Saturday’s game was a historic win for the Blue Devils—marking the program’s third 4-0 start in the last 29 seasons and the 500th victory in school history—but was an even bigger milestone for their head coach.
With the 27-17 win against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Duke’s David Cutcliffe picked up his 100th career victory, becoming just the 19th active FBS coach and one of 164 men to ever reach the century mark. The 63-year-old, in his 17th season as a head coach, was reluctant to bask in the personal moment Saturday evening after the game, instead opting to praise his team as well as his wife, Karen.
But during his weekly postgame conference call Sunday, he reflected on the significance of the number in a coaching career that has now spanned five decades.
“I’ve lasted longer than a lot of people—that’s one thing,” Cutcliffe said. “That’s probably as important to it as anything, but in all honesty, it makes you reflect on the people. Football is just a people business. There’s such a large number of players on every squad, you’ve got a good-sized staff, and it’s families and it’s kind of a trip through all of the people through all of these years.”
After beginning at his alma mater, Banks High School in Birmingham, Ala., Cutcliffe joined Johnny Majors’ staff at Tennessee in 1982. Cutcliffe moved up the ladder with the Volunteers, eventually becoming their quarterbacks coach in 1990 and then offensive coordinator in 1993.
His most famous protégé then came along in 1994—Cutcliffe teamed up with five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning for 40 wins in only four seasons, as Tennessee came up just short of a national title in 1997. A year later, Mississippi gave Cutcliffe his first head coaching job.
“One of the the interesting things is that [Blue Devil offensive coordinator] Zac Roper, I believe, has been a part of 99 of these 100 wins,” Cutcliffe said. “The first one was the Independence Bowl [in 1998] when I took over the Ole Miss team. But that’s what I mean by people. There are not many individual things that happen in football, and that’s the reason I love it the most.”
Cutcliffe won 44 games for the Rebels before being fired at the conclusion of his only losing season. He then took a season off and ultimately returned to Knoxville for two years an assistant under legendary coach Phillip Fulmer.
But Cutcliffe has now found a home in Durham. And the only question that remains is how far he can carry Duke as it hopes to remain unbeaten.
His next opportunity to do that comes Friday night vs. No. 14 Miami.
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Twitter: @mpgladstone13
A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak."