The Duke Blue Devils men's lacrosse team represents Duke University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's lacrosse. Duke currently competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and plays its home games at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The principal rivalry of Duke is their all-sports nemesis North Carolina.
Roster
Coaching Staff Position Staff Athletic director Nina King Head Coach John Danowski Associative Head Coach Matt Danowski Assistant Coach Ron Caputo Assistant Coach Kevin Unterstein
History The first lacrosse game played by Duke took place on April 9, 1938, when the Blue Devils traveled to meet their nearby rivals, North Carolina, which itself had just formed a team the year prior. Duke won that contest, 2–1. The first home game occurred a week later when they hosted Syracuse, who beat the Blue Devils, 17–5. Duke finished the season with a 2–5 record, with their second win also over North Carolina, this time in Durham. The following season, the Blue Devils compiled a 7–1 mark and secured the Dixie Lacrosse League championship.2009 Duke Men's Lacrosse Media Guide, Duke University, p. 31–32, 2009.
Ray Brown became Duke's first lacrosse All-American in 1940 and was honored as such again the following year. In 1946, Duke opened the season with an upset over national power Maryland in College Park, 12–4. Despite finishing the season with a 2–3 record, the Blue Devils were awarded the Southern Lacrosse Association championship.
The 1951 team is often regarded as one of Duke's most successful pre-NCAA teams. The Blue Devils routed conference opponent Washington & Lee, 26–8. They also scored victories against powerhouses, beating Navy, 17–6, and Johns Hopkins, 9–7. The lone loss was by a one-goal margin and came against Virginia. Duke finished the season with a 6–1 record.Since 1971, the annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament has determined the national champion in lacrosse. Prior to that, from 1934 through 1970 (the pre-NCAA era), the national champion was determined by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA), who would award the top team with the Wingate Memorial Trophy, based on regular-season records. The Wingate Memorial Trophy was presented to the first two NCAA champions (1971 and 1972) and was then retired. See also: NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship (1971– ) and Wingate Memorial Trophy (1934–1970).
The newly formed Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sanctioned lacrosse in 1954, and Duke captured the league's first title after posting a 7–1–1 season. Starting the following year, however, the Blue Devils entered a twelve-year slump where they compiled a combined 17–67 record with no winning seasons. In 1967, Roy Skinner and Bruce Corrie took over as co-head coaches and immediately reversed the team's fortunes, posting a 7–4 record that season and finishing second in the ACC. In 1971, Corrie became the sole coach after Skinner retired.
Mike Pressler was hired as head coach in 1991, and the following season Duke made its first NCAA tournament appearance. In 1994, the Blue Devils posted their first tournament win, which was also their first victory against Maryland in Durham since 1954. They were then edged, 12–11, in the quarterfinals by Syracuse. The next year, Duke won its first ACC tournament, and in the process became the first number-four seed to do so. Two years later, they advanced to the Final Four. Duke won consecutive ACC tournaments in 2001 and 2002, and advanced to the 2005 NCAA final before losing to Johns Hopkins, 9–8. The 2006 season was cut short when several Duke players were falsely accused of rape.Duke lacrosse coach resigns, rest of season canceled, ESPN, April 6, 2006. As a result of the incident, Duke forced Pressler to resign as head coach,Fired lacrosse coach will sue , News & Observer, January 18, 2008. and the NCAA granted the players an extra season of eligibility.NCAA grants Duke's request for fifth year of lacrosse eligibility, USA Today, May 30, 2007.
John Danowski replaced Pressler, and in his first season in 2007, he led the Blue Devils to the ACC championship and a return to the NCAA title game. Duke again lost to Johns Hopkins by one goal, 12–11. In 2010, Duke returned to the final, where it defeated Notre Dame, 6–5 in overtime, to capture its first NCAA championship., News & Record, April 27, 2009.
In the 2013 season, Duke defeated Syracuse 16–10 to win their second NCAA lacrosse championship.
In the 2014 season, Duke defeated Notre Dame 11–9 to win their third NCAA lacrosse championship.
Season results The following is a list of Duke's results by season as an NCAA Division I program:
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†Remainder of 2006 season cancelled due to the Duke lacrosse case
††NCAA canceled 2020 collegiate activities due to the COVID-19 virus.
Alumni in the Premier Lacrosse League (11)
2012 Mike Manley Defense 6'2 225 Rochester Rattlers (MLL) 1st round (3rd overall) Chrome LC None None 2012 CJ Costabile LSM 6'1 197 Chesapeake Bayhawks (MLL) 1st round (5th overall) Chaos LC 2x 2019, 2022 None 2015 Will Haus D Midfield 6'0 190 Charlotte Hounds (MLL) 1st round (3rd overall) Chrome LC None None 2016 Myles Jones Midfield 6'5 260 Atlanta Blaze (MLL) 1st round (1st overall) Redwoods LC 2x All Star ('19,'21) None 2018 Justin Guterding Attack 6'0 190 Ohio Machine (MLL) 1st round (9th overall) Whipsnakes LC 1x All Star ('19) None 2019 Brad Smith Midfield 6'3 210 Whipsnakes LC 2nd round (9th overall) Whipsnakes LC None None 2019 Cade Van Raaphorst Defense 6'1 215 Atlas LC 2nd round (11th overall) Atlas LC None None 2021 JT Giles-Harris Defense 5'10 200 Chrome LC 1st round (3rd overall) Chrome LC None None 2021 Michael Sowers Attack 5'9 165 Waterdogs LC 1st round (2nd overall) Waterdogs LC None None 2022 Nakeie Montgomery Midfield 5'11 200 Redwoods LC 3rd round (19th overall) Redwoods LC None None 2022 Joe Robertson Attack 5'11 190 Undrafted Undrafted Redwoods LC None None
See also Duke lacrosse case Duke–North Carolina lacrosse rivalry
References
External links