Wallace Wade: I was there then...

[-jk]

Great OP, great thread!

My favorite WW moment was my freshman year, Spurrier's last, when we beat Clemson and charged the field. Being a clutz, I tripped and separated my shoulder in the charge, but the juice was worth the squeeze.

PS: Streaking isn't cool anymore? There goes my Saturday night...

One of those big track meets I saw as a kid: streaker made it past the steeple chase water hazard, past the scoreboard, almost made it - but tripped over a low fence at the open end... Quite the sight!

-jk

[buddy]

The cheerleaders (there were men on the squad then) tossing lamp chops into the Carolina section chanting "Here's your ram" after they had stolen it days before the game.

[devildeac]

I was there when Mike McGee's only option was to give it to Steve Jones..
...when the USSR came to town..
.when Tony Dorsett ran for over 200 yards
.when there were wooden bleachers above the bowl
.when they all boo'd when our boys came home from Vietnam
.when the old ball coach made his OC debut
.when Carl Franks could run fast and catch
.when Shirley Wilson became Red
.when Connor Barth kicked us in the gut..with .02 left
.when they clapped and cheered for man called Bear..
.when streaking was cool
.when Ted's twins were too young to know
.when i was the last person in the stands the day they fired Franks
.when the pelican bowl was played
.when the world record was set in the high jump
.when they smoked grass instead of pot
.when Jamison made the catch
.when we all cried on Sept. 22 2001 our first game since 9/11
.when Cut said 'We are Duke..'

and I'll be there today..what a long strange trip its been..

Wallace Wade I love the place.

Great list but you forgot the Rolling Stones.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

That sounds around the same time period with Coach Tom Harp and tongue-in-cheek suggestion team be renamed Blue Tunas ? ? ?

k

The source of that notion was a male cheerleader named Al who championed the Blue Tuna as a mascot. Don't remember his last name; he became head cheerleader at some pint before his senior year... it was an elected position. Al campaigned to get the mascot changed, but his efforts got nowhere. This was sometime between 1966 and 1968. I've checked the Chanticleers for that era, but could find little about cheerleaders. (I worked on the Chanticleer staff and relate that some of the out of the box ideas in yearbook design at the time caused the final product to lack some level of detail that would be helpful to identify people years later.)

[BigWayne]

I remember the splinters, but I was also there when they solved that problem...
splinterremoval.jpg

and when that made it possible to make a snow jump into the endzone.

snowjump.jpg

[budwom]

The source of that notion was a male cheerleader named Al who championed the Blue Tuna as a mascot. Don't remember his last name; he became head cheerleader at some pint before his senior year... it was an elected position. Al campaigned to get the mascot changed, but his efforts got nowhere. This was sometime between 1966 and 1968. I've checked the Chanticleers for that era, but could find little about cheerleaders. (I worked on the Chanticleer staff and relate that some of the out of the box ideas in yearbook design at the time caused the final product to lack some level of detail that would be helpful to identify people years later.)

I don't know about this cheerleader Al, but I CAN tell you that I was the guy who spearheaded the Blue Tuna mascot move. I still have some of the bumperstickers I had made up (I sent one to Julio years ago).
I believe it was in 1969-70...good fun with that, being assistant sports editor of the Chronicle gave me lots of opportunities...The Durham Sun went nuts about it, saw it as an anti-war protest (which it was not), stating
that "there is presumably nothing warlike about tunas," an assertion with which I cannot argue.

[Atldukie79]

I remember...

* As a young boy, my Dad and across the street neighbor would direct the parking of cars on the (then) grass field where Koskinen stadium and the new track field are located. My neighbor's son and I would be dropped off by a mom at the power plant near the Duke hospital around noon. Then, an official Duke University van (driven by my neighbor) would drive up to the power plant, my friend and I would hop in the back, and we would proceed to drive through the gates of the football stadium on "official business". We would park near the really old press box and surreptitiously sneak out of the back into a football game for free.

* As a Boy Scout in Durham in the late 60's, we would don our uniforms, show up at the stadium 3 hours before kick off, gain some cursory instructions on ushering, and (most important) receive a free lunch box. We would then stand in the aisles for several hours, mostly getting in the way, and then sit on the aisles to watch the game. Free yet again.

* As a Duke Student and DUMB member, I would gain admittance for free...well, at the cost of a couple of hours of "practice", if you can call it that.

Now that I think of it, I guess I did not pay for my first 60 or so home games!

[howardlander]

Great list but you forgot the Rolling Stones.

We also shouldn't forget (IIRC) Ella Fitzgerald singing the national anthem before a game. I think it was 1977 or 1978.

Howard

[Bob Green]

IIRC (and that's a huge if) Duke received the opening kickoff. It went to Bobby Hepler who was very small (but slow). He bobbled the ball, picked it up, bobbled it again, fumbled it into the end zone where Michigan recovered. Seven zip all of about five seconds into the game.

I remember a very similar start to the Duke, South Carolina game in 1967. Duke fumbled the opening kick-off and South Carolina recovered in the end zone for a 7-0 lead in a game the Gamecocks won 21-17.

I was there in 1976 for the Pitt game. It was the last game I attended prior to leaving home for my 30 year career in the Navy.

Another memorable game was beating Purdue the week after Purdue upset Notre Dame. I believe that was in 1974 or 75 but I'm too lazy to look it up.

[OZ]

I remember a very similar start to the Duke, South Carolina game in 1967. Duke fumbled the opening kick-off and South Carolina recovered in the end zone for a 7-0 lead in a game the Gamecocks won 21-17.

I was a student then and attended that game. The memory is fading a bit; but wasn't that when they actually dedicated/named the stadium "Wallace Wade?"

[wilson]

I remember Duke Stadium before it was Wallace Wade Stadium ... and I remember Bill Murray.

image.jpg

[Olympic Fan]

One of those big track meets I saw as a kid: streaker made it past the steeple chase water hazard, past the scoreboard, almost made it - but tripped over a low fence at the open end... Quite the sight!

-jk

That was the USA-USSR meet ...

My first Wade memory was the 1958 Duke-Baylor game. I was nine years old and watched Wray Carlton rush Duke to a 12-7 victory.

I have a much stronger memory of the 1960 Duke-Navy game. Navy came to town ranked No. 4 nationally with star running back Joe Bellino (who would win the Heisman Trophy that season). Some Duke students stole the Navy goat -- and paraded him around the track with a Blue D stenciled on his sides. As for the game, there was incredible frustration in the first half -- Duke dominated, but thanks to a couple of turnovers, Navy led 10-0. But Duke cut out the mistakes in the second half, continued to dominate and won 19-0.

I also remember the final home game in 1961 ... Notre Dame came to Wade and got run out of the stadium -- 37-13. The big news was that the Big Ten and Rose Bowl were having a contract fight and the story before the game was that if Duke beat the Irish impressively, Duke would get a Rose Bowl bid. Late in the game, fans were chanting "Rose Bowl ... Rose Bowl." Unfortunately, as soon as I got home, I saw on the news that the Big Ten and Rose Bowl had just renewed their deal, so Duke didn't get a third trip to Pasadena.

Two years later, I was field for the finish of the Duke-UNC game. Such a great turnout that they pit temporary bleachers around the lower bowl. Duke led 14-13 with just a couple of minutes left, when UNC mounted a final drive ... with a few seconds left, they tried a field goal into the open end of the stadium. I was standing under the right goal post -- and watched the ball sail just outside the post ... I was jumping up and down, but as I celebrated I was stunned to see the ref standing a few feet away with his arms in the air. To this day, I'll insist that UNC's 16-14 victory was bogus -- their winning FG was wide right.

Two years later, Duke routed UNC 34-7 in Bill Murray's last game as head coach. That win gave Duke a share of the ACC title -- his sixth ACC championship in the first 12 years of the league. Later, Duke lost the title when the ACC decided that South Carolina had to forfeit all its games. Duke had beaten South Carolina, so it didn't help us -- but it gave Clemson and NC State each an extra win and they were declared co-champions. We won it on the field, but lost it -- through no fault of our own -- in the boardroom.

Not much great football after that. I do recall the '89 Clemson game -- especially the moment when Randy Cuthbert caught a swing pass at the Clemson 5 was hit and apparently stopped there ... then the surge of electricity as Cuthbert (with some help from Chris Port) pushed the pile slowly into the end zone. I think that's the single most electric moment I ever experienced in Wade ... unless it was the Crowder catch to beat UNC in 2012.

I was there for all the big track meets in the 1970s, The first one was the USA Pan-African Meet -- 40,000 people in the stands. Anybody else remember Mirus Yfter -- a tiny Ethiopean distance runner who lost the 5,000 meters when he miscounted the laps and stopped a lap short? The next day, he bounced back to win the 10,000 meter race with the crowd roaring for him every step of the way (To be honest, I may have flipped the 5,000 and 10,000 ... I know those were the two races, biet I'm not sure which won he lost on Friday and which one he won on Saturday).

One last thing ... when was the last time the students tore down the goalposts? I know they did it in 1969, when Duke beat UNC on the Leo Hart-to-Wes Chesson shoestring play. I'm pretty sure it happened into the late '80s, but I'm not sure the last time. Anybody else remember?

PS Buddy, I remember the Blue Tuna campaign ... didn't the Duke swimming team actually adopt the Blue Tuna nickname for a few years?

[budwom]

Ha, that would be fitting, the swimming Blue Tunas. I do know we had have some true believers.

I loved those track meets....astonishing world class talent on display.

[wilson]

One last thing ... when was the last time the students tore down the goalposts? I know they did it in 1969, when Duke beat UNC on the Leo Hart-to-Wes Chesson shoestring play. I'm pretty sure it happened into the late '80s, but I'm not sure the last time. Anybody else remember?

We tore one goalpost down in the pouring rain on Aug. 31, 2002 after a win over East Carolina. That snapped a 23-game Duke losing streak. As a junior, it was the first time in my undergrad tenure that Duke won a football game.
I also heard tell of a goalpost coming down after the win over Clemson in 2004, though I had graduated by then. And at least one goalpost should have come down after Jamison's catch to beat the heels in 2012, but my understanding is that stadium security types make it a lot harder to tear one down nowadays than it used to be.

[SilkyJ]

Great list but you forgot the Rolling Stones.

We tore one goalpost down in the pouring rain on Aug. 31, 2002 after a win over East Carolina. That snapped a 23-game Duke losing streak. As a junior, it was the first time in my undergrad tenure that Duke won a football game.
I also heard tell of a goalpost coming down after the win over Clemson in 2004, though I had graduated by then. And at least one goalpost should have come down after Jamison's catch to beat the heels in 2012, but my understanding is that stadium security types make it a lot harder to tear one down nowadays than it used to be.

Yes, yes, and yes.

The game vs ECU was my first game as a freshman. We stormed, we brought down 1 post, we marched it all the way back to east campus.

The Clemson win was my junior year, and we brought them down (or at least 1) again.

My dad came down for the Stones in 05 during my senior year--that was quite a show. The building they erected behind the stage was taller than than the top of the bleachers!

What a long way we've come!

[drcharl]

On November 16, 1963, Navy came in with Roger Staubach and they were ranked #2. Was a very close game until well into the 4th quarter. With Navy leading by 6, and in possession with the ball on their own 3, it looked like Duke was going to force them into a punting situation. Duke stacked the defensive line, but Navy RB Johnny Sai broke through and went 97 yards for a TD. This was the year Staubach won the Heisman and Navy played for the national championship vs Texas (but lost to Texas).

Another memory from those years - Was sitting in the stands with friends when someone pointed out that comedian Bob Newhart was sitting in the row right in front of us.

[fuse]

I remember the pummeling Virginia put on Duke, 59-0.

I was maybe one of a handful of people who stayed to the end of the game.

Why bring up such a horrible memory? Show how far we have come, and how long it took to get there.

Really amazed at how the football team has transformed under Cut.

[Sandman]

It goes back further. . .

I remember the 2-3 football game loss against Clemson.

I remember when all games were on Saturday afternoons. Guys dressed up, and gals did the same. A football game was a big social event.

The first game with (portable) lights was on a Thursday night. Walking around the stadium area in the dark felt weird. . .

(Heck, I remember "carolina" and "Joe College" weekends and the way the campus living groups went crazy on Homecoming weekend.)

The Blue Devil wore a cape, carried a pitchfork at all times, and could be seen all over the place including on the goalposts.

The scoreboard was fairly primitive, to include a clock with moving hands.

Oh yes: One of the associated experiences of attending any game in the stadium was pulling numerous splinters out of your backside.

Serious side note: I was there for the USA/USSR track meet. While many folks maligned the presence of the (now gone) track et al, it was quite an experience to attend those track events. Two or three days worth, I believe??

k

"...Those were the days my friend...." To just add a few more nostalgic memories from days that are returning now:

The day in 1958 when Dave Sime trotted onto the field as our “lonesome end”. It tied up at least two defenders to cover him, giving our offense a definite advantage. He was a constant threat and caught several touchdown passes (After he graduated from Duke in 1958, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions but he never pursued a professional football career.)

The day in 1960 when 9th ranked Duke beat 4th ranked ranked Navy with Heisman Trophy winner running back Joe Bellino in front of a Wallace Wade stadium + the wooden bleachers crowd that had to be at least 55,000.

The day(s) that the Duke - Georgia Tech game was always "THE game of the South".

The 1963 game against 2nd ranked Navy and Heisman winner Roger Staubach (sadly we lost 25-38(?)) on a really beautiful November Saturday in front of a really loud, raucous packed WW.

[CBDUKE]

I remember seeing Sonny Jurgensen, Joe Bellino, Wray Carlton, Walt Rapold, Mike Curtis, and many, many others in all these years. I love the new renovations to WW.

[drcharl]

In 1963 we saw Brian Piccolo play for Wake Forrest. In 1971, the movie about his football career and untimely death, "Brian's Song" starring James Caan, was made. In the 1964 game at Wake he lead them to a huge upset of Duke in their house.