My first visit to Durham was almost 45 years ago when I was a high school senior and was being courted as a football recruit by all the Triangle ACC schools and a number of others as well. The planes were propeller driven and they rolled steps out to the runway apron to deplane passengers and airline security was not visible anywhere. Of the dozen or so recruiting trips that I took, the one to Duke was by far the most memorable and if it had been totally left up to me I would have probably chosen Duke. A teammate the year before did go to Duke on scholarship and showed me a great time on that trip. The highlight was watching a Duke-Wake Forest basketball game from the bench. I don’t even remember who won but I do remember the excitement and the theatrics of Bones McKinney, the legendary Wake Forest coach. I also remember a fraternity party after the game and a very attractive blond young lady from Trinity College who was assigned to keep an eye on me.
But I was from a Catholic family and a Catholic high school and there was some pressure to go to Notre Dame which is where I finally chose to go. I had a totally undistinquished football career there serving mostly on “prep” squads during Ara Parseigian’s first three years as coach during which time we won one National Championship and came within a half of another. I have no regrets at all about my decision but there were many cold nights on the ND campus, that was then all male, that I recalled that recruiting trip and the excitement on the Duke campus.
This has nothing and everything to do with Durham luxury real estate. This past weekend was the first one this year that felt like a football weekend to me. Notre Dame beat Purdue and looked better in the second half than anytime last year. Carolina beat Miami in an exciting game that signaled their return to some glory and Duke looked better than I’ve seen them since Steve Spurrier was coach oh so many years ago.
Even in the recent really bad years I’ve always enjoyed going to Duke football games. You seldom have to worry about wearing a coat, you could pretty much sit anywhere you wanted, never had to wait in line long to get a drink or use the rest room, and, if you knew an Iron Duke with a good parking pass, could continue a tailgate party at halftime without missing a play. And sometimes you saw a good football team if someone like Florida State or Miami was the competition.
I believe a resurgent Duke football team will be good for the community and will increase its attractiveness in a way that compares with what the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the Museum of Life and Science, the Nasher Museum and the soon to come Durham Performing Arts Center. When you stand back and look at the totality of all these developments and Downtown Durham development and Southpoint, this is a pretty special place. The point I’ve tried to make over and over in these posts and the accompanying reports, is that the community is at least as important as the bricks and mortar in the selection of a home for well off people that have lots of choices. It’s part of the sizzle that sells the steak and real estate agents need to use it in promoting upscale homes.
But back to Duke football. This is why I think what is happening now is the real deal. When I went to Notre Dame in 1963 they were not on top by any stretch of the imagination. My freshman year before Ara got there the record was 2 wins and 8 losses. They lost to Navy with Roger Staubach at quarterback and didn’t lose again to Navy until last year, 44 games later. It was the last year before unlimited substitutions were allowed and most players played both offense and defense. Freshman were still not allowed to play and redshirting was for an occasional severe injury. The quality of play at Notre Dame wasn’t much better than Duke’s has been the last few years. Keep in mind that Duke and Notre Dame are very similar in size, private and are both proud of the academic records of their athletes.
That sophmore year at Notre Dame produced a startling reversal with Ara in charge and even a naive 19 year old could appreciate the tranformation. I see many of the same things going on with David Cutcliff taking over at Duke. Better organization both on and off the field is apparent. Getting talent in the right places is also important. Ara took a third string quarterback, John Huarte and made him the starter. That year he beat out Joe Namath for the Heisman Trophy. The three fullbacks on the 1963 team got moved around too. One stayed at the position (Bill Wolski) but one became a defensive tackle (Pete Duranko) and one became an offensive tackle (Jim Snowden.) All four of these guys starred and had NFL careers after college. The third thing was an emphasis on conditioning which made for better play but also avoided injury. The final thing involved passion. Ara was a firery speaker and the pep rallies and team meetings before a game where real events. Long past the time where I could ever expect to get any serious playing time, he could make me tear up in pride at being part of a Notre Dame team. I see the same kind of passion in Coach Cutcliff and I believe it will be infectious.
Reviving the luxury home market in Durham will take some of the same elements. Not the least important of these factors will be more citizens and real estate agents becoming passionate about the community and selling it as an amenity with their listings.
