Building a Football Program Instead of a Team

[bleudiable]

I read the Feinstein column, and in going back over the names of our coaches I thought of all the times we thought we had the right person or the right combination of factors to be at least minimally competitive in football. I have been a Dukie since the fall of 1976 and remember the splinters from the decaying benches collecting on the surface of my drink and the time the cheerleaders drove a fire truck in ahead of the team prompting the cheer, "Fire, Fire, Fire McGee!" I was there for Spurrier simply loading all of the athletes on the offensive side of the ball and simply outscoring the opposition, but that was a cult of one and the success could not be sustained by anyone named Wilson. Goldsmith took Spurrier's last recruiting class to Tampa, but the Great College Football Escalation started soon thereafter and left our recruiting chances in the dust for the next 15 years.

We have seen Duke teams snatch defeat from the jaws of victory countless times in countless ways for the last 40 years. So it's no wonder that the Feinsteins (and the rest of us, each to a different degree) have always waited for Cutcliffe's teams to fold under the pressure of a close game. And they did for the first few years as he patiently built in his mindset and brought in athletes who bought into his vision. With the collapses of late last season due to being injured or just overmatched, many of us had thought Cut worked a miracle just getting us back to .500 and a bowl; our expectations were muted as much as we appreciated what Coach had accomplished.

I wondered what the man was thinking when he turned down Tennessee to stay with a team that had still not produced a winning record. But he wasn't staying with a team; he was staying with a program. And now that program, with the advent of a freshman class that has provided the last pieces of the puzzle, has come to the fruition that Cutcliffe and virtually none of us foresaw.

I know that Coach will forgive us for doubting; we've just been burned so many times before by false hope. And I know that many variables have brought us to this point-schedule, a fortunate bounce of the ball here and there, injuries (or the lack thereof), and Coach would say that we are still talking prematurely, that we are not where our program will be.

But now I see that Duke has a program. It's not just one good team. And I'm so damn proud of them, I could just bust. Thank you, Coach Cutcliffe.

[OldPhiKap]

I read the Feinstein column, and in going back over the names of our coaches I thought of all the times we thought we had the right person or the right combination of factors to be at least minimally competitive in football. I have been a Dukie since the fall of 1976 and remember the splinters from the decaying benches collecting on the surface of my drink and the time the cheerleaders drove a fire truck in ahead of the team prompting the cheer, "Fire, Fire, Fire McGee!" I was there for Spurrier simply loading all of the athletes on the offensive side of the ball and simply outscoring the opposition, but that was a cult of one and the success could not be sustained by anyone named Wilson. Goldsmith took Spurrier's last recruiting class to Tampa, but the Great College Football Escalation started soon thereafter and left our recruiting chances in the dust for the next 15 years.

We have seen Duke teams snatch defeat from the jaws of victory countless times in countless ways for the last 40 years. So it's no wonder that the Feinsteins (and the rest of us, each to a different degree) have always waited for Cutcliffe's teams to fold under the pressure of a close game. And they did for the first few years as he patiently built in his mindset and brought in athletes who bought into his vision. With the collapses of late last season due to being injured or just overmatched, many of us had thought Cut worked a miracle just getting us back to .500 and a bowl; our expectations were muted as much as we appreciated what Coach had accomplished.

I wondered what the man was thinking when he turned down Tennessee to stay with a team that had still not produced a winning record. But he wasn't staying with a team; he was staying with a program. And now that program, with the advent of a freshman class that has provided the last pieces of the puzzle, has come to the fruition that Cutcliffe and virtually none of us foresaw.

I know that Coach will forgive us for doubting; we've just been burned so many times before by false hope. And I know that many variables have brought us to this point-schedule, a fortunate bounce of the ball here and there, injuries (or the lack thereof), and Coach would say that we are still talking prematurely, that we are not where our program will be.

But now I see that Duke has a program. It's not just one good team. And I'm so damn proud of them, I could just bust. Thank you, Coach Cutcliffe.

Extremely well-stated.

I would add that he administration should be applauded for, after years of neglect, investing in football. As I understand it, Cut said that if hew as going to take the job he would need (1) money for his top-shelf staff, and (2) serious infrastructure improvements. Cut knows what it takes to compete, and the University delivers what he demanded as best I can tell.

[bleudiable]

Extremely well-stated.

I would add that he administration should be applauded for, after years of neglect, investing in football. As I understand it, Cut said that if hew as going to take the job he would need (1) money for his top-shelf staff, and (2) serious infrastructure improvements. Cut knows what it takes to compete, and the University delivers what he demanded as best I can tell.

Bringing in Kevin White was brilliant on the part of admin. And although ND had good programs across the athletic board, you had to see football all over that hire. I wonder if Cut was behind that like K was behind Alleva's promotion?

[OldPhiKap]

Bringing in Kevin White was brilliant on the part of admin. And although ND had good programs across the athletic board, you had to see football all over that hire. I wonder if Cut was behind that like K was behind Alleva's promotion?

I was wondering that myself the other day, do not know the back story. White understands the challenge and unique opportunities of running programs at small, private, academic institutions. Hard to argue with our results across the board lately, which started before Kevin but has clearly blossomed.

[-jk]

Outside football, Duke has supported athletic excellence for ages. It's been a fun ride.

That football albatross, though, seems to have flown off.

Or, as today's kids say: Like!

-jk

[DU82]

Outside football, Duke has supported athletic excellence for ages. It's been a fun ride.

That football albatross, though, seems to have flown off.

Or, as today's kids say: Like!

-jk

That leaves baseball, which Duke is definitely not supporting very well. Poor facilities (forcing the team to play major games off-campus, which as nice as the DBAP is, is NOT a plus) and difficultly with scholarships (a problem with baseball across the board) means that there's little progress that can be expected. As we've seen, the right coach might make a dent, but it's probably a bigger hill to climb than football had.

[orrnot]

That leaves baseball, which Duke is definitely not supporting very well. Poor facilities (forcing the team to play major games off-campus, which as nice as the DBAP is, is NOT a plus) and difficultly with scholarships (a problem with baseball across the board) means that there's little progress that can be expected. As we've seen, the right coach might make a dent, but it's probably a bigger hill to climb than football had.

I don't dispute your points, but it is intriguing that Duke Baseball's 2014 recruiting class just recently received a ranking of 26 (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22847&SPID=1850&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209309165&DB_OEM_ID=4200).

[Bluedog]

Extremely well-stated.

I would add that he administration should be applauded for, after years of neglect, investing in football. As I understand it, Cut said that if hew as going to take the job he would need (1) money for his top-shelf staff, and (2) serious infrastructure improvements. Cut knows what it takes to compete, and the University delivers what he demanded as best I can tell.

Duke now spends the most money on its football program of any school in the ACC (yes, more than FSU or Clemson, although our scholarships are a lot more expensive). I agree that having the administration invest more resources has been key. Now we just need to stop being the only ACC football program to not turn a profit. Hopefully, the winning will lead to increased enthusiasm and revenue.

[budwom]

oops!

[m g]

An unfortunate typo


And I'm so damn proud of them, I could just bust.

[Dev11]

Replace replace the fourth word in this thread title with 'Progrum.' It's one of the keys to a perfect Coach Cutcliffe expression. "We're building a football progrum" is always the first line.

[Mike Corey]

It is incredible how far the program has come. And saying as much will never get old.

I remember well the deliberations over who Duke should hire--Neuheisel was a popular choice (albeit not within Duke's administration); so, too, was Karl Dorrell. But Paul Johnson was the first to get a serious push from the University. That didn't work out, and that has made all the difference.

To make big changes, you have to address issues on multiple fronts. And Duke began doing that with football. The benefits are being reaped.

Let's keep it going.

Congrats--and thanks--to everyone in the program, and all the fans far better than I who have been there from the darkest days to now.