Dukes Duford
Duford during his tenure at Saint Louis
Biographical details
Born(1898-06-11)June 11, 1898
Menomonie, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedMay 8, 1981(1981-05-08) (aged 82)
Clayton, Missouri, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1921–1923Marquette
1924Green Bay Packers
Position(s)Halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1929–1930St. Mary's (KS)
1931–1939St. Ambrose
1940–1947Saint Louis
Basketball
1931–1939St. Ambrose
1944–1945Saint Louis
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1940-1947Saint Louis
Head coaching record
Overall92–50–9 (football)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
1 Iowa Conference (1937)

Wilfred Joseph "Dukes" Duford (June 11, 1898 – May 8, 1981) was an American college football player, coach, and university athletic director. He was the head football coach at Saint Louis University, Saint Ambrose University, and the University of Saint Mary (Kansas).

Biography

Duford was born on June 11, 1898, in Menomonie, Wisconsin.[1] Duford attended Niagara High School[2] and Marquette University, where he played football, baseball, and basketball.[3][4] Duford lettered in basketball from 1921 to 1923.[5] He graduated in 1924.[3]

After college, he played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for one season with the Green Bay Packers. He saw action in three games in 1924 as a halfback.[1]

Duford began his college football coaching career with a two-year stint at the University of Saint Mary in Kansas. He then moved on to Saint Ambrose University in Iowa, where he coached from 1931 to 1939.[6] During his tenure there, Saint Ambrose posted a 60–10–7 record.[3]

Impressed by his winning record, St. Ambrose University signed Duford to a multi-year contract as its football coach. Duford served as both the head football coach and athletic director at Saint Louis from 1940 to 1947.[6] He also served as the basketball coach for the 1944–45 season and posted an 11–6 record.[7] Duford and his staff resigned from Saint Louis after the 1947 season in which the football team amassed a 4–6 record.[8] In his autobiography, Memories of a Hall of Fame Sportswriter, Bob Broeg called Duford his "candidate for the most noble coach of all."[9]

In 1966, Duford was working as the Commissioner of the St. Louis Council on Human Relations,[10] which was set up to facilitate racial integration of the city.[11] Duford returned to Saint Louis University as its interim athletic director in 1967.[6] Duford was inducted into the Saint Louis University's Billiken Hall of Fame in 1995.[12]

Duford died at his Missouri home in 1981 of a heart ailment.[13]

Head coaching record

Football

Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
St. Mary's Irish (Independent) (1929–1930)
1929 St. Mary's 2–5–2
1930 St. Mary's 6–3
St. Mary's: 8–8–2
St. Ambrose Saints / Fighting Bees (Iowa Conference) (1931–1939)
1931 St. Ambrose 9–16–12nd
1932 St. Ambrose 5–1–25–1–17th
1933 St. Ambrose 4–44–2T–3rd
1934 St. Ambrose 6–25–02nd
1935 St. Ambrose 7–14–02nd
1936 St. Ambrose 8–0–14–0–12nd
1937 St. Ambrose 8–05–0T–1st
1938 St. Ambrose 7–0–13–02nd
1939 St. Ambrose 6–1–12–03rd
St. Ambrose: 60–10–538–4–2
Saint Louis Billikens (Missouri Valley Conference) (1940–1947)
1940 Saint Louis 3–6–12–35th
1941 Saint Louis 4–5–11–3–14th
1942 Saint Louis 4–52–3T–3rd
1943 No team—World War II
1944 No team—World War II
1945 Saint Louis 5–40–15th
1946 Saint Louis 4–61–1T–3rd
1947 Saint Louis 4–61–13rd
Saint Louis: 24–32–27–12–1
Total:92–50–9
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

Basketball

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Saint Louis Billikens (Missouri Valley Conference) (1944–1945)
1944-45 Saint Louis 10-4[Note A][Note A]
Total:
^A. The MVC also cancelled the season due to World War II.

References

  1. 1 2 Dukes Duford, Pro Football Reference, retrieved June 24, 2010.
  2. ↑ Dukes Duford Archived June 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Database Football, retrieved July 1, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 St. Louis Signs Dukes Duford; Marquette Graduate Given Long Contract Because of St. Ambrose Record, The Milwaukee Journal, January 31, 1940.
  4. ↑ A miss and a tip, The Milwaukee Journal, December 13, 1979.
  5. ↑ All-Time Letterwinners, Marquette University, retrieved June 25, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 Former Coach Duford Named By St. Louis, The Milwaukee Journal, June 3, 1967.
  7. ↑ Billiken Coaches (PDF), 2007-08 Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 128, Saint Louis University, 2007.
  8. ↑ Dukes Duford Out As Billikens Coach, December 6, 1947.
  9. ↑ Bob Broeg, Bob Broeg: Memories of a Hall of Fame Sportswriter, p. 148, 1995, ISBN 1-57167-010-6.
  10. ↑ HOUSING EQUALITY HITS A RAW NERVE; In St. Louis, as in Other Big Cities, the Idea of a Negro Neighbor Stirs Anxiety, The New York Times, September 20, 1966.
  11. ↑ Victory without violence: the first ten years of the St. Louis Committee of Racial Equality (CORE), 1947-1957, p. 86, 2003, ISBN 0-8262-1303-0.
  12. ↑ Billiken Hall of Fame Members Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Saint Louis University, retrieved July 1, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Ex-SLU director dies", Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tuesday, May 12, 1981, Tokyo, Japan, Japan
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