Everything Wildcats Fans Need to Know Heading into the Blue Devils' Den
Now at an even 1-1 on the season, the Northwestern Wildcats are looking to continue their trend in a positive direction as they take on fellow Power 5 foe Duke this Saturday, September 18 at 3 p.m. CT at the Blue Devils' Wallace Wade Stadium. But, before then, we did the pregame research for you, and here's everything you need to know about the Duke Blue Devils.
Where is Duke University, exactly?
Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina (sometimes better know as the Bull City). As part of the Research Triangle, Durham is just a short trip down Tobacco Road from other ACC rivals, NC State and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
When was Duke founded?
Although Duke is a nationally recognized and renowned institution–especially in the sports world thanks to Coach K and the Duke men's basketball program–it was not actually known as Duke University until 1924, which was almost a hundred years later than its preparatory school origin. In fact, the university underwent several changes in both location and name before settling on Duke University in the early 20th century to honor a major provider for the school's move to Durham, tobacco magnate Washington Duke (who, in recent years, has been linked to white supremacist backgrounds). For all of that information and more, feel free to check out this link from the Duke Library.
How big is the university?
The Durham campus is currently home to around 17,000 students (undergraduate, graduate and doctorate) and is comprised of about 8,600 acres of land.
Where did this whole "Blue Devil" thing come from?
According to the Duke Athletics website, prior to when the university was known as Duke (at this point, it was referred to as Trinity College), the mascot or team names rotated between the "Trinity Eleven", the Blue and White, or the "Methodists" to directly oppose nearby foes, the "Baptists" of Wake Forest. The decision to have athletic teams utilize the mascot "Blue Devils" was actually decided by university newspaper editor-in-chief, William H. Lander, and managing editor Mike Bradshaw. This mascot was picked in honor of the French soldiers known as the Chasseurs Alpins, who also went by the nickname "les Diables Bleus," seeing as this class of 1923 was the first class of post-war freshman.
What is the stadium like?
Wallace Wade Stadium–named after former head coach Wallace Wade in 1967–was built in 1929, and due to more recent upgrades can how hold a capacity of 40,004 fans. While there used to be a track around the field, renovations in 2014 removed that feature and lowered the grass playing surface by five feet.
What is the story with Duke Football?
Overall, the Duke football program has won 17 total conference championships (7 ACC; 10 Southern), 53 All-Americans, 10 ACC Players of the Year, and 3 Pro Football Hall of Famers with the team at some point.
Since Duke is a storied university for its many sports victories, it should be an interesting matchup for the 'Cats this weekend as they head straight into the Blue Devil Den that is Durham.
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