Lift you're a helluva nice guy!! Thanks for the kind words. Searl was a hard nosed kid, and of course made qb in '71 because of the injuries you noted. IIRC, he ran the ball most of the time or gave to Jackson(db having to play two-way as well!!) OFC
duke football news
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Ed Newman also went both ways that season. Duke's best talent in those days was generally as good as anyone else's top talent, in the ACC at least. Just in my four years at Duke we had Jackson, Searl, Newman, Leo Hart, Wes Chesson, Steve Jones, Henley Carter, Dick Biddle, Bill Hannenberg, et. al.
But depth was the Achilles Heel. The drop-off between the ones and the twos was greater than at other schools and when the inevitable injuries began to pile up, some promising seasons went belly-up. This was the case once the NCAA eliminated limits on substitutions. Bill Murray's last three teams started 4-0-1, 4-0-1 and 4-0 and finished 5-4-1, 4-5-1 and 6-4. Tom Harp's first Duke team started 3-0 and ended 5-5. Harp's last Duke team started 5-2 and ended 6-5. McGee's first Duke team started 4-0 and finished 6-5. And these early-season wins were over good teams, Army, West Virginia, Florida and Stanford. But Duke just could never sustain it.
I was there between 1967 and 1971 with a hiatus in the US Army. Our paths surely crossed at multiple times in there. Hart, Chesson, and Jones were my fraternity brothers. I suffered through several of those seasons. Harp was not well liked by a lot of the players which may explain some losses. OFC
Happy 4th of July and some reading material to go with it.
5 breakout candidates for Duke this season.
This kicks off a series of lists like these I'll have coming this month and taking us into fall camp, which will start a little later than usual because of Duke's first game coming on a Monday night.
5 breakout candidates for Duke this season.
This kicks off a series of lists like these I'll have coming this month and taking us into fall camp, which will start a little later than usual because of Duke's first game coming on a Monday night.
Conor, look forward to reading and thanks! We're all hungry for Duke football info from yourself, @jimlsumner , @surfdevil and whomever right now. I understand it's a "dead" period in recruiting right now, so Duke football features, etc past and present much welcomed!!
@jimlsumner , @Devilinside I remember all those names you guys mention. Also rb Jay Calabrese, receivers Dave Dunaway, Jim Dearth (I was about age six), and of course qb AL Woodall.
Jim Sumner was right of course about those early season Duke games- we came out like a house afire. Injuries always seemed to take their toll.
Question for Jim Sumner: I always thought of Duke qb Dave Trice as "Wally Pipp." Leo Hart got the start one Saturday nite in Columbia ('68 perhaps) and the rest was history. Do you recall why Hart started the game rather than Trice? Thanks! OFC
I was a frosh walk-on in the fall of ‘71. The equipment manager gave me my helmet and said “Son, this is Leo Hart’s helmet, you have big shoes to fill”. I didn’t quite fill them…..
You picked a good time King, and a good qb. I was always Hart (or Chesson), when we played in the backyard!! 🤣
All kidding aside, he was not only one of the best passers in Duke history, but the ACC as well!!! OFC
jeffrey at least you were out there playing!! That's great. Head Coach Mike McGee in his first year, and Dennis Satyshur at qb. OFC
Trice hurt a knee in the final preseason scrimmage, leaving the door open for Hart. But it did take some time for Hart to establish supremacy over Trice in 1968. Trice got major PT as late as the Army game (sixth game), in which he completed 9 of 20 passes, for 129 yards. Hart was 11 for 24, 161 yards. Each threw one pick but Hart had two TDs, Trice zero. Army won that game 57-25. Trice's PT essentially withered to zero after that game. But he had his chances,
But the QB spot was only vacant n 1968 because Al Woodall had flunked out following his junior season, after passing for over a thousand yards in 1967, as a junior. He would have been a senior and the presumptive starter in 1968.
Satyshur's arm injury essentially torpedoed the 1971 season, He wasn't a great QB but he was a good game manager.
Did McGee have a better option than Searl? Well, Brad Evans was on that team. He had been a standout QB/DB in high school but elected to play basketball at Duke. But he switched to football after the 1970 basketball season. McGee had him at WR. It had been a long time since Evans had played QB but the same could be said of Searl and Evans would not have been asked to play defense. Searl was a great college DB but he was not an ACC passer. He was 16 for 47, 221 yards, no Tds, four interceptions. Maybe Evans would have been a better option.
But this was McGee's first season, freshmen were not eligible and no one can blame McGee for the lack of depth at the game's most important position.
The problem with having Searl at QB is it certainly tired him out for playing DB. I recall that with Jackson, Searl and I believe Hannenberg, the defensive backfield was elite but with Searl playing both ways he could not be as effective.
Certainly if freshmen were eligible, Johnson would have played some although he turned out not to be that great a QB. McGee might have been better off letting Steve Jones play QB and abandon the pass altogether.
Certainly if freshmen were eligible, Johnson would have played some although he turned out not to be that great a QB. McGee might have been better off letting Steve Jones play QB and abandon the pass altogether.
Very, very interesting Jim and THANK YOU. Didn't realize Leo and Trice had such a spirited competition for qb in '68!!!
Actually would have loved to have seen Evans rather than Searl at qb after Dennis went down in '71. Thanks again, 'OFC
A serious understatement. Mark Johnson did have some injury issues. And he was a pretty good runner. But in 18 games as a quarterback he completed 42.5 percent of his passes, with four touchdowns and 18 interceptions. McGee moved him to safety for his senior season.
i am a generation younger than you guys but the first guy i met that played for duke was emmett tilley back in the late late 70's. he was a couple of years older than me but we both worked at camp minnehaha in west va. he was just a really nice guy and had a fine career at duke in the early 80's
Tilley was a pretty good linebacker. Durham Hillside, I believe.
Mark Johnson was a tough competitor, just more of a self-made qb and definitely not a passer.My best recollection of him was leading a touchdown, game winning drive at home vs Washington in '73.He had about a 20 yard run on 4th and 10 as Duke prevailed 23-21, following a narrow loss at Tennessee to open the season. Johnson hit Randy Cobb with about a 7 yard pass for the winning score, one of his few td tosses.
Offense sputtered though under Mark. I think McGee inserted Hal Spears at qb, possibly Bob Corbett as well. We didn't win another game until the season finale, a RESOUNDING 27-10 victory over UNC!!! Duke Play-by-Play man Leo Morris was a hoot that day; "Join the Carolina fans after the game for cryin' in their Schlitz!!!"
Leo preceded the great Bob Harris, as Duke play-by-play man. Prayers for Bob, and wife Phyllis. OFC
We need to throw in Bob Matheson who went on to be No. 55 for the Dolphins. In fact they named their 55 Defense after him. Mike Curtis of course in 1964. Trice was a good guy. Succeeded Scottie Glacken. OFC
Duke has always seemed to have solid LB's. Others include Biddle of course (previously mentioned), Carl McGee, Tilley(co-captained the '82
6-5 team for HC Red Wilson with OL Robert Oxendine), and maybe my all-time favorite Duke LB, Mike Junkin!!
Of course that tradition has continued up to now. OFC
I'd add John "Hollywood" Howell, Ryan Fowler, Kelby Brown, Joe Giles-Harris and Ben Humphries to that list. Et. al.
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You all are sharing some awesome stuff. Started following Duke football around 1988 with guys like Anthony Dilweg and Clarkston Hines. Loved going to youth day at Wallace Wade. Just fell in love with the campus.
Cash played safety at Duke, but was indeed LISTED as an LB in his NFL days Lift. It was kind of a hybrid lb position combined with his role as a db. So yes I can understand your mention of him.
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Thanks Jim, those guys were all really good LBs. We could probably name more. I would give Shaka Heyward a mention as well.
Kelly Brown could have played pro ball IMO, if not for multiple devastating injuries. I will never forget his interception around midfield to seal the Va Tech game in '13. That was on our march to the Coastal crown IIRC.
OFC
If you've got 4 minutes, this is worth the watch. Helps explain how and why Duke has invested so much in the technical aspect of weightlifting and conditioning.
That's pretty amazing stuff.
Just another reason to REALLY like Coach Elko and the direction of the program.
SOME OF OUR GUYS MAY BE 3 STARS WHEN THEY GET HERE, BUT THEY WILL BE WAY BETTER THAN THAT A SHORT TIME THEREAFTER. AWESOME VIDEO. OFC
I don't know if anyone has been following what's been going on at Northwestern with Fitzpatrick, but that kind of hazing stuff isn't going to pass muster at schools like NW, or at Duke for that matter. I'm sure Elko is raising his awareness of what goes on in his program when he's not present.
It will be very interesting how NW deals with this. A top notch college but one that takes its big time athletic program (and especially football) seriously.
It will be very interesting how NW deals with this. A top notch college but one that takes its big time athletic program (and especially football) seriously.
Missed you by 1/2 a semester. Graduated in May 1971. You probably knew a few of my fraternity brothers.. OFC
Bad news for the football family at Duke
Kade Parmelly has passed with leukemia. Lots of tweets out. Was a really good OL kid that came in and played well. SUX
Kade Parmelly has passed with leukemia. Lots of tweets out. Was a really good OL kid that came in and played well. SUX
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Always a tragedy when a young person passes away. Prayers to his family.
Heaven is even brighter!!!! R.I.P. Kade....
I hear he was a great guy, this is a really tough loss. Prayers for his family and friends
On3 has revamped their ratings, our biggest risers are Mencke and Cherry.
Mencke is now rated as a 94 and is the #65 recruit in the nation on their database
Cherry is now rated as a 92 and is in the top 150 players in the nation.
I also think 247 is updating their composite as I cannot see it anymore, so I would expect some changes there soon
Mencke is now rated as a 94 and is the #65 recruit in the nation on their database
Cherry is now rated as a 92 and is in the top 150 players in the nation.
I also think 247 is updating their composite as I cannot see it anymore, so I would expect some changes there soon
I hope the improvement in ratings doesn't mean other more prominent football schools will be poaching our guys...
I’ve thought about that possibility, but a lot of them, including Mencke, have said they’re done with visits and entertaining other offers now that they’ve committed, so I’m hoping they stay true to that
yeah Liftee i agree with Blob on this. we either try to go after better recruits or settle for blah. we cant be afraid of signing good players. if another team poaches them thats just recruiting. even bama and uga haves players flip so if we are going to play big time football it is just a fact of life.
