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Duke

Duke football great George McAfee dies at 90

Mar 5, 2009

Former Duke football standout George McAfee – a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame – died Wednesday evening in Georgia, the school announced. He was 90.

A native of Ironton, Ohio, McAfee lettered in football at Duke from 1937-39, helping the Blue Devils to a three-year record of 24-4-1 and Southern Conference championships In 1938 and 1939. Duke also appeared in the Rose Bowl following the 1938 campaign.

As a senior in 1939, he led Duke in rushing, receiving, scoring, kickoff returns, punt returns, interceptions and punting en route to earning first team All-America honors as the Blue Devils went 8-1. In the spring of his senior year, McAfee batted .353 while playing center field on Duke's baseball squad that finished 16-7. He also captured the 100-meter crown at the Southern Conference track and field championships.

Duke was one of the nation's dominant football programs at the time and was coached by the legendary Wallace Wade.

McAfee, the second pick overall in the 1940 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, played eight seasons (1940-41; 1945-50) with the Chicago Bears and recorded career totals of 234 points, 5,022 combined yards and 21 interceptions.

In his first regular-season contest, McAfee returned a kickoff 93 yards and threw a touchdown pass as the Bears defeated Green Bay, 41-10. An All-NFL selection in 1941, he led the league in punt return average in 1948 and set the all-time record for career punt return average (12.78). McAfee guided the Bears to NFL championships in 1940 and 1946 and his jersey number, 5, was retired.

McAfee was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1961 and in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

Following his playing career, McAfee officiated in the NFL for several years and operated an oil business in Durham. He was a member of the inaugural Duke Sports Hall of Fame class in 1975 along with Eddie Cameron, Dan Hill, Ace Parker, Wallace Wade and Bill Werber.