1938 Duke Blue Devils football team
American college football season
Captain Dan Hill, coach Wallace Wade, and captain Eric Tipton practicing in a Pasadena park ahead of the Rose Bowl
The 1938 Duke Blue Devils football team represented Duke University during the 1938 college football season . The Blue Devils were led by head coach Wallace Wade , who was in his eighth season at the school. Known as the "Iron Dukes", the 1938 Blue Devils went undefeated and unscored upon during the entire regular season, earning them the Southern Conference championship.
Duke was invited to the Rose Bowl against the USC Trojans . In what was the Blue Devils' first bowl game appearance, the contest was a scoreless defensive battle until early in the fourth quarter, when Duke kicked a field goal to take a 3–0 lead. However, USC threw a touchdown pass with one minute left to score the first and only points allowed by Duke during the season and win the game.
Schedule
Date Time Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 24 8:00 p.m. VPI W 18–013,000 [ 1] [ 2] [ 3]
October 1 Davidson W 27–06,000 [ 4]
October 8 vs. Colgate * W 7–023,950 [ 5]
October 15 Georgia Tech * W 6–028,000 [ 6]
October 22 vs. Wake Forest No. 9 W 7–010,000 [ 7]
October 29 at North Carolina No. 11 W 14–035,000 [ 8]
November 12 at Syracuse * No. 7 W 21–027,500 [ 9]
November 19 NC State No. 4 W 7–011,000 [ 10]
November 26 No. 4 Pittsburgh No. 3 W 7–049,138 [ 11]
January 2 at No. 8 USC * No. 3 L 3–793,000 [ 12]
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[ 13]
References
^ "Duke vs. V.P.I." VPI vs. Duke Football Program . 1938. p. 1. Retrieved October 10, 2017 .
^ "Blue Devils Meet V.P.I. in Season Opener, Saturday" . The Duke Chronicle . Duke University . September 20, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved August 14, 2016 .
^ "Blue Devil Football Team Captures Season's Opener, 18–0" . The Duke Chronicle . Duke University . September 27, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved August 11, 2016 .
^ "Duke turns back Davidson, 27–0" . The News and Observer . October 2, 1938. Retrieved September 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Duke batters down Colgate passing attack to win intersectional clash, 7 to 0" . The Palm Beach Post-Times . October 9, 1938. Retrieved December 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Duke subdues Georgia Tech by 6–0 score" . The Baltimore Sun . October 16, 1938. Retrieved December 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Duke beats Deacons 7–0" . Winston-Salem Journal . October 23, 1938. Retrieved December 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Duke's eleven beats N.C. by 14-to-0 margin" . The Baltimore Sun . October 30, 1938. Retrieved December 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Blue Devils do it again; Eric Tipton leads Duke to triumph" . The News and Observer . November 13, 1938. Retrieved December 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Duke gets close call but stops State, 7–0" . Daily News . November 20, 1938. Retrieved December 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Smith, Chester L. (November 27, 1938). "Duke blocks kick for touchdown to beat Pitt, 7 to 0" . Pittsburgh Press . p. 1, sports.
^ "Trojans beat Duke, 7–3, on last minute pass" . The Los Angeles Times . January 3, 1939. Retrieved December 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "1938 Duke Blue Devils" . College Football at Sports-Reference.com .
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