- ing up and down the same way that she was. I was right there with her but watching from here in Miami Springs [Fla.]." Carr hit Moa on a perfect fade route with great touch in the left corner of the end zone. Tommy also had nice runs of 6 and 12 yards. "He's surprisingly quick," Curtis said. "What amazes me is his quickness and speed. I had a lot of quickness, but never a lot of speed. I call him TC2. I'm TC." BESTING THE BUCKEYES The grandfather's last game at the Big House was the 24-12 victory over the 17-point favorite Buckeyes on Nov. 22, 1969. Curtis made 2 first-half intercep- tions against All-America quarterback Rex Kern while left defensive halfback and still close friend Barry Pierson picked Kern off 3 more times. Strong safety "Wolfman" Thom Darden, who recorded 45 interceptions in the NFL, also picked off Kern for a team total of 6 interceptions — tying a school single-game record that still stands. "That was the game of my life," Curtis said. "We upset the Team of the Decade and defending national champions [who entered with a 22-game winning streak]. It's a game I'll never forget. "Rex Kern threw me the ball twice. He and I always laughed about it [as Balti- more Colts teammates]. As soon as he saw me, he thought about those 2 picks and he was unhappy about it even then." Ohio State had thrown only 11 inter- ceptions in its first eight games leading ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Former Defensive Back Great Tom Curtis Still Holds U-M Interception Records Curtis was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005, two years before the Wolverines welcomed him into their Hall of Honor. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY