What If: Duke Football, 1962

Duke football coach Bill Murray speaking with Jerry BargerBill Murray was the second-most successful football coach in Duke history. His Duke teams won 93 games in 15 seasons, against 51 losses and nine ties. He won one Southern Conference and six ACC titles.

Murray had two peaks at Duke. The first came from 1952 through 1955, when Duke went 30-8-3, with four conference titles. After a drop off Murray learned to love the forward pass and coached Duke to a 23-8 record from 1960 through 1962, winning the ACC title each of those years.

Murray’s 1954 team became the first Duke team to win a bowl game when they defeated Nebraska 34-7 in the 1955 Orange Bowl. Duke lost to Oklahoma three years later…