Today, as Max McCaffrey signs his national letter of intent to play football for the Blue Devils, he will be adding to his family’s illustrious athletic legacy.
The Highlands Ranch, Colo., native will be a part of what has arguably become head coach David Cutcliffe’s best recruiting class at Duke, though his family first made a mark on Blue Devil athletics over 50 years ago.
David Sime, Max’s grandfather, came to Duke as a baseball player in 1956, but was quickly converted into a sprinter. He had unrivalled success on the track and still owns the all-time University records in the outdoor 100- and 200-meter races, with times of 10.20 and 21.34 seconds, respectively. Sime then went on to compete in the 1960 Olympics, where he won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash. Max’s uncle, Bill McCaffrey, played basketball at Duke and helped the Blue Devils win the 1991 NCAA championship, ranking second on the team in points per game.
Perhaps the most famous athlete of the entire family, though, lives under the same roof as Max. His father, Ed McCaffrey, was an All-American wideout at Stanford and an All-Pro, Super-Bowl champion wide receiver for the Denver Broncos. Needless to say, the family’s impressive track record warrants high expectations for the next generation, but the family pressure does not faze Max.
“I don’t feel like I have to live up to anything,” he said.
Given his resume, there is no reason to think the most recent McCaffrey cannot match or even surpass his elders. On a team stockpiled with Division-I players, he was instrumental in helping Valor Christian—a traditional power in Colorado high school sports—cruise to three straight football state championships. Playing defensive back, wide receiver and special teams throughout his career, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound, all-around athlete garnered first-team all-state honors in both his junior and senior seasons. McCaffrey will be joined in college by Valor Christian teammate Michael Mann, a defensive end who originally committed to Arizona State until the team underwent a coaching change. He finalized his decision Monday.
His versatility is not limited to the gridiron either. McCaffrey averages 12.5 points per game as an all-conference wing for Valor Christian’s basketball team, which is 15-1 and ranked third in Class 4A. And even though last spring marked his first-ever track season, McCaffrey’s football speed—he runs a 4.47-second 40-yard dash—nearly propelled him and his sprint relay teams to two state titles.
Over the past two years, Max has played alongside his younger brother, Christian, a 6-foot, 190-pound running back. As just a sophomore, Christian was named the Denver Post’s 4A player of the year and was among the best offensive players in the state last season. The McCaffrey duo was virtually unstoppable together, leading an explosive Valor Christian offense that averaged nearly 49 points a game—and the Duke coaching staff has already taken notice, expressing interest in recruiting Christian out to join his brother.
“Playing with Christian at Duke would be awesome,” Max said.
Committing to the Blue Devils was a much easier choice for Max due to his strong family ties to Duke, the school’s elite academics and his relationship with the coaching staff. Last June, he verbally committed to Duke over Wake Forest, Connecticut, Arizona State, Oregon and Colorado, among others.
“[Duke] started reaching out to me right after my junior year ended, and since then I met with Coach Cutcliffe and I knew that was the place I wanted to go,” McCaffrey said said. “Duke has always been the school of my dreams.”
Max’s talent and speed are obvious, but his future position as a Blue Devil is not yet clear at this point.
“[The Duke coaches] recruited me for wide receiver, but they still aren’t sure. They will see when I get out there,” Max said. “They told me that they don’t plan on redshirting me my freshman year, but things change, so we’ll see.”
Regardless of whether he is receiving touchdowns, intercepting passes, returning punts and kicks or running the alley for a big hit, Max is not used to losing. Coming from a high school program that was 49-3 over the past three years, his winning pedigree should be an invaluable asset for a Duke program hungry to establish itself as a perennial bowl team in the coming years.
And as Max begins his career at the next level, he hopes that the McCaffrey tandem hasn’t played its last football game together.
Duke fans should probably feel the same way too.
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