1976 Duke Blue Devils football team

The 1976 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 1976 NCAA Division I football season. In their sixth year under head coach Mike McGee, the Blue Devils complied an overall record of 5–5–1, with a conference record of 2–3–1, and finished fourth in the ACC.

1976 Duke Blue Devils football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	5–5–1 (2–3–1 ACC)
Head coach	Mike McGee (6th season)
Defensive coordinator	John Gutekunst (1st season)
MVP	Billy Bryan
Captain	Tony Benjamin, Billy Bryan, Bob Grupp
Home stadium	Wallace Wade Stadium
Seasons ← 1975 1977 →

1976 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Maryland $	5	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
North Carolina	4	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Wake Forest	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Duke	2	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
NC State	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	7	–	1
Virginia	1	–	3	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Clemson	0	–	4	–	1			3	–	6	–	2
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	at Tennessee*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	W 21–18	82,687	[2]
September 18	at South Carolina*	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	L 6–24	52,237	[3]
September 25	at Virginia	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 21–6	20,000	[4]
October 2	No. 2 Pittsburgh*	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	L 31–44	37,200	[5]
October 9	at Miami (FL)*	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	W 20–7	13,811	[6]
October 16	at Clemson	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	T 18–18	41,500	[7]
October 23	No. 6 Maryland	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	L 3–30	20,200	[8]
October 30	Georgia Tech*	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	W 31–7	30,300	[9]
November 6	Wake Forest	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC (rivalry)	L 17–38	23,600	[10]
November 13	at NC State	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	W 28–14	41,600	[11]
November 20	at North Carolina	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (Victory Bell)	L 38–39	48,000	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

References

1. "1976 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
2. "Blue Devils surprise Vols, record crowd". The Charlotte Observer. September 12, 1976. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Gamecocks down Duke". Salisbury Evening Post. September 19, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Blue Devils hold off scrappy Cavs 27–6". Winston-Salem Journal. September 26, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Pitt struggles by Duke". The Tampa Tribune. October 3, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Error-prone Miami falls to Duke, 20–7". The Bradenton Herald. October 10, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Fusco's 57-yard FG gives Duke tie". The Daily Times-News. October 17, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Manges-led Terps trample Duke 30–3". Winston-Salem Journal. October 24, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Duke uses Tech mistakes to claim easy 31–7 win". The Robesonian. October 31, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Wake Forest finds stamina, upsets Duke". The Charlotte Observer. November 7, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Duke downs 'Pack 28–14". Daily Press. November 14, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Brilliant Voight lifts UNC". The State. November 21, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "1976 Duke Blue Devils Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 26, 2024.