Paul Duhart
Encyclopedia
Paul Albert Duhart was an American college and professional football
player who was a quarterback
, running back
and defensive back in the National Football League
(NFL) for two seasons in the mid-1940s. Duhart played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Green Bay Packers
, Pittsburgh Steelers
and Boston Yanks
of the NFL.
where he was a standout high school football
player.
where he played for coach Tom Lieb's Florida Gators football
team. Duhart's performance that season earned his varsity letter in 1942, before entering the U.S. Army in 1943. The Gators did not field a varsity football team in 1943, as most able-bodied men of college age either volunteered or were drafted
into the U.S. Armed Services during the height of World War II.
that year. As a part-time starter, he helped the Packers to a championship season in . The 1944 NFL Championship Game was played on December 17, 1944 at New York City's Polo Grounds
. The Western Division champions, coach Curly Lambeau
's Green Bay Packers (8–2), squared off against the Eastern Division champions, coach Steve Owen's New York Giants (8–1–1). Green Bay's star end Don Hutson
and quarterback Irv Comp
led the Packers to a 14–7 victory over the Giants, prevailing over the Giants' star running back Bill Paschal and quarterback Arnie Herber
. Duhart's last-minute interception of a "hail Mary" pass by Herber secured the Packers' victory.
Prior to the 1945 NFL Draft
, the NFL determined that Duhart would have to enter the draft, and he was selected in the first round (second pick overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers
. Duhart was the first college football player from the state of Florida to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft. After playing two games for the Steelers in , the Boston Yanks
purchased him, and he finished the 1945 season with the Yanks before injuries ended his NFL career.
Duhart finished his two-season NFL career with sixty-eight carries for 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and nine receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns. He also complete seven passes for sixty-nine yards.
in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
, and graduated with a bachelor's degree
in history and English.
In 1960, Duhart moved west from Worcester, Massachusetts to become the athletic director and head varsity football coach for Arcadia High School
in Arcadia, California
. His 1961 Pacific League championship team was undefeated, extending his personal win streak to thirty games, and for the first time ever, the Arcadia Apaches defeated their cross-town rivals, the Monrovia High School
Wildcats. Duhart led the Arcadia Apaches football program from 1960 through 1969, and also served as the head coach of the boys' varsity golf and girls' varsity tennis teams. He coached the girls' tennis team to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) tournament finals in 1992, and was later inducted into Arcadia High School's coaching Hall of Fame in 1998.
Duhart was a published poet in his later years and was remembered as a mentor to many students during his long tenure at Arcadia High School. He spoke French fluently, and taught French and history classes at Arcadia. An accomplished athlete who loved sports, he continued to play golf and tennis long into his retirement. Duhart died at his home in Huntington Beach, California
, in 2006; he was 85 years old.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
and defensive back in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) for two seasons in the mid-1940s. Duhart played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and Boston Yanks
Boston Yanks
The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox schedule were held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts...
of the NFL.
Early life
Duhart was born in Montreal, Quebec, and is of French-Canadian descent. He attended Saint Peter's High School in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
where he was a standout high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
player.
College career
Duhart enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
where he played for coach Tom Lieb's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team. Duhart's performance that season earned his varsity letter in 1942, before entering the U.S. Army in 1943. The Gators did not field a varsity football team in 1943, as most able-bodied men of college age either volunteered or were drafted
Conscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
into the U.S. Armed Services during the height of World War II.
NFL football career
After being discharged by the U.S. Army in 1944, Duhart was given special dispensation pursuant to a ruling by the NFL in order to sign with the Green Bay Packers, since his college team, the Florida Gators, had previously disbanded for the 1943 season, preventing Duhart from entering the NFL DraftNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
that year. As a part-time starter, he helped the Packers to a championship season in . The 1944 NFL Championship Game was played on December 17, 1944 at New York City's Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
. The Western Division champions, coach Curly Lambeau
Curly Lambeau
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau was founder, player, and first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team...
's Green Bay Packers (8–2), squared off against the Eastern Division champions, coach Steve Owen's New York Giants (8–1–1). Green Bay's star end Don Hutson
Don Hutson
Donald Montgomery Hutson was the first star wide receiver in National Football League history. He is considered by many to have been the first modern receiver....
and quarterback Irv Comp
Irv Comp
Irving Henry Comp, Jr. was an American football player. He played his entire seven year career with the Green Bay Packers and was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1986....
led the Packers to a 14–7 victory over the Giants, prevailing over the Giants' star running back Bill Paschal and quarterback Arnie Herber
Arnie Herber
Arnold "Arnie" Charles Herber was a professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966...
. Duhart's last-minute interception of a "hail Mary" pass by Herber secured the Packers' victory.
Prior to the 1945 NFL Draft
1945 NFL Draft
The 1945 National Football League Draft was held on April 8, 1945. It was the last draft held in Chicago; later in the year the league moved its offices to Philadelphia.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
, the NFL determined that Duhart would have to enter the draft, and he was selected in the first round (second pick overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. Duhart was the first college football player from the state of Florida to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft. After playing two games for the Steelers in , the Boston Yanks
Boston Yanks
The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox schedule were held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts...
purchased him, and he finished the 1945 season with the Yanks before injuries ended his NFL career.
Duhart finished his two-season NFL career with sixty-eight carries for 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and nine receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns. He also complete seven passes for sixty-nine yards.
Life after the NFL
After retiring from the NFL, Duhart attended Boston CollegeBoston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill is a wealthy New England village located six miles west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is not an incorporated municipal entity, but unlike most of them, it encompasses parts of three separate municipalities, each of...
, and graduated with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in history and English.
In 1960, Duhart moved west from Worcester, Massachusetts to become the athletic director and head varsity football coach for Arcadia High School
Arcadia High School (Arcadia, California)
Arcadia High School is a part of the Arcadia Unified School District and is a four-year comprehensive secondary school located on a site in Arcadia, California. Their motto is"Our Caring Makes a Difference."...
in Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
. His 1961 Pacific League championship team was undefeated, extending his personal win streak to thirty games, and for the first time ever, the Arcadia Apaches defeated their cross-town rivals, the Monrovia High School
Monrovia High School
Monrovia High School is a public high school located in Monrovia, California, a northeastern suburb of Los Angeles. Monrovia High School is the only 9-12 comprehensive high school in the Monrovia Unified School District...
Wildcats. Duhart led the Arcadia Apaches football program from 1960 through 1969, and also served as the head coach of the boys' varsity golf and girls' varsity tennis teams. He coached the girls' tennis team to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) tournament finals in 1992, and was later inducted into Arcadia High School's coaching Hall of Fame in 1998.
Duhart was a published poet in his later years and was remembered as a mentor to many students during his long tenure at Arcadia High School. He spoke French fluently, and taught French and history classes at Arcadia. An accomplished athlete who loved sports, he continued to play golf and tennis long into his retirement. Duhart died at his home in Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
, in 2006; he was 85 years old.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1940–1949
- List of Boston College people
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Green Bay Packers players
- List of Pittsburgh Steelers first-round draft picks