Isaac Curtis was a star running back as well as a hurdler that set a conference record lasting years at Santa Ana High School in California.
[3][2] After he finished his junior season, Curtis transferred to San Diego State University because of the controversy surrounding the probation of Cal's football team.
[3][2] Entering the 1973 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals needed a wide receiver who had the speed to spread the field and opposing defenses for quarterback Ken Anderson.
[4] Curtis' most productive season was in 1975, when he caught 44 passes for 934 yards for a league-leading and career-best 21.2 yard-per-catch average, along with scoring seven touchdowns.
[4] In 1977, Curtis was limited by injury to 20 catches in eight games, but bounced back in 1978 with a career-best 47 receptions along with 737 yards and three touchdowns.
In 1973 in his first year, the Bengals won the Central Division and faced the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Miami Dolphins.
"[2] "The Isaac Curtis Rule" states that a defender is allowed to block a receiver within five yards of the line of scrimmage.
[7][2] Curtis is a sales executive for Winegardner and Hammons, Inc., a hotel management company in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash.