Terry Curtis attended Murphy high school in Mobile. His was a three-sport athlete in high school. Following graduation he attended Auburn University and received his degree. Curtis played baseball for the Tigers while in college.

He returned to Mobile and took a job as an assistant football and junior varsity basketball coach at B.C. Rain High School (1973-80). Curtis served as an assistant coach at Murphy for the next nine years.

Coach Curtis began his head coaching career at Shaw High School in 1989. In his first season as head coach, Shaw struggled and ended the year with a losing record, but Curtis turned things around quickly, winning a region title in 1991 with a 12-2 record.

In 1993, Curtis accepted the head coach position at Murphy High School where he remained for six successful seasons. His first season with the Panthers was similar to his previous position, ending the year with only his second losing record. The following year, however, Coach Curtis led Murphy to a regional title and a playoff spot.

After retiring from the public school system, he took over as head coach at U.M.S. Wright in 1999, winning a regional titles in his first eight seasons with the Bulldogs. In 2001 Coach Curtis led the Bulldogs to an undefeated 15-0 season and a state championship with a 28-12 win over Cleburne County High School.

In 2002 the Bulldogs won a second consecutive title when they eased by North Jackson 7-2 for the Class 3A Championship. The 2005 team stomped Deshler 42-16 to claim their third title in five years under Coach Curtis.

The 2008 Bulldogs beat up on Cherokee County 41-7 in Auburn for a fourth championship. In 2012, UMS-Wright once again traveled to Auburn and came away with a 42-14 victory over Oneonta High School for Curtis fifth state championship during his head coaching career.

Coach Terry Curtis currently remains as the head coach at U.M.S.-Wright and holds a career record of 348-93 over 34 seasons. His playoff record stands at 81-23 and his region record is among the best of all time in the state at 171-23.

His teams won state titles in three straight seasons between 2018-2020.

In 2022 he became the winningest football coach in state history passing the legendary Buddy Anderson.

Curtis is a past president of the AHSAA athletic directors/coaches association and also past president of the Mobile County Coaches Association. He was the head coach of the state team in the 1999 Alabama-Mississippi football All-Star game. He is also the current athletic director at UMS-Wright.

Coach Curtis was named Coach of the Year by the ASWA in 2001, 2002 and 2005. He was inducted into the 2004 Alabama High School Athletic Associations Hall of Fame, which was held at the Montgomery Civic Center on March 22, 2004.