I do not often get the chance to remember the history of Duke football, but will now follow Bob's profile of former Duke player Sonny Jurgensen by honoring new college Hall of Famer Clarkston Hines of the late 1980s Blue Devils. Hines rewrote the Duke record book as an outstanding target for Duke quarterbacks during a brief golden period of football in Durham, ushered in by coach Steve Spurrier in 1987. With the help of Hines, Spurrier led Duke to 20 wins in three seasons, capped by a shared ACC crown--their first since 1965--in 1989 and spot in All American Bowl. That game, a 49-21 loss to Texas Tech, did not go so well, but with Hines--who topped 1,000y receiving for final three seasons--and Spurrier departing the program would return to mediocrity.
One of Hines's greatest performances occurred on Veterans Day, November 11, 1989 in a key conference match-up with rival North Carolina State. As written in The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia, Hines had a record-breaking day while leading Duke to a win that earned them the no. 25 spot in the ensuing AP Poll:
DUKE 35 North Carolina State 26: Arm-weary NC State (7-3) QB Shane Montgomery attempted NCAA-record 73 passes, but could not rally his charges. Duke (7-3) was led by record-setter of its own in WR Clarkston Hines (6/131y), who caught 2 TD passes from QB Dave Brown to set mark for career TD catches at 35, although his record was tied later in same day by WR Terance Mathis of New Mexico. Brown threw for 374y and 4 TDs, while TB Randy Cuthbert added 158y rushing as Blue Devils O outlasted Montgomery's constant aerial barrage. WRs Reggie Lawrence (5/129y) and Al Byrd (5/126y) were NC State's leading targets as Montgomery ended his game with 37-73/535y.
One of Hines's greatest performances occurred on Veterans Day, November 11, 1989 in a key conference match-up with rival North Carolina State. As written in The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia, Hines had a record-breaking day while leading Duke to a win that earned them the no. 25 spot in the ensuing AP Poll:
DUKE 35 North Carolina State 26: Arm-weary NC State (7-3) QB Shane Montgomery attempted NCAA-record 73 passes, but could not rally his charges. Duke (7-3) was led by record-setter of its own in WR Clarkston Hines (6/131y), who caught 2 TD passes from QB Dave Brown to set mark for career TD catches at 35, although his record was tied later in same day by WR Terance Mathis of New Mexico. Brown threw for 374y and 4 TDs, while TB Randy Cuthbert added 158y rushing as Blue Devils O outlasted Montgomery's constant aerial barrage. WRs Reggie Lawrence (5/129y) and Al Byrd (5/126y) were NC State's leading targets as Montgomery ended his game with 37-73/535y.
Hines was at Duke at the same time as my sister, so I got to see him play at Wallace Wade a few times. He was an outstanding player, and I was surprised that he never made it as a pro.
ReplyDeleteI also remember that All-American Bowl very well. James Gray killed Duke that night. I think he scored 4 TDs and put up 280 yards on them. It was 28-0 before Duke knew what hit them.