Oldest living Duke basketball player

[lrjacobson]

I enjoy researching old Duke basketball teams and players and was trying to find out who is the oldest living Duke basketball player. Anyone know the answer to this question??

[devildeac]

I enjoy researching old Duke basketball teams and players and was trying to find out who is the oldest living Duke basketball player. Anyone know the answer to this question??

My guess: Dick Groat

(excluding Matt Jones, of course )

[brevity]

(excluding Matt Jones, of course )

Matt Jones is the correct answer. If someone asked for the oldest living Ohio State basketball player, Bobby Knight immediately comes to mind, but the correct answer would be Greg Oden.

Club Trillion? More like Club Trillion Years Old.

[wilson]

Patrick Davidson played on Charlemagne's team.

[brevity]

Patrick Davidson played on Charlemagne's team.

Back then you had to BE a Duke to play Duke basketball.

Historians have written that Patrick Davidson introduced the concept of prima nocta, which is the right to score the game's first points.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Pretty sure Nate James used to post up Moses.

[TKG]

Trajan " Roman Emperor Born in 53 AD" Langdon

[Tommac]

How about George MOSES?

[Tom B.]

I enjoy researching old Duke basketball teams and players and was trying to find out who is the oldest living Duke basketball player. Anyone know the answer to this question??

Until his death in 2009, the answer was Bill Werber, who played basketball for Duke in the late 1920s and went on to greater fame as a pro baseball player. He had an 11-year career in the majors, which included stints with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Giants. He was a skilled infielder who played second base, shortstop, and third base at different times in his career. He was also an aggressive base runner who led the American League in stolen bases in 1934, and the National League in 1935 and 1937. Werber once stole second base on a walk -- as he headed to first base, he noticed that the catcher had turned to argue the fourth ball, so he jogged to first and then just kept running. He's still the only MLB player to hit four consecutive doubles in both leagues. He won a World Series with Cincinnati in 1940.

Werber is also the answer to a cool trivia question: Who was the first player to bat in a televised game? It happened in 1939, in a game between Cincinnati and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Now, though, I'm not sure who the oldest living Duke basketball player is. My guess is that it would be someone older than Dick Groat. Groat played in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and is now 85. I imagine there are probably still a few players from the earlier 1940s, and maybe even the late 1930s, still alive.

[Jarhead]

I enjoy researching old Duke basketball teams and players and was trying to find out who is the oldest living Duke basketball player. Anyone know the answer to this question??

The Pittsburgh Panthers ACC basketball team's radio broadcast staff includes Curtis Aiken, Bill Hillgrove and Dick Groat. Groat oughta' be pretty close to ninety by now. When I am asked who the best Duke player ever my immediate answer is Dick Groat, and then I quickly add Grant Hill. Anybody wanna' fight about it?

[jimsumner]

Until his death in 2009, the answer was Bill Werber, who played basketball for Duke in the late 1920s and went on to greater fame as a pro baseball player. He had an 11-year career in the majors, which included stints with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Giants. He was a skilled infielder who played second base, shortstop, and third base at different times in his career. He was also an aggressive base runner who led the American League in stolen bases in 1934, and the National League in 1935 and 1937. Werber once stole second base on a walk -- as he headed to first base, he noticed that the catcher had turned to argue the fourth ball, so he jogged to first and then just kept running. He's still the only MLB player to hit four consecutive doubles in both leagues. He won a World Series with Cincinnati in 1940.

Werber is also the answer to a cool trivia question: Who was the first player to bat in a televised game? It happened in 1939, in a game between Cincinnati and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Now, though, I'm not sure who the oldest living Duke basketball player is. My guess is that it would be someone older than Dick Groat. Groat played in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and is now 85. I imagine there are probably still a few players from the earlier 1940s, and maybe even the late 1930s, still alive.

Werber was also the last living person to have played with Babe Ruth.

I do not know the answer to the original question.

If I had to find out, I would contact the Duke Varsity Club.

[Reilly]

Why did Lefty only play two years at Duke? Groat was class of 1952 and Lefty 1954 but Lefty was not on the 1952 team as a sophomore.

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketba...p?playerid=121

[jimsumner]

Why did Lefty only play two years at Duke? Groat was class of 1952 and Lefty 1954 but Lefty was not on the 1952 team as a sophomore.

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketba...p?playerid=121

Driesell missed the 1952 season with a mastoid problem.

[weezie]

...Club Trillion? More like Club Trillion Years Old.

Cymbal crash! Ladies and Gentlemen, please enjoy the buffet!

[devildeac]

Why did Lefty only play two years at Duke? Groat was class of 1952 and Lefty 1954 but Lefty was not on the 1952 team as a sophomore.

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketba...p?playerid=121

Driesell missed the 1952 season with a mastoid problem.

That makes too much sense. It had to be that he knew K and P were coming and wanted to start the transfer train before his playing time decreased.

[devildeac]

Werber was also the last living person to have played with Babe Ruth.

I do not know the answer to the original question.

If I had to find out, I would contact the Duke Varsity Club.

Damn. If Jim Sumner doesn't know this answer, our sole remaining hope is probably OlyFan and if he doesn't know, we are really SOL.

[phaedrus]

If I had to find out, I would contact the Duke Varsity Club.

This is a trick. If you ask the Duke Varsity Club, they'll tell you to ask Jim Sumner.

[Edouble]

Pretty sure Nate James used to post up Moses.

True, but Noah was a beast from beyond the arc.

[cato]

True, but Noah was a beast from beyond the arc.

Huh. And all this time I thought he scored mostly inside the arc.

[wilson]

Huh. And all this time I thought he scored mostly inside the arc.

Well yeah, he scored 2 by 2.