David Cutcliffe David Cutcliffe ( born September 16 , 1954 ) is the head football coach of the Duke University Blue Devils . In addition to reviving the moribund Duke football program and ending one of the longest bowl droughts in major college football , he is best known for coaching Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning at the University of Tennessee , and Manning ' s younger brother and fellow Super Bowl Champion Eli at the University of Mississippi . Almost all offensive records at both schools were set during Cutcliffe ' s time as coach . Early life . Cutcliffe was born and raised in Birmingham , Alabama , which played a formative role in his development as a football coach . He has two brothers ( Charles " Paige " Cutcliffe , and Raymond Eugene " JR . " Cutcliffe ) and three sisters ( Mary Marlyn Cutcliffe Sullivan , Margart Lynn Cutcliffe , and Elizabeth " Buff " Cutcliffe Easterly . ) Cutcliffe attended Banks High School in Birmingham where he played football . He attended the University of Alabama where he worked as a student assistant on Bear Bryant ' s Alabama staff . Early coaching history . Cutcliffe ' s coaching career began as a student assistant to Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama . In 1976 he took a job at Banks High School where he served as an assistant and later as the head coach . In 1982 , he was hired as a part time coach at the University of Tennessee . A year later , he was promoted to full time status as the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach . By 1990 , Cutcliffe was coaching the position he is now well known for , quarterbacks . Cutcliffe was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1993 . As coordinator , Cutcliffe helped lead the Vols to two Southeastern Conference championships and a national championship . He also helped groom Heath Shuler and Peyton Manning , serving as their position coach . Head coaching . On December 2 , 1998 , Cutcliffe was hired as the head football coach at Ole Miss . Cutcliffe had success at Ole Miss , where he recruited Eli Manning , son of Ole Miss player Archie Manning , to play quarterback . In 2003 , Cutcliffe ' s Rebels tied LSU for the West Division title , and they won the Cotton Bowl Classic . Cutcliffe was fired by Ole Miss ' s Athletic Director Pete Boone in December 2004 after his only losing season at Ole Miss . Boone had asked Cutcliffe to fire some assistant coaches and provide a detailed plan for improving the program , specifically the defense and recruiting . Cutcliffe refused to fire any staff members , and was subsequently fired along with his assistants . Post Mississippi . After his stint at Ole Miss , Cutcliffe was hired as the Assistant Head Coach and quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame , but health problems forced him to resign before his first season there . In 2005 , he underwent successful triple - bypass surgery to correct a 99 - percent blocked artery . After taking a year off he returned to Knoxville to coach Tennessee again and join his sons , Chris Cutcliffe and Marcus Hilliard , then Tennessee students , on campus ( his daughter , Katie Cutcliffe , is a current Tennessee student ) . After Cutcliffe ' s successor as offensive coordinator at Tennessee , Randy Sanders , resigned , Phillip Fulmer rehired Cutcliffe to replace him . Cutcliffe led a major turnaround of the Tennessee offense during the 2006 season . Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge ranked among the nation ' s top 25 passers by yardage , and Robert Meachem had the third - most receiving yards of any player . Duke University . Cutcliffe was hired as the head football coach at Duke University on December 14 , 2007 , replacing Ted Roof , who had amassed a 6 – 45 win - loss record ( 3 – 33 in the ACC ) over four - plus years at the school . Duke has had only three winning seasons in the last 25 years and , before the 2008 season , had not beaten an ACC opponent in over three seasons . Cutcliffe immediately began a strength and conditioning program , challenging the team to collectively lose 1 , 000 pounds after finding the team in less than ideal physical shape . On Saturday , August 30 , 2008 , David Cutcliffe won his first game as Duke ' s head coach , defeating the James Madison Dukes 31 – 7 , before a crowd of 32 , 571 , the largest in Wallace Wade Stadium since 1994 . The game marked the introduction of a number of rituals that Cutcliffe hopes to turn into Duke traditions , including the Blue Devil Walk , which parades the players and coaching staff from Duke Chapel , through West Campus and past Cameron Indoor Stadium to Wallace Wade Stadium , and the " Blue Devil Rock " , located in the stadium tunnel and mined from the same quarry used in the construction of Duke ' s West Campus . In Cutcliffe ' s second game , Duke lost to Northwestern in a mirror image game of the previous season ' s matchup , twice falling short of a touchdown deep in Northwestern territory . After the home loss against Northwestern , Duke hosted Navy , prevailing 41 – 31 . Cutcliffe next led Duke to its first ACC victory since 2004 , with a 31 – 3 rout of Virginia . This was a complete turnaround from the team ' s 2006 game against UVA , in which the Blue Devils were shut out 37 – 0 in Wallace Wade . Duke proceeded to lose to Georgia Tech and Miami before notching its first road win of the season , a 10 – 7 victory over SEC opponent Vanderbilt . Next , on the road at Wake Forest , Duke lost a heartbreaker in overtime , 33 – 30 , missing what would have been a game - winning field goal at the end of regulation . This was another in a string of such painful kicking miscues for the Blue Devils , including a miss at North Carolina in the previous season . The next game , Duke went on to lose to Clemson , 31 – 7 , before fighting to a surprisingly close 14 – 3 loss to powerhouse Virginia Tech and suffering a disappointing close loss to arch - rival North Carolina at season ' s end . In January 2010 , following Lane Kiffin ' s abrupt departure after just one season at the helm of the Tennessee football team , Cutcliffe 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 we want to coach . ” Cutcliffe ' s decision was widely lauded as a rare example of commitment and integrity among prominent college football coaches . On October 20 , 2012 , Coach Cutcliffe led the Devils to their first win over North Carolina since 2003 . In doing so , Duke became bowl eligible for the first time since 1994 . He was subsequently named ACC Coach of the Year on November 27 , 2012 . QB coaching . Six quarterbacks whom Cutcliffe coached in college have gone on to play in the NFL : Heath Shuler , Peyton Manning , Eli Manning , Erik Ainge , and Thaddeus Lewis . Cutcliffe also coached Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton while Helton played quarterback at Tennessee . Eli Manning ' s former backup , Seth Smith plays for the Oakland A ' s . Family . Cutcliffe is married to the former Karen Oran of Harriman , Tennessee . They have four children : Marcus , Chris , Katie , and Emily .