1951 Duke Blue Devils football team

The 1951 Duke Blue Devils football team was an American football team that represented Duke University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1951 college football season. In their first year under head coach William D. Murray, the Blue Devils complied an overall record of 5–4–1, with a conference record of 4–2, and finished sixth in the SoCon.[1]

1951 Duke Blue Devils football
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record5–4–1 (4–2 SoCon)
Head coach
MVPBob Bickel
CaptainJames Gibson
Home stadiumDuke Stadium
Seasons
← 1950
1952 →
1951 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Maryland + 5 0 0 10 0 0
VMI + 5 0 0 7 3 0
Washington and Lee 5 1 0 6 4 0
William & Mary 5 1 0 7 3 0
No. 19 Clemson 3 1 0 7 3 0
Duke 4 2 0 5 4 1
South Carolina 5 3 0 6 4 0
Wake Forest 5 3 0 6 4 0
George Washington 2 3 1 2 6 1
North Carolina 2 3 0 2 8 0
West Virginia 2 3 0 5 5 0
NC State 2 6 0 3 7 0
Richmond 2 6 0 3 8 0
The Citadel 1 3 0 4 6 0
Furman 1 4 1 3 6 1
Davidson 1 5 0 1 8 0
VPI 1 7 0 2 8 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The team was ranked at No. 51 in the 1951 Litkenhous Ratings.[2]

Schedule edit

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 22at South CarolinaW 34–628,000[3]
September 29at Pittsburgh*W 19–1420,066[4]
October 6at No. 3 Tennessee*L 0–2645,000[5]
October 13NC StateW 27–2123,000[6]
October 20vs. VPIW 55–620,000[7]
October 27Virginia* 
  • Duke Stadium
  • Durham, NC
L 7–3025,000[8]
November 3at No. 5 Georgia Tech*T 14–1436,000[9]
November 10Wake Forest
L 13–1930,000[10]
November 17at William & MaryL 13–1414,000[11]
November 24North Carolina
W 19–741,300–50,000[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References edit

  1. ^ "1951 Duke Blue Devils Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Vols Top Final 1951 Litkenhous Ratings". The Nashville Banner. December 14, 1951. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Duke swamps Gamecocks, 34–6". The Rocky Mount Telegram. September 23, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Duke scores in fourth to edge Pitt, 19–14". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 30, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Tennessee Vols stop Devils in 26–0 tilt". Rocky Mount Telegram. October 7, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Duke dumps N.C. State, 27–21". The Greenville News. October 14, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Duke crushes Virginia Tech in fifth annual Oyster Bowl game, 55 to 6". Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. October 21, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Cavaliers score four in fourth". Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel. October 28, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Duke holds undefeated Georgia Tech to 14 to 14 tie". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 4, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Wake edges Duke". The Rocky Mount Telegram. November 11, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "William & Mary shades Duke in sizzling loop clash, 14–13". The Charlotte Observer. November 18, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Fourth period rally by Duke subdues North Carolina, 19–7". The State. November 25, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.