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.