Originally Posted by
jimsumner
Another Duke great passes away. Happening way too often.
"Mike Souchak, a member of the Duke Sports Hall of Fame, passed away on Thursday in Belleair, Fla. He was 81.
Souchak came to Duke on a football scholarship, and later enjoyed an outstanding career on the professional golf tour. He was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame in 1984.
A native of Berwick, Pa., Souchak lettered three seasons (1948-50) on the gridiron under coach Wallace Wade. In 1950, he caught 27 passes for 426 yards and two touchdowns while kicking 26-of-29 extra points as the Blue Devils defeated South Carolina, Pittsburgh, N.C. State and North Carolina en route to a 7-3 campaign. For his efforts, Souchak earned All-Southern honors from both the United Press (2nd team) and Associated Press (3rd team).
In 1949, Souchak had 16 receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns and added 32 extra points to lead the Blue Devils in scoring with 44 points. He tied for the team lead in scoring in 1948 after connecting on 18-of-21 PAT attempts.
On the golf course, Souchak lettered four seasons (1948; 1950-52) and helped Duke to Southern Conference titles in both 1948 and 1951 along with a fourth place finish at the 1948 NCAA Championships. He served as team captain in both 1951 and 1952.
From 1955-66, Souchak won 15 events on the PGA Tour. At the 1955 Texas Open, he posted scores of 60-68-64-65 to set a tour record four-round low score of 257. His front nine score of 27 on day one of the event included just nine putts and also established a PGA record. Souchak's four-round total stood until Mark Calcavecchia fired a 256 at the Phoenix Open in 2001, and the mark was later broken when Tommy Armour III posted a 254 at the 2003 Valero Texas Open.
Souchak, who posted 11 top-10 finishes in major championship play with third-place showings at both the 1959 and 1960 U.S. Opens, also played on the 1959 and 1961 Ryder Cup teams won by the United States.
Souchak was the co-founder and co-owner of Golf Car Systems with partner Bill Dodd."