Eddie Lee Ivery is a former professional American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player.

Early years through college

Ivery was born in McDuffie County, Georgia

McDuffie County, Georgia

McDuffie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on October 18, 1870. As of 2000, the population was 21,231. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 21,551. The county seat is Thomson....

. He played high school football at Thomson High School

Thomson High School

Thomson High School , is a public high school located in Thomson, Georgia, USA. It is the only high school in the McDuffie County School District.-Alma mater:The glorious dawn, the sunset's glow,Reflects Earth's beauty here below....

 in Thomson, Georgia

Thomson, Georgia

Thomson, incorporated February 15, 1854, is a city in McDuffie County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,828 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of McDuffie County. Thomson's nickname is "The Camellia City of the South", in honor of the thousands of camellia plants...

. During the 1974 season he rushed for 1,710 yards.
He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

 team (1975–1978), and was an AP and UPI All-American in his senior season of 1978. Ivery was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983. He finished 8th in the 1978 Heisman Trophy

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...

 voting with 11 first place votes, 19 second place votes, 10 third place votes and 81 votes total.

College records and honors

• NCAA single game highest average gain per rush-(Min. 26 rushes) - 13.7 vs. Air Force, Nov. 11, 1978
• Division One single game rushing record- 356 yards vs. Air Force, Nov. 11, 1978
• Georgia Tech Football single season rushing yards leader- 1,562 yards
• Georgia Tech 3rd in career (1975–78) rushing yards- 3,517 in 609 attempts and 22 TD.
• Georgia Tech 4th in career all-purpose yards- 4,324
• Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame (1983)

Professional career

Ivery played for eight seasons as a running back

Running back

A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...

 with the Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

. He was forced to retire after suffering a leg injury.

Life after football

Since 2000 Ivery has worked as assistant strength coach for Georgia Tech after completing a stint with the McDuffie Board of Education and coaching at Thomson High School, where he played high school football. He completed his degree at Georgia Tech in 1992.