Although some Blue Devil fans have their eyes on the opening of training camp this week, most people around the world are focusing on this summer's Rio Olympics.
Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe and graduate assistant defensive coach Sam McGrath, who works with the team's linebackers, have the pleasure of keeping their eyes on both.
The Blue Devil head coach took time Monday during Duke's media day before starting fall camp to recognize the tremendous effort put in by the Duke contingent in both reaching and performing at this summer's games. Twelve current and former Blue Devil players and coaches have cast a wide net at Rio, competing in several events, including diving, fencing, soccer, golf and basketball.
"I can’t start this thing without commenting about the Olympic games—an incredible Duke presence there, which makes me proud," Cutcliffe said. "Certainly as an American, I’m one of those people, I get pumped, and I’m chanting 'U-S-A, U-S-A' seeing those young people compete."
The football program also has a direct connection to Duke's Olympic contingent. McGrath is now the future husband of diver and Duke medical student Abby Johnston, who won a silver medal in 2012 and will compete as an individual on the 3-meter platform Friday.
Cutcliffe took time Monday to shed light on how he reacted to the big news and even went into detail about McGrath's engagement proposal.
"Right near the end of vacation, I get a text from Sam McGrath, who is one of our graduate assistants, and it’s a picture of he and Abby on the beach," Cutcliffe said. "They were taking a stroll down the beach, and apparently—I hope they don’t get mad at me for telling this—but apparently the sunflower is one of her favorite flowers, and suddenly, there’s a sunflower out in a pot on the beach, and they go over there, and Abby’s little nametag is there for whatever she has to wear as a medical student, and instead of saying Johnston, it says McGrath."
Then came decision time for Duke football's head man with the Olympics overlapping the start of his team's fall practices.
With the Blue Devil defense ushering in new starters after losing ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jeremy Cash and Carlos Wray, the more time McGrath can get with the unit the better.
But it's not every day that you get to see your fiancé perform at the Olympics and Cutcliffe knew it, so McGrath will be cheering on Johnston from the stands in Rio de Janeiro when she competes Friday.
"My wife was kind of looking at me when Sam mentioned this, and I told her, ‘That’s an easy one’," Cutcliffe said. "I think she thought I was going to say, ‘You can’t leave football practice!’ And what I meant was how appropriate is that for him to be there to see her do this monumental thing, so a public congratulations to that newly engaged couple."
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