Wilfred Duford
Encyclopedia
Wilfred Joseph "Dukes" Duford (June 11, 1898 – date of death unknown) was an American college football
player, coach, and university athletic director
. He was the head football coach at Saint Louis University
, Saint Ambrose University
, and the University of Saint Mary (Kansas)
.
. Duford attended Niagra High School and Marquette University
, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. Duford lettered in basketball from 1921 to 1923. He graduated in 1924.
After college, he played professional football in the NFL
for one season with the Green Bay Packers
. He saw action in three games in 1924 as a halfback
.
Duford began his college football coaching career with a two-year stint at the University of Saint Mary
in Kansas
. He then moved on to Saint Ambrose University
in Iowa
, where he coached from 1931 to 1939. During his tenure there, Saint Ambrose posted a 60–10–7 record and secured four Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
championships.
Impressed by his winning record, Saint Louis University
signed Duford to a multi-year contract as its football coach. Duford served as both the head football coach and athletic director at Saint Louis from 1940 to 1947. He also served as the basketball coach for the 1944–45 season and posted an 11–6 record. Duford and his staff resigned from Saint Louis after the 1947 season in which the football team amassed a 4–6 record. In his autobiography, Memories of a Hall of Fame Sportswriter, Bob Broeg
called Duford his "candidate for the most noble coach of all."
In 1966, Duford was working as the Commissioner of the St. Louis Council on Human Relations, which was set up to facilitate racial integration of the city. Duford returned to Saint Louis University as its interim athletic director in 1967. Duford was inducted into the Saint Louis University's Billiken Hall of Fame in 1995.
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...
player, coach, and university athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
. He was the head football coach at Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
, Saint Ambrose University
Saint Ambrose University
St. Ambrose University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. It is located in a residential area of Davenport, Iowa.-History:...
, and the University of Saint Mary (Kansas)
University of Saint Mary (Kansas)
The University of Saint Mary is a private liberal arts university in Leavenworth, Kansas. It is sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, who established it as Saint Mary College. Though it was originally a school for women, the school is now coeducational. St. Mary's Academy for high...
.
Biography
Duford was born on June 11, 1898 in Menomonie, WisconsinMenomonie, Wisconsin
Two other spellings of the name appear elsewhere, see Menomonee and Menominee. For the town, see Menomonie .Menomonie is a city in and the county seat of Dunn County in the western part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city's population was 16,264 as of the 2010 census...
. Duford attended Niagra High School and Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. Duford lettered in basketball from 1921 to 1923. He graduated in 1924.
After college, he played professional football in the NFL
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...
for one season with 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...
. He saw action in three games in 1924 as a halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
.
Duford began his college football coaching career with a two-year stint at the University of Saint Mary
University of Saint Mary (Kansas)
The University of Saint Mary is a private liberal arts university in Leavenworth, Kansas. It is sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, who established it as Saint Mary College. Though it was originally a school for women, the school is now coeducational. St. Mary's Academy for high...
in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He then moved on to Saint Ambrose University
Saint Ambrose University
St. Ambrose University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. It is located in a residential area of Davenport, Iowa.-History:...
in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, where he coached from 1931 to 1939. During his tenure there, Saint Ambrose posted a 60–10–7 record and secured four Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is an College Athletic Conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. As the name implies, member teams are located in the state of Iowa.-History:...
championships.
Impressed by his winning record, Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
signed Duford to a multi-year contract as its football coach. Duford served as both the head football coach and athletic director at Saint Louis from 1940 to 1947. He also served as the basketball coach for the 1944–45 season and posted an 11–6 record. Duford and his staff resigned from Saint Louis after the 1947 season in which the football team amassed a 4–6 record. In his autobiography, Memories of a Hall of Fame Sportswriter, Bob Broeg
Bob Broeg
Robert William Patrick Broeg was an American sportswriter.Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, he officially covered the St. Louis Cardinals for forty years. He graduated from Grover Cleveland High School and the University of Missouri before entering the United States Marines...
called Duford his "candidate for the most noble coach of all."
In 1966, Duford was working as the Commissioner of the St. Louis Council on Human Relations, which was set up to facilitate racial integration of the city. Duford returned to Saint Louis University as its interim athletic director in 1967. Duford was inducted into the Saint Louis University's Billiken Hall of Fame in 1995.