1971 Duke Blue Devils football team

The 1971 Duke Blue Devils football team was an American football team that represented Duke University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. In their first year under head coach Mike McGee, the Blue Devils complied an overall record of 6–5, with a conference record of 2–3, and finished tied for third in the ACC.

1971 Duke Blue Devils football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	6–5 (2–3 ACC)
Head coach	Mike McGee (1st season)
MVP	Ernie Jackson
Captain	Rich Searl, Lanny Murdock, Dennis Satyshur
Home stadium	Wallace Wade Stadium
Seasons ← 1970 1972 →

1971 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
North Carolina $	6	–	0	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Clemson	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Duke	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Wake Forest	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Virginia	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
NC State	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Maryland	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	vs. Florida*		Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 12–6	51,677	[2]
September 18	No. 19 South Carolina*		Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	W 28–12	35,113	[3]
September 25	at Virginia	No. 20	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 28–0	18,500	[4]
October 2	at No. 10 Stanford*	No. 19	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 9–3	61,000	[5]
October 9	vs. Clemson	No. 14	Foreman Field Norfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl)	L 0–3	20,000	[6]
October 16	NC State		Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC (rivalry)	W 41–13	28,174	[7]
October 23	at Navy*	No. 19	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	L 14–15	24,844	[8]
October 30	at Georgia Tech*		Grant Field Atlanta, GA	L 0–21	49,886	[9]
November 6	West Virginia*		Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	W 31–15	30,150	[10]
November 13	at Wake Forest		Groves Stadium Winston-Salem, NC (rivalry)	L 7–23	32,000	[11]
November 20	North Carolina		Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC (Victory Bell)	L 0–38	51,500	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

Roster

1971 Duke Blue Devils football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 46 Steve Jones Jr OT 64 Ed Newman Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 13 Ernie Jackson Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Mike McGee Coordinators/assistant coaches John Gutekunst (Freshman coach) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1971 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
2. "Duke kicks favored Florida in face, 12–6". The Palm Beach Post. September 12, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Duke sticks Gamecocks". The Charlotte Observer. September 19, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Duke outclasses UVa, ruins homecoming 28–0". The Roanoke Times. September 26, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Blue Devils upset Stanford, 9–3". The Rocky Mount Telegram. October 3, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Clemson stuns Duke, 3–0". Daily Press. October 10, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Two tailbacks make Duke click, 41 to 13". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 17, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Determined Navy nips Duke, 15–14". The State. October 24, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Ga. Tech defense stops Duke". The Danville Register. October 31, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Searl sparks Duke to win". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 7, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Big 3rd wins for Wake". The Roanoke Times. November 14, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Tar Heels crush Duke, accept Gator bid". The Miami Herald. November 21, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "1971 Duke Blue Devils Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 23, 2024.