It was often joked at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina that the fall is just another time to wait for and ask when basketball season is coming. The Duke men's basketball team under coach Mike Krzyzewski has set a standard for programs across the country with their continued success, excellent student-athlete reputation, and graduates who have gone pro. In fact, it is with that success that Krzyzewski has reached the heights that he has winning over 903 career games and has set the record for Division I men's career coaching wins. With all the success, the football program at Duke has rarely made a blip on the radar.
And then came Coach David Cutcliffe.
And then came Coach David Cutcliffe.
Cutcliffe came to Duke in 2007after years of success in major college football as a head coach and offensive coordinator having groomed such quarterbacks as Heath Shuler, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Erik Ainge,Thaddeus Lewis, and Sean Renfree. Those Six quarterbacks whom Cutcliffe coached in college went on to play in the NFL, while Todd Helton and Seth Smith both of Major League Baseball were QBs under Cutcliffe in their college football days. His pedigree was going to have to work wonders as Duke had for years been a football laughingstock after some rather prestigious years decades earlier. "The program has 17 conference championships (7 ACC championships and 10 Southern Conference titles), 53 All-Americans, 10 ACC Players of the Year (the most in the ACC), and have had three Pro Football Hall of Famers come through the program (second in the ACC to only Miami's four) ("Colleges"). Although Duke has mostly struggled since the mid-1960s, the Blue Devils are currently undergoing a renaissance under Cutcliffe. Duke is the defending Coastal Division champion, having secured their first division title on November 30, 2013 with a win over arch-rival North Carolina. Additionally, the Blue Devils cracked the top 20 of the BCS standings, the AP Poll, and the Coaches' Poll during the 2013 season" However in more recent seasons, Duke had serious trouble winning. "From 1999 to 2007, Duke's football win-loss record was at 13–90; from 2000 to 2001 Duke suffered a 22-game losing streak". That's when Cutcliffe was hired."Cutcliffe was hired as Duke's 22nd all-time head football coach to lead the Blue Devils football program in late 2007 (Baker & Rucker, 2007). Duke went 4–8 in 2008 and Duke's 2009 season was a 5–7 campaign, the closest the school had come to bowl eligibility since 1994 (Robinson III, 2009). Cutcliffe's Duke teams had back-to-back 3-9 seasons in 2010 and 2011. Duke's 2012 team, despite low preseason expectations, after a 33–30 win against rival North Carolina became bowl eligible for the first time since 1994 (Carter, 2012). Extending its season to December 27, 2012, Duke fell to Cincinnati 48–34 in a close contest in the Belk Bowl, finishing the season with a 6–7 record (Associated Press, 2012).
Duke's 2013 season was a break-out year for the team, as the Blue Devils have continued to cross off many of their infamous losing streaks. On October 26, 2013, Duke achieved its first win over a ranked team since 1994 with a 13–10 victory over #14 Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA, a rarity for the Duke football program (Associated Press, 2013). That win over Virginia Tech was also Duke's first road win over a ranked team since 1971 (Martin, 2013). Following a bye week, on November 9, 2013 the Blue Devils achieved their first winning season since 1994 with a 38–20 home victory over in-state rival NC State, (Associated Press, 2013) their seventh of the season. Extending its winning streak to 6 straight by defeating #24 Miami 48–30 on November 16, 2013, Duke appeared in the AP Poll for the first time since 1994, listed at #25 with a record of 8–2 ("The AP Top 25 Poll", 2013). With a win at Wake Forest on November 23, 2013, Duke claimed its ninth victory in a regular season for the first time since 1941, the season in which the Blue Devils hosted the Rose Bowl. The win also gave Duke at least a share of the Coastal Division title and a #24 AP Poll ranking ("The AP Top 25 Poll", 2013). With a 27–25 win over North Carolina on November 30, 2013, Duke locked up their first 10-win season in school history, the Coastal Division title, and a spot in the 2013 ACC Championship Game against Florida State, during which time Duke was ranked #20. David Cutcliffe received the Walter Camp Coach of the Year award in 2013 (Duke Sports Information, 2013). The Blue Devils were invited to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where they lost another close, hard-fought game 52–48 to Texas A&M to finish the season with a record of 10–4 ("Johnny Manziel, Aggies rally, edge Duke in Chick-fil-A Bowl.", 2013)."
The traditions are forming under Cutcliffe and the wins are coming. Perhaps Duke can form a winning program in the mold of Notre Dame, Stanford, and Brigham Young before them, winning because of their rigorous academic standards rather than in spite of them. Time will tell, but the future is bright for the Blue Devils. And it isn't even basketball season yet.
References
Baker, M., & Rucker, B. (2007, December 15). Source: Duke hires Cutcliffe. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Carter, A. (2012, October 21). Late touchdown lifts Duke to 33-30 win over UNC. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Colleges. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/colleges.aspxDuke Sports Information. (2013, December 6). Cutcliffe Named National Coach of the Year. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Johnny Manziel, Aggies rally, edge Duke in Chick-fil-A Bowl. (2013, December 31). Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Martin, N. (2013, October 28). Record-setting day leads to historic win for Duke football. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Press, A. (2012, December 27). Cincinnati shocks Duke with 83-yard TD pass with 44 seconds left. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Press, A. (2013, October 26). Duke picks off Logan Thomas 4 times, upsets No. 14 Virginia Tech. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Press, A. (2013, November 9). Blue Devils beat Wolfpack 38-20 for 7th win. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Robinson III, E. (2009, November 11). Local & North Carolina state news from Raleigh, NC | NewsObserver.com. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
The AP Top 25 Poll. (2013, November 17). Retrieved September 15, 2014.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Blue_Devils_football#cite_note-57
Duke's 2013 season was a break-out year for the team, as the Blue Devils have continued to cross off many of their infamous losing streaks. On October 26, 2013, Duke achieved its first win over a ranked team since 1994 with a 13–10 victory over #14 Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA, a rarity for the Duke football program (Associated Press, 2013). That win over Virginia Tech was also Duke's first road win over a ranked team since 1971 (Martin, 2013). Following a bye week, on November 9, 2013 the Blue Devils achieved their first winning season since 1994 with a 38–20 home victory over in-state rival NC State, (Associated Press, 2013) their seventh of the season. Extending its winning streak to 6 straight by defeating #24 Miami 48–30 on November 16, 2013, Duke appeared in the AP Poll for the first time since 1994, listed at #25 with a record of 8–2 ("The AP Top 25 Poll", 2013). With a win at Wake Forest on November 23, 2013, Duke claimed its ninth victory in a regular season for the first time since 1941, the season in which the Blue Devils hosted the Rose Bowl. The win also gave Duke at least a share of the Coastal Division title and a #24 AP Poll ranking ("The AP Top 25 Poll", 2013). With a 27–25 win over North Carolina on November 30, 2013, Duke locked up their first 10-win season in school history, the Coastal Division title, and a spot in the 2013 ACC Championship Game against Florida State, during which time Duke was ranked #20. David Cutcliffe received the Walter Camp Coach of the Year award in 2013 (Duke Sports Information, 2013). The Blue Devils were invited to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where they lost another close, hard-fought game 52–48 to Texas A&M to finish the season with a record of 10–4 ("Johnny Manziel, Aggies rally, edge Duke in Chick-fil-A Bowl.", 2013)."
The traditions are forming under Cutcliffe and the wins are coming. Perhaps Duke can form a winning program in the mold of Notre Dame, Stanford, and Brigham Young before them, winning because of their rigorous academic standards rather than in spite of them. Time will tell, but the future is bright for the Blue Devils. And it isn't even basketball season yet.
References
Baker, M., & Rucker, B. (2007, December 15). Source: Duke hires Cutcliffe. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Carter, A. (2012, October 21). Late touchdown lifts Duke to 33-30 win over UNC. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Colleges. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/colleges.aspxDuke Sports Information. (2013, December 6). Cutcliffe Named National Coach of the Year. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Johnny Manziel, Aggies rally, edge Duke in Chick-fil-A Bowl. (2013, December 31). Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Martin, N. (2013, October 28). Record-setting day leads to historic win for Duke football. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Press, A. (2012, December 27). Cincinnati shocks Duke with 83-yard TD pass with 44 seconds left. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Press, A. (2013, October 26). Duke picks off Logan Thomas 4 times, upsets No. 14 Virginia Tech. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Press, A. (2013, November 9). Blue Devils beat Wolfpack 38-20 for 7th win. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
Robinson III, E. (2009, November 11). Local & North Carolina state news from Raleigh, NC | NewsObserver.com. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
The AP Top 25 Poll. (2013, November 17). Retrieved September 15, 2014.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Blue_Devils_football#cite_note-57