Duke has a chance to end a half-century of frustration
Duke's #2 Conner Vernon is congratulated by coach Cutcliffe as Duke comes back to defeat UNC 33 to 30 Saturday night October 20, 2012. (Photo by Jack Tarr)
Dec 27, 2012
Fifty-one years...
Unless you're a geologist or an astronomer, that's a long time. And yet, it's the reality for Duke football.
The Blue Devils haven't won a bowl game since 1961.
Think about that: Eisenhower was president. Roger Maris was still months away from his home run record. Putting a man on the moon was still an idea out of science fiction, and a young kid in Alabama named David Cutcliffe was only six years old – and the Blue Devils beat Arkansas to win the Cotton Bowl.
The Devils also won the 1954 Orange Bowl, beating Oklahoma, and the 1944 Sugar Bowl against Alabama. The Devils also famously hosted the 1941 Rose Bowl when the fear of a Japanese military attack on California put the game in jeopardy. Can anyone imagine Duke playing on that scale now? Probably not, but it's interesting to note the Blue Devils were once thought of as a football power.
Imagine that. Duke... a football school...
I point out all these things to illustrate what David Cutcliffe has accomplished at Duke. His was not an easy task. He admits close friends cautioned him on the difficulty of winning at Duke before he took the job. But he came in with a vision, an idea that if Duke could improve its team speed and win a few recruiting battles in North Carolina, the Devils might just become relevant again in football.
Five years later, Cutcliffe has Duke in a bowl game. He broke Duke's 18-year bowl drought, and now he has a chance to end the 51-year postseason winless streak.
After half a century, these Devils are due.
Most Recent Comments
Posted Dec 27, 7:05 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 19486
Joined: Dec, 2006
Location: Raleigh, NC
RE: Duke has a chance to end a half-century of frustration
1961 - SMH...time to appeal to a higher power. :-D- Posted by BB5 the Boat Rocker
K is busy coaching the basketball team:)
Jokes aside, Go Devils!
Posted Dec 27, 5:39 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 22550
Joined: Dec, 2007
Location: Southern Pines, NC
RE: Duke has a chance to end a half-century of frustration
Cincy is going through coaching changes, and this only helps Duke. Coach Cut will out-coach them, and Renfree will fire it up. Duke's best chance is thru the air. If Duke could run just a little, it would give Renfree a little more time to freeze the LB's, and DB's on a play action. Look for 35-45 passes.Posted Dec 27, 5:33 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 4451
Joined: Aug, 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
RE: Duke has a chance to end a half-century of frustration
^ Followup to my previous post... I didn't read the New Jersey comments before I posted that. And I can't edit my post to remove that part. Oh well.Go Duke!
Posted Dec 27, 5:32 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 4451
Joined: Aug, 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
RE: Duke has a chance to end a half-century of frustration
This is a long road trip for the dookies. They have to come all the way from New Jersey to NC for this game.And I wouldn't plan on this game ending a half-century of frustration. Duke performed very poorly down the stretch, and didn't beat anybody that was good. The closest they came to doing that was when they held on against Carolina.
I expect Duke to lose by 17+ tonight. (Hope they can win, though. I just don't see it happening...)
