Currie began his professional career at Wake Forest in 1993 as a Deacon Club intern before he was appointed assistant Deacon Club director in 1994. After a two-year stint as Assistant Athletics Director at Wake Forest, Currie joined the University of Tennessee in 1997 as Executive Director of its Athletic Scholarship Fund. At Tennessee, he was Executive Associate Athletic Director, Senior Associate Athletic Director, Associate Athletic Director for External Operations, Associate Director for Development, Marketing and Tickets, Associate Athletic Director for Development, and Assistant Athletic Director for Development. As Executive Associate Athletic Director, Currie was among Knoxville business' "40 under 40".
Currie administered K-State Athletics' projected $71 million budget, managed 165 employees, and maintained relations with 450 student athletes. He had cultivated relationships with alumni and donors, and his department projected a $4.4 million budget increase for the 2016 fiscal year. During Currie's tenure, the school's athletics budget has increased by $26 million over its 2010 budget of $44.1 million to $73 million. KSU's athletics budget has had a surplus for six consecutive years. The university invested $190 million in new and upgraded facilities, including the West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and a basketball training venue. In May 2015, a new football complex was under construction which was scheduled to open in September. In a letter to supporters dated June 30, 2015, Currie wrote that the KSU athletics department's first goal was to provide "A World-Class Student-Athlete Experience". However, Currie's tenure at K-State was not without controversy. One major source of controversy involved the elimination of Women's Equestrian from K-State's roster of sports. In October 2014, Currie asked the KSU Athletic Board of Directors to discontinue Women's Equestrian and replace it with Women's Soccer to maintain Title IX compliance for the university. He cited a recommendation from the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics to discontinue Women's Equestrian as an NCAA emerging sport—a committee recommendation that had not yet been voted on—as justification for this change. Based on Currie's recommendation, K-State Athletic Board of Directors approved eliminating Women's Equestrian and replacing it with Women's Soccer. However, the NCAA ultimately tabled their committee's recommendation, making no changes to Women's Equestrian and its relationship with the NCAA. Currie's actions were met with great dismay by the student-athletes, their parents, the National Collegiate Equestrian Association, and the equestrian community at large. Currie was criticized for his recommendation to eliminate Women's Equestrian as well as for a lack of transparency and poor communication throughout the process.
University of Tennessee
Currie took over as athletic director on February 28, 2017. Currie was dismissed on December 1, 2017 after 8 months on the job due to a failed coaching search that included the controversial decision to agree to terms with Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano. The controversy included not only accusations of Schiano's knowledge of child abuse by Jerry Sandusky while at Penn State but also because of Schiano's mediocre coaching record and his toxic reputation while a head coach in the NFL. This reputation led to Schiano being forced out of the league. The Schiano recruitment led to a large protest by fans in part due to Schiano's alleged failure to report the sexual assault of children by former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
Wake Forest University
John Currie became Wake Forest's sixth athletic director in school history when he was named to the position on March 3, 2019. Currie is just the third individual to have held the position since 1964 following the 28-year tenure of Gene Hooks and Ron Wellman.
