The Resurgence of Duke Football.

The year was 1930. Famed University of Alabama coach Wallace Wade leaves Tuscaloosa and becomes the new head football coach at Duke University.  Wade's success in Durham culminated with a final AP (Associcated Press) ranking of #2 for the 1941 season, and a football stadium on Duke's campus that bares his name.  Duke University actually enjoyed great football success during the first half of the 19th century.  Duke captured 10 Southen Conference titles and 6 ACC titles; with the final coming in 1962 under head coach Bill Murray.  After head coach Bill Murray's tenure, let's just say Duke Football went from Sugar to S#%t.  The next 27 years was an exercise in futility for Duke football.  Four different coaches: Tom Harp, Mike McGee, Shirley Wilson, and Steve Sloan, complied a total record of 88-133-6.

Futile indeed; then along came Steve Spurrier. Suddenly, Duke was winning  football games again. 1989's ACC Championship season was Duke's first in over 25 years.  Head Coach Steve Spurrier road that success to his Alma Mata (University of Florida) and again Duke Football fell off the map.  

Fast foward 23 years. Duke compiled one winning season (1994) and went through 4 more head coaches:  Barry Wilson, Fred Goldsmith, Carl Franks and  Ted Roof.  Duke was a University with so much success in all other sports, but had quite possibly the worst football program in the country.  It would take a special coach to bring this program back from the dead; insert David Cutcliff.  Cutcliff had spent many successful years as an assistant at The University of Tennesee and as Head Coach at Ole Miss.  Prior to Cutcliff's arrival in 2007; Duke had not only stopped winning game, but they weren't even competitive while loosing.  Coach Cut set out to change that.  Duke still had losing records under Cutcliff in his first four seasons; but he had succeeded in changing the culture of non-competitive football.  2012 was somewhat of a breakout year for Cutcliff and the Blue Devils.  Duke started the season 6-2; with the 6th win coming against arch rival UNC, making the Blue Devils bowl eligible for the first time since 1994.  Unfortunately; Duke proceeded to lose their next 6 games, including a crushing defeat in the Belk Bowl to Cincinnati.  Nevertheless, progress was being made on the gridiron in Durham.  Cutcliff was building a competitive program that actually participated during college football's bowl season.  

The 2013 football season begin with Duke being picked to finish dead last in the ACC's coastal divison.  Duke was replacing senior QB Sean Renfree and WR Conner Vernon from a 6-7 team.  After a 2-2 start; with two of the losses being conference games, something happened.  Duke started to win, and they haven't stopped.  The 2013 Blue Devils have done what many pundits thought the impossible. Cut's boys have rattled off an incredible 8 straight victories.  Four home wins and an improbable four road wins.  The four road wins were all comeback victories, which makes this run all the more impressive.  8 teams that now realize that Duke Football is for real: Troy, Navy, UVA, VATech, NC State, University of Miami, Wake Forest, and lastly those Tarheels in Chapel Hill.  Duke's Victory Bell win this past Saturday in Chapel Hill catapulted them to ACC Coastal Division Champions; and a spot in The ACC Championship game Dec. 7th.  Duke will play heavily favored Florida State, and not many will give the Blue Devils a chance to win.  Win, loose, or draw; Duke Football has had a resurgent season. Congrats to Coach Cut and the Boys for making the impossible, possible.  

Raleigh North Carolina, Home of the Hurricanes.

One would think that Raleigh North Carolina would be the least likely destination for a professional Hockey team. This is Tobacco Road. College basketball is king in this part of the country.  The UNC Tarheels, Duke Blue Devils, and NC State Wolfpack all call the triangle home. These three schools have won a combined (11) national titles in men's basketball.  My question to you is this.  How can a Hockey team flourish and become champions in a place were the roundball outweighs the hockey puck?  Before I give you that answer, I'll give you a short history lesson on The Carolina Hurricanes. 

The Carolina Hurricanes where born The New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association in 1971. The Whalers joined the National Hockey League as part of the WHA-NHL merger in 1979.  The Whalers played in Hartford Connecticut, which was the smallest american market in the NHL.  Peter Karmonos Jr. purchased The Whalers in 1994 and a franchise move seemed eminent. So where would the Whalers call their new home?  Surely a Midwestern city and state
where hockey is traditionally played would be the ideal destination for Karmonos' new team.  Not quite. Karmonas moved his team to Raleigh North Carolina and renamed them The Carolina Hurricanes.

With the new arena in Raleigh ( EA Sports Arena) not yet finished, the Hurricanes played their first two seasons at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro NC.  Only a small legion of "Caniacs" would make the 90 minute drive from Raleigh to support the team, so attendance an issue  When The EA Sports Arena finally opened in for the 1999-2000 season; The Hurricanes were fresh off of a playoff appearance, so expectations were high. Although the Hurricanes missed the playoffs that year, fan support in Raleigh was tremendous.  The next two seasons would see additional playoff runs and a NHL Finals appearence in the 01-02 season.  Finally, "Canes" had arrived. Raleigh North Carolina had embraced NHL hockey; culminating with a Stanley Cup Championship in the 05-06 season.  

I've been to my fair share of Carolina Hurricane hockey games.  The atmosphere is electric and the action is non stop.  I've watched players like: Ron Francis, Rod Brind'amour, Jeff O'Neil, Eric Cole, and Eric Staal grace the ice in Raleigh. The name on the building has changed from: The EA Sports Arena, The RBC Center, and now PNC Arena. Through it all the Hurricane fanbase has been exceptional and loyal.  Raleigh North Carolina; home of NHL Hockey, and home of The Hurricanes.  Wow!  Who would have ever thought that "country folk" would love hockey?