Month: February 2023

Duke History – 2012 Season

In our third installment on great seasons in Duke History, we’re focusing on the season where David Cutcliffe and his staff turned the team around and made the Blue Devils relevant for the first time in a good long while — we’re talking about 2012. This season has already been covered extensively in Part II of the David Cutcliffe Era. Given that, I probably won’t have as much to say as compared to other seasons. That said, there is no way that 2012 can be overlooked in its importance to the Duke Football Renaissance which continues to this day.

We all know the story – the Blue Devils had been generally trash from about 1990 to 2007. Under Coaches Wilson, Goldsmith, Franks and Roof, Duke produced no ACC Championships, one winning season and one bowl game. On top of that, the Blue Devils went winless four times. Yep, just let that sink in for a bit. Four winless seasons. Then combine that with two one-win seasons and four two-win seasons. Eek.

And, let’s be honest, it isn’t like Coach Cutcliffe had rattled off much in the way of success during his first four seasons in Durham. His teams went 4-8, 5-7, 3-9 and 3-9. Six conference wins in four seasons isn’t much to write home about, either. But as a wise, old attorney colleague of mine once remarked, “Victory is all in how you define the parameters.” Given where Duke had been, 15 wins in the span of four years was pretty darned good. But, still, it didn’t make the Blue Devils relevant. It just meant they weren’t as bad as they had been.

That all changed in 2012. Duke raced out to a 5-1 start with ACC wins over rivals Wake Forest and Virginia. After a loss to the Hokies, the Blue Devils bounced back with an amazing win at home against the Cheats. That’s been covered pretty extensively on this site and on the podcast, so I won’t go into it here other than to show the highlights from the game that clinched the win and punched Duke’s bowl ticket for the first time since Fred Goldsmith roamed the sidelines as head coach

We all know that the season went a little downhill after that. After jumping out to a 6-2 start, the Blue Devils finished with 5 straight losses. Part of that was because of the tough opponents Duke faced – Florida State (ranked 10) and Clemson (ranked 9) come to mind. The Blue Devils also went up against Georgia Tech (this was in the early part of Paul Johnson’s tenure when the Yellow Jackets were pretty darned good) and Miami. And then we all know how the bowl game ended so I won’t revisit that here.

What I will revisit is why this season is so important to Duke football history. The obvious is the first bowl game since 1994, the first victory over UNC since 2003 and the first home victory against the Cheats since 1988 when Coach Spurrier got suspended for the game. But, beyond that, the 2012 season was the first season of the greatest era of Blue Devils football in the modern era – 2012-2018. After getting to a bowl game, Duke knew what it took to win games and what it took to get back to a bowl. Put another way, it gave the team confidence. And we saw that confidence play out over the next three seasons – 10-4 in 2013, 9-4 in 2014, 8-5* in 2015, three bowl appearances, a bowl victory in 2015 and, the crowning jewel of the Cutcliffe era, an ACC Coastal crown in 2013. After a down year in 2016 due to a lot of injuries, the Blue Devils bounced back with two bowl appearances and two bowl wins in 2017 and 2018. Further, Duke beat Carolina three straight times from 2016-2018. That’s a heck of a run – an ACC Coastal title, 6 bowl games, 3 bowl victories and 5 wins over UNC. None of this happens if the Blue Devils don’t turn the corner in 2012.

So, that is why 2012 is so important, the 6-7 record notwithstanding. The 2012 team built a winning culture that continued for a long time (relative to sports, not relative to the rest of history). And I sure hope we see another era like that soon. While we all hated the way the Cutcliffe era ended, we all appreciate the excellence we witnessed from 2012-2018. Further, we should all recognize that none of that happens without 2012 and, accordingly, we should give that season the respect it deserves.

Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Help Kade Parmelly

We all remember Kade Parmelly from his time at Duke. You’ve all probably seen the posts on Twitter regarding him being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Kade’s loved ones set up a GoFundMe account to help with his medical expenses as he gets treatment. Please, please, please take some time from your day and donate to help one of our fellow Blue Devils out.

You can donate by following the link here.

We’re all here for you, Kade. We’ll be rooting for you during this time and can’t wait to see you in Durham again!

Interview – Desmond Scott

Listen here.

Desmond Scott, one of Duke’s most versatile players ever, stopped by for a great discussion about a wide variety of topics. In regard to just how impactful of a player Desmond was, take look at his rushing, receiving and return stats – it’s unreal, especially considering that he transitioned to wide receiver for his senior year. Unbelievable.

During this almost 1.5 hour discussion, we talk about how Desmond elected to forego the NFL to become a principal which, in turn, led him to his current career of being a life trainer. Desmond owns and operates Prime Athletic Training & Fitness Institute and helps develop his clients in all aspects of their lives. We discuss how Demond built his business, how he became an entrepreneur, the challenges presented to his livelihood by COVID-19 and being a new father. Oh, and did I mention we talked about Blue Devils football? Well, we did. And Desmond has an amazing recruiting story that involves an all-time “What If?” in regard to West Virginia. You’ll be amazed when you hear it.

Further, you’ll recall that Desmond was on the 2012 team that beat the Cheats and was part of the 4th and Bowl play.

And, if all this weren’t enough, Desmond has some great things to say about Coach Elko, Coach Feeley and the current state of the program. Thank you, Desmond, for stopping by and for such a great talk.

Finally, as we get to the end of the episode, you’ll hear me mention that my Grandmother passed away peacefully last week. Grandma Wayne means a great deal to me; she helped me develop as a man, as a father and in my career. I don’t have enough time to thank her for all that she did for me, so I’ll just say that I don’t mourn the passing of a woman who lived to age 94, stayed married to Grandpa Wayne for 72 years, had four children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Grandma did some wonderful things and, instead of mourning her passing, I celebrate her life. In addition to raising a family, Grandma went back to school after her children got older and worked as a school teacher until she retired. She was a whip-smart woman who graduated from the College of Charleston. Had Grandma come along a little bit later, she would have been a scientist (I believe she got a Chemistry degree) or may have ended up as an attorney.

Because Grandma got sick when she did, I had time to visit with Grandpa and, as a result, I learned a lot about my family and Grandma and Grandpa’s relationship. Fun story – Grandma was so smart and so diligent about her studies that she snuck a German textbook into the dance where she met Grandpa. While Grandma may not have approved (read “strongly disapproved”) of me and my wife living together before we got married, she never mentioned it to my wife and always treated her with the utmost respect. One of the last things she said to me before she passed is that my wife “is a special woman.”

Obviously, I can’t say enough good things about my Grandmother, so I’ll just let Marcus Aurelius say it for me – “the longest-lived and those who will die soonest lose the same thing. The present is all that they can give up, since that is all you have, and what you do not have, you cannot lose.”

I love you, Grandma.

Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Duke History – 1988 Season, An Overlooked Masterpiece

Coach Spurrier’s first season in Durham ended on a high note, 5-6 (2-5) and a thorough dismantling of the Heels by a score of 25-10. That made up for the disappointment that saw a 3-0 start sort of wasted by a 2-6 finish. But, while the final record may have been 5-6, that’s not bad for a first year head coach who took over a program that had been 13-31 under Coach Steve Sloan. The 1988 Blue Devils were determined to do better than they had in 1987. And they did just that.

Coach Spurrier’s team game out of the gate firing on all cylinders, reaching 5-0 by picking up wins against teams like Tennessee (in Knoxville), Virginia and Vanderbilt.* Duke then lost two straight to Clemson and Maryland, but bounced back with a win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Now, I can’t prove it, but I’m sure Coach Spurrier enjoyed beating the Yellow Jackets even though Bill Curry wasn’t the coach any longer. You’ll recall that Curry reportedly chose not to keep Spurrier on staff when he took over in Atlanta in 1980. While Curry denies that is what occurred, Coach Spurrier sure enjoyed beating Curry’s teams and running up the score when doing so.

*I’d like to see the Commodores as a regular rivalry again. Both schools are in major conferences and have high academic standards. It’s similar to playing Northwestern which we do regularly. Make it happen, Nina King!

But I digress. After racing out to a 6-2 record, the Blue Devils needed to lock down two more wins to guarantee a bowl berth. (The first player I ever spoke to who played on this team reminded me that they didn’t give out bowl berths “like candy” back then.) The remaining three games were against Wake, NC State and UNC. And, after Duke lost to Wake, the NC State game became all the more important.

And. It. Was. Insane. The final score was 43-43, Coach Spurrier got angry over a 4th down call, a defensive holding penalty called against his team, that led to a game-tying field goal by the Wolfpack. The call so irritated Coach Spurrier that he complained about it on the field and after the game. At some point, he said the call was “the worst call ever.” He also referred to it as “the worst call in the history of Duke football.” (Until Miami in 2015, right, Coach?) Coach Spurrier’s actions resulted in a suspension for one game, the season finale against the Heels. While he may not have been on the field for the game, Coach Spurrier had a hand in the offensive play-calling. Despite the suspension and being prohibited from coaching the team, Coach Spurrier invited the director of the Blue Devils’ golfing club, Ed Ibarguen, to watch the game with him. Since the game was at Wallace Wade, Coach Spurrier sent Ibarguen to the press box to give Carl Franks, who called the plays that day, “suggestions” on what to do. Most of the “suggestions” were to run the ball more. It worked and Duke beat the Cheats for the second year in a row and finished the season with a 7-3-1 record.

As a side note, Clarkston Hines isn’t ready to talk about what occurred during that game in regard to who called the plays.

While that call may not have been the only reason the Blue Devils didn’t go to a bowl game that year, it came too late in the season for Duke to overcome it. And, because the Blue Devils didn’t go bowling, we often forget about how good that team was and how great of a season it was. The seven wins, while pedestrian for a lot of programs, were the most since 1962 (that’s 26 years, folks!). And in 1962, Duke finished 8-2 (6-2), were ACC Champions and finished 14th in the Coaches’ Poll (not ranked in the AP which, excuse me, what???). The fact that the Blue Devils were knocking on the door of eight wins made it clear that Duke had turned a corner and began to move towards being a relevant football program again.

While the 1988 team didn’t get to a bowl, there is no way that the 1988 season can be overlooked in its importance and historical significance. Unfortunately, because the Blue Devils didn’t go bowling, and because of what happened in the historical season that was 1989, we overlook what a great season 1988 was. And it’s unfortunate because these guys were good.

So, where would I rank this team in the context of the modern era (which is Shirley Wilson to the present)? That’s a great question. And, because of the ongoing nature of these posts, I’ve decided not to answer that right now. What I’ve decided to do instead is wait until I’m done chronicling these seasons and then do a final ranking which will include my reasons for ranking each season where I do. If there are any seasons you think I should recap, let me know. There are some obvious ones which will be discussed, but there may be some others which don’t make the cut.

Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!