page_title: History of Duke Blue Devils football
section_title: David Cutcliffe era (2008–present)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Duke Blue Devils football / History / David Cutcliffe era (2008–present)
caption_attribution_description: English: Duke football coach David Cutcliffe meeting with players, 2012
context_page_description: The history of Duke Blue Devils football began in 1888, when Duke University first fielded a football team.
context_section_description: In December 2007, Tennessee offensive coordinator and former Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe was hired as Duke's 22nd head football coach. Cutcliffe had a reputation for being an outstanding offensive mind and quarterbacks coach, as he had helped develop both Peyton and Eli Manning. As offensive coordinator under head coach Phillip Fulmer with the Tennessee Volunteers, he oversaw an explosive offense that helped the Volunteers win the 1998 national championship. In 2008, a judge ruled in favor of Duke after they pulled out of a four-game contract with the University of Louisville; the judge stated that it was up to Louisville to find a suitable replacement as, he wrote in the ruling, Duke's lawyers had persuasively argued that any Division I team would be equivalent or better. Duke went 4–8 in 2008 and Duke's 2009 season was a 5–7 record, the closest the school had come to bowl eligibility since 1994.
  In January 2010, following Lane Kiffin's abrupt departure for USC after one season as head coach at Tennessee, Cutcliffe, an assistant coach for the Volunteers for twenty years, quickly emerged as a leading candidate to replace Kiffin. Cutcliffe, however, ultimately rebuffed Tennessee's overtures, remaining at Duke and stating, "After much thought and consideration, Karen and I reached the decision that Duke is the place for our family. We have both family members and lifetime friends in the Knoxville community and share a deep respect for the University of Tennessee. Our ties to the school and the eastern Tennessee area are obvious. But before Tennessee's hiring process comes to a conclusion, I know that Duke University is where I want to coach." The position eventually went to Derek Dooley. Cutcliffe's decision was widely lauded as a rare example of commitment and integrity among prominent college football coaches.
  Cutcliffe's Duke teams had back-to-back 3–9 seasons in 2010 and 2011. Duke's 2012 team, despite low preseason expectations, after a 33–30 win against rival North Carolina became bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. Extending its season to December 27, 2012, Duke fell to Cincinnati 48–34 in a close contest in the 2012 Belk Bowl, finishing the season with a 6–7 record. On November 21, 2012, Duke extended Cutcliffe's contract through June 2019.
  Duke's 2013 season was a break-out year, as the Blue Devils have continued to cross off many of their infamous losing streaks. On October 26, 2013, Duke achieved its first win over a ranked team since 1994 with a 13–10 victory over #14 Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia, a rarity for the Duke football program. That win over Virginia Tech was also Duke's first road win over a ranked team since 1971. Following a bye week, on November 9, 2013 the Blue Devils achieved their first winning season since 1994 with a 38–20 home victory over in-state rival NC State, their seventh of the season. Extending its winning streak to 6 straight by defeating #24 Miami 48–30 on November 16, Duke appeared in the AP Poll for the first time since 1994, listed at #25 with a record of 8–2. With a win at Wake Forest on November 23, 2013, Duke claimed its ninth victory in a regular season for the first time since 1941, the season in which the Blue Devils hosted the Rose Bowl. The win also gave Duke at least a share of the Coastal Division title and a #24 AP Poll ranking. With a 27–25 win over North Carolina on November 30, 2013, Duke locked up their first 10-win season in school history, the Coastal Division title, and a spot in the 2013 ACC Championship Game against Florida State, during which time Duke was ranked #20. The Blue Devils lost that game to the Seminoles, the eventual national champions, by a score of 45–7. David Cutcliffe received the Walter Camp Coach of the Year award in 2013. The Blue Devils were invited to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where they lost another close, hard-fought game 52–48 to Texas A&M to finish the season with a record of 10–4. After the 2013 season, offensive coordinator Kurt Roper left Duke to accept the same position on Will Muschamp's staf
caption: Cutcliffe meeting with players, 2012
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