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JBDuke
08-02-2010, 07:19 AM
I wanted to highlight the DBR Front Page article on Duke Football by Al Featherston, which is here (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=34785).

Al has often contributed to DBR, and without fail produces quality articles that bring his great historical perspective. This one merits the same praise, combining a Duke football history lesson with perspective on the unique opportunity this year's Alabama game provides the Blue Devil program and with some insightful comments by Coach Cutcliffe.

I hope we'll see more from Al as the season approaches!

77devil
08-02-2010, 10:03 AM
I wanted to highlight the DBR Front Page article on Duke Football by Al Featherston, which is here (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=34785).

Al has often contributed to DBR, and without fail produces quality articles that bring his great historical perspective. This one merits the same praise, combining a Duke football history lesson with perspective on the unique opportunity this year's Alabama game provides the Blue Devil program and with some insightful comments by Coach Cutcliffe.

I hope we'll see more from Al as the season approaches!

Big Al always delivers. It seems his long form material on DBR has largely disappeared since he started working at Go Duke.com which is understandable but unfortunate.

I couldn't find when Duke last played Alabama. They played the opening game of my freshman year (1972) at Alabama, which won the UPI NC vote that season.

OZZIE4DUKE
08-02-2010, 10:07 AM
Big Al always delivers. It seems his long form material on DBR has largely disappeared since he started working at Go Duke.com which is understandable but unfortunate.

I couldn't find when Duke last played Alabama. They played the opening game of my freshman year (1972) at Alabama, which won the UPI NC vote that season.
We almost beat them in 2006. We had the ball late in the fourth quarter and were within a touchdown of beating them, but had a turnover instead, if I recall correctly. One of about 5 close but no cigar losses that year.

Devil in the Blue Dress
08-02-2010, 10:13 AM
Big Al always delivers. It seems his long form material on DBR has largely disappeared since he started working at Go Duke.com which is understandable but unfortunate.

I couldn't find when Duke last played Alabama. They played the opening game of my freshman year (1972) at Alabama, which won the UPI NC vote that season.

Duke last played Alabama on October 7, 2006 and gave them quite a scare.

airowe
08-02-2010, 10:20 AM
Great article. Should be quite the atmosphere in Wallace Wade that Saturday. I've heard reports that the crowd should be predominantly Crismon Tide. Supposedly, Duke season tickets are cheaper or about the same cost as one Bama home game.

Would be great to have a solid turnout for the Devil Walk before the game. Our boys will need all the support they can get.

uh_no
08-02-2010, 10:28 AM
e heard reports that the crowd should be predominantly Crismon Tide.

I'm somewhat skeptical because

if you look at our attendence numbers, they've been wayyyyyy up than what they were a few years ago, and to someone who goes to games, it generally appears that at least half the stadium is full of duke fans

also, we're playing alabama....every duke fan in 100 miles will want to come, if even just to see alabama play.....

yes every seat which is not filled by a duke fan WILL be filled by an alabama fan, but I am unsure that it will be the majority

PDDuke85
08-02-2010, 10:34 AM
I was able to order my single game tixs for the season today (Work and driving distance precludes full season tix but that's my problem). Per the young man I dealt with, the Bama game is sold out and he stated it was going to be a predominantly Duke crowd. Whether this is true or not, I am so excited, in a way, that as a non season ticket holder, I can't get to the game in person due to a sell out!

Don't know about the rest of you, but I am so excited about the future of this program!

devilish
08-02-2010, 10:52 AM
There might be a few (non 'Bama ) SEC fans in attendance too. I know a lot of Georgia, Tennessee, etc. fans who have been asking me about obtaining tickets. Those kind of fans would most certainly be rooting for Duke or at least against 'Bama.

Devil in the Blue Dress
08-02-2010, 10:59 AM
I was able to order my single game tixs for the season today (Work and driving distance precludes full season tix but that's my problem). Per the young man I dealt with, the Bama game is sold out and he stated it was going to be a predominantly Duke crowd. Whether this is true or not, I am so excited, in a way, that as a non season ticket holder, I can't get to the game in person due to a sell out!

Don't know about the rest of you, but I am so excited about the future of this program!

This is definitely a good time to celebrate and enjoy Duke football! Glad to hear that you'll be on hand for some of the games.

PaIronDuke
08-02-2010, 12:09 PM
It's always risky to correct Al Featherston, but I believe he is incorrect-in his otherwise excellent article-in saying we lost to Tennessee in 1952. I was there that day, and we defeated UT 7-0, holding UT's vaunted single-wing offense to net minus yards rushing. This effectively ended Coach Neyland's great coaching reign at UT, and was one of a number of a number of signal victories for Duke in our great run of victories in the decade of the '50's.

During that time, we often had crowds of 40-50,000 in Duke Stadium and played in storied venues across the country.

Among my now-misty memories of that glorious autumn day against UT was hearing a familiar voice behind me and realizing it was Bill Stern, a legendery announcer during those days, who sat in primitive quarters next to the press box to broadcast the game. We were able to stop UT that day with help of two All-American linemen.

94duke
08-02-2010, 12:53 PM
It's always risky to correct Al Featherston, but I believe he is incorrect-in his otherwise excellent article-in saying we lost to Tennessee in 1952. I was there that day, and we defeated UT 7-0, holding UT's vaunted single-wing offense to net minus yards rushing. This effectively ended Coach Neyland's great coaching reign at UT, and was one of a number of a number of signal victories for Duke in our great run of victories in the decade of the '50's.

During that time, we often had crowds of 40-50,000 in Duke Stadium and played in storied venues across the country.

Among my now-misty memories of that glorious autumn day against UT was hearing a familiar voice behind me and realizing it was Bill Stern, a legendery announcer during those days, who sat in primitive quarters next to the press box to broadcast the game. We were able to stop UT that day with help of two All-American linemen.

Confirmed.
http://www.fanbase.com/Tennessee-Volunteers-Football-1952
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=204881155 (paragraph 6)

HaveFunExpectToWin
08-02-2010, 03:17 PM
I'm looking forward to this game and am considering driving down from DC for it. My dad grew up in Florence and went to Alabama. He typically only gets bball tickets but decided that season tickets were worth it to see the Crimson Tide.

As for the possibility that this is a majority Bama crowd, I'd say that it's likely. Vandy played Alabama while I was in school and while Nashville is much closer, there was a sea of red at the game (1997?). It was demoralizing to say the least.

I highly recommend the book 'Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania', to gather some insight into the Alabama football fan. It's a crazy book with a detailed account of an NYTimes writer buying an RV and traveling to all the away games one year.

SilkyJ
08-02-2010, 03:44 PM
Great article. Should be quite the atmosphere in Wallace Wade that Saturday. I've heard reports that the crowd should be predominantly Crismon Tide. Supposedly, Duke season tickets are cheaper or about the same cost as one Bama home game.

Would be great to have a solid turnout for the Devil Walk before the game. Our boys will need all the support they can get.

I've also heard, though only anecdotally, that 'Bama fans will be out in droves and may dominate the stadium. We'll see, but a close fraternity brother of mine from Birmingham said that Alabama travels "absurdly well" and that we at Duke are:


simply NOT prepared for the traveling nation of devout Alabama fans. There is literally an ARMY of THOUSANDS of insane Alabama fans who convoy to EVERY away game in hundreds of RVs. Warren St. John (NYT columnist) even wrote a bestselling book about this crazy league of fans called Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer (http://www.rammerjammeryellowhammer.com/).

Copied from my email, and with a few choice words removed. Unfortunately, I'll be at a wedding that day, but I'll figure something out to make sure I see at least most of the game.

Devil in the Blue Dress
08-02-2010, 07:34 PM
I've also heard, though only anecdotally, that 'Bama fans will be out in droves and may dominate the stadium. We'll see, but a close fraternity brother of mine from Birmingham said that Alabama travels "absurdly well" and that we at Duke are:



Copied from my email, and with a few choice words removed. Unfortunately, I'll be at a wedding that day, but I'll figure something out to make sure I see at least most of the game.

Changes are being made to accommodate fans who arrive in what goduke.com calls "oversized vehicles." Duke fans may purchase single game parking permits or season parking permits for the two lots to be set up on Duke University Rd. A lot for Alabama fans needing parking for oversized vehicles will be on Mayfair Street in the South Square area. Permits will be required to park in this lot as well. The applications for the parking permits as well as information for the Alabama fans regarding the shuttle and other services to be available to them will be announced around August 15.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&KEY=&ATCLID=285379 Scroll down below the section related to purchasing football tickets.

HaveFunExpectToWin
08-03-2010, 09:43 AM
Changes are being made to accommodate fans who arrive in what goduke.com calls "oversized vehicles." Duke fans may purchase single game parking permits or season parking permits for the two lots to be set up on Duke University Rd. A lot for Alabama fans needing parking for oversized vehicles will be on Mayfair Street in the South Square area. Permits will be required to park in this lot as well. The applications for the parking permits as well as information for the Alabama fans regarding the shuttle and other services to be available to them will be announced around August 15.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&KEY=&ATCLID=285379 Scroll down below the section related to purchasing football tickets.

From what I know, the RVs begin to show up on Wednesday or Thursday prior. I can't imagine that parking over by South Square will be very popular with that crowd.

Devil in the Blue Dress
08-03-2010, 12:29 PM
From what I know, the RVs begin to show up on Wednesday or Thursday prior. I can't imagine that parking over by South Square will be very popular with that crowd.

I can't imagine that the location would interfere with their parties. Duke is going to provide a variety of services for this location including shuttles to and from the game.