For Frank Curran ’22, excellence was never about one play, one game or one season.

It was about showing up every day.

That approach helped transform Curran into one of the most accomplished defensive players in Husson University football history and, ultimately, earned him a place among the program’s all-time greats as a member of the Husson Sports Hall of Fame.

A standout defensive lineman for the Eagles from 2017-21, Curran finished his career with 208 tackles, including 108 solo stops, 42 tackles for loss and 18 sacks. He added two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception, 21 quarterback hurries, four pass breakups and a blocked kick.

At the time of his induction, Curran ranks ninth in program history in total tackles, sixth in assisted tackles, tied for fifth in tackles for loss and tied for fourth in sacks.

But when Curran looks back on his Husson career, the numbers and accolades are far from the first things that come to mind.

Instead, it is the people.

The teammates who became lifelong friends. The coaches who believed in him. The mentors who helped shape him. Those relationships have extended well beyond the football field, from attending each other’s weddings to working together professionally and still calling one another for advice years later.

Those connections made Curran’s reaction to learning he would join the Hall of Fame especially meaningful.

When head football coach Nat Clark called with the news, Curran initially thought he might be getting an invitation to play in a Husson Athletics golf tournament. Instead, the conversation caused him to reflect on a football journey that began long before he arrived in Bangor.

Curran remembered walking into the football office as a player and seeing the names of Husson Hall of Famers displayed on the wall. He understood what those players meant to the program and the culture they helped establish.

One day, he hoped his name might join theirs.

Now it has.

Curran’s career provided plenty of memorable moments worthy of that recognition.

He earned American College Football Network Freshman All-American and Hansen Ratings All-Eastern Collegiate Football Conference honors during his first season. By the end of his career, Curran was a four-time all-conference selection.

His final season proved to be one of his best. Curran was named Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2021 while earning D3football.com All-Region and Noontime Sports All-New England honors, along with Husson’s Eagle Award.

Curran credits much of that consistency to a lesson from his high school coach, John Wolfgram, centered around the idea that excellence comes from repeated habits.

For Curran, that meant maintaining the same standard regardless of the circumstances.

Becoming a captain only strengthened that responsibility. He knew his teammates were looking to him to set the tone, remain prepared and deliver when Husson needed him. That expectation motivated him throughout the year, not simply during football season.

Winning, rather than individual recognition, remained the objective.

Curran helped Husson capture back-to-back ECFC championships in 2017 and 2018, but perhaps no victory stands out more than the Eagles’ historic 2017 NCAA Division III Championship first-round win over nationally-ranked Springfield College.

Husson went on the road and defeated the Pride for the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history — a moment Curran still considers one of his favorite memories.

Yet another memory carries an entirely different significance.

Following a home victory at Winkin Sports Complex, Curran remembers young fans who regularly watched Husson practice from along the fence being asked to move so the opposing team could exit the field. Rather than sending the children away, former head coach Gabby Price invited them onto the field to celebrate with the Eagles.

Years later, Curran still thinks about what that moment meant.

It represented the culture and community that defined his experience at Husson.

That same sense of community remains important to Curran today.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing management in 2022, Curran built a career in business and real estate. He currently works as an associate broker with Harborview Properties, specializing in residential and commercial real estate transactions along with mergers and acquisitions, and is an owner of The Barn at Smith Farm in Falmouth, Maine.

Curran believes the discipline, competitiveness, leadership and work ethic developed through Husson football continue to shape his professional life.

Now, he hopes to give back to the place that helped shape him.

Curran wants to remain involved through the Husson Alumni Association, help generate sponsorships and financial support and contribute to improvements that provide future Eagles with the opportunities he enjoyed.

It is another example of the standard Curran learned from the players who came before him — and one he tried to pass along to those who followed.

Curran is quick to point out that his Hall of Fame induction represents far more than his individual accomplishments. He credits his parents, Shaun and Linda Curran, his sisters, Megan and Breanna, and his entire family, who he said never missed a game throughout his career.

He also credits Price and Clark for believing in him when he arrived at Husson on an injury redshirt, along with the countless coaches, trainers and teammates who played a role in his development.

For Curran, those people are as much a part of his induction as the tackles, sacks, championships and awards.