[2] He made his full international debut for Republic of Ireland at home to Denmark on 3 October 1956 in which he scored.
In September 1958 he joined Ipswich Town, playing in the side that won promotion to Division One in 1961, and the league championship the following season.
However, the form of Ray Crawford and Ted Phillips limited his chances at Portman Road, and in August 1963 he moved to Exeter City after only 41 league games (in which he scored 17 times).
After 91 league appearances (in which he scored 23 goals), Curtis moved to Torquay United, signing in August 1966.
However, his move to Plainmoor was not a great success as in his only season he made just 12 league appearances, scoring just a single goal.