Duke Blue Devils men's lacrosse

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.

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.

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. As a result of the incident, Duke forced Pressler to resign as head coach, and the NCAA granted the players an extra season of eligibility.

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 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:

|}} |}} |}} |}} †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)

References

References

1. ''2009 Duke Men's Lacrosse Media Guide'', Duke University, p. 31–32, 2009.
2. Since [[1971 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship. 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).
3. [http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/duke_lacrosse/story/888704.html Fired lacrosse coach will sue] {{webarchive. link. (July 25, 2008 , ''[[News & Observer]]'', January 18, 2008.)
4. [https://www.usatoday.com/sports/2007-05-30-1412865517_x.htm NCAA grants Duke's request for fifth year of lacrosse eligibility], ''USA Today'', May 30, 2007.