Averett University will confer the degrees of more than 200 students at its spring 2023 commencement exercises on Saturday, May 6, at 10 a.m.

Former NFL player and non-profit founder Buddy Curry will deliver the commencement address outdoors from Daly Field in the Frank R. Campbell Stadium at Averett’s E. Stuart James Grant North Campus, 707 Mt. Cross Rd.

Students ranging in age from 20 to 60 will graduate from the University’s traditional programs and Averett Online this commencement. The graduating class of 2023 includes 11 veterans, as well as nine international students from seven countries including Argentina, Bahamas, Belarus, Canada, Finland, Guatemala and Sweden. Nearly 170 students have plans of participating in the exercises.

Curry is the co-founder of “Kids & Pros,” a Georgia-based 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to teaching proper football techniques, safety techniques and life skills to pre-high school youth.

Curry graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he was a four-year football letterman and ACC All-Conference performer at linebacker. He joined the Atlanta Falcons in 1980 and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Curry played eight seasons with the Falcons and was selected to two Pro Bowls. He led the team in tackles each year, and was named Team Captain.

Following his football career, Curry teamed up with former Falcons teammate Bobby Butler to form Kids & Pros where kids from all socio-economic backgrounds come together at free camps and clinics to play as a team and be coached by current and former NFL players who emphasize the importance of good sportsmanship, excellence, integrity, teamwork and perseverance. Since 2002, Kids & Pros has positively influenced more than 63,000 young people and conducted 325 events in 13 states plus Canada.

Curry is a USA Football Heads Up Football Master Trainer, helping to make the sport better and safer for today’s youth. He was named to the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 and is a member of the Georgia Concussion Coalition, and board member for the National Council on Youth Sports Safety. Curry is an active community volunteer and public speaker. He lives in Buford, Georgia with his wife Dawn and their four children.