James E. Duffy (American football)
Encyclopedia
James Eugene Duffy was an American football
player and lawyer. He played halfback
for the University of Michigan
football team for seven years from 1885 to 1891 and was captain of the 1888 team. In 1886, he set the world record by drop kick
ing a football 168 feet, 7½ inches. After graduating from Michigan, he was an attorney in Bay City, Michigan
and a long-time member of the University of Michigan Board in Control of Athletics.
(born January 10, 1867), Duffy enrolled at the University of Michigan
in 1885. While attending the school as both an undergraduate and law student, he played halfback
for the Michigan football
team for seven years from 1885 to 1891. He was the team captain in 1888
, and his brother John L. Duffy was captain of the 1887 team
. Near the end of Duffy's career at Michigan, the Chicago Daily Tribune
wrote: "Duffy is an old U. of M. player. Although a swift runner and clever dodger his great strength lies in kicking ability, punting and drop-kicking."
As a rusher, Duffy had great speed. At Michigan's May 1888 field day, Duffy won both sprint events, with times of 10.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash and 22.4 seconds in the 220-yard dash. Prior to the 1888 football game between Michigan and Notre Dame
, the players competed in a 100-yard foot race, which Duffy won. Duffy also ran for two touchdown
s in the 1888 Notre Dame game which Michigan won by a score of 26–6.
As a kicker, Duffy set or tied distance records for his era. On May 22, 1886, at a field day in Ann Arbor, Duffy drop kicked a football 168 feet, 7½ inches. Outing
magazine reported that Duffy's kick broke "the best record of the world by 11 feet and 5 inches." A few days before his record-breaking kick at the May 1886 field day, Duffy had kicked the ball 194 feet in a practice session. On the day of the event, he reportedly broke the record five times. In 1888, the Detroit Free Press
wrote:
On November 22, 1891, Duffy also kicked a field goal from the 55-yard line against Cornell
-- a kick that either tied or fell one yard short of the American football record for the longest field goal to that time.
Michigan was undefeated in Duffy's first three seasons with the team, outscoring opponents 222 to 0 in the 1885, 1886 and 1887 seasons. With Duffy as captain in 1888, the team won its first four games, including two wins over Notre Dame, by a combined score of 126 to 20.
For the final game of the 1888 season, Michigan traveled to Chicago to play a game to raise money for charity against the Chicago University Club
, a group described as a "picked team" made up of "eastern college experts." One of Michigan's stars, Horace Greely Prettyman
, was ejected from the game for slugging. Though Michigan lost the game 26–4, newspaper accounts credited Duffy's play. In one instance, Chicago halfback Crawford (described as "a famous Yale man") came out of a heap of players, "dodging between the legs of the big fellows and knocking down the little fellows till Duffy got a full Nelson lock on him and hurled him neck over heels." Duffy accounted for Michigan's only points against Chicago, running for a touchdown in the second half "by good running and dodging."
In Duffy's first six years as a varsity football player at Michigan, the team compiled an overall record of 17 wins and 4 losses. In his seventh season, Duffy reportedly served as a player and coach for the 1891 team
. While official sources list only Mike Murphy
and Frank Crawford
as the coaches of the 1891 team, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported in November 1891 that the Michigan team was "coached systematically" by Murphy, Crawford, Horace Greely Prettyman
and Duffy. The 1891 team finished with a 4–5 record, losing more games that year than in the prior six years combined.
Duffy received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1890 and a law degree in 1892. While at Michigan, Duffy was a member of the Chi Psi
(ΧΨ) fraternity.
. He was the city attorney in Bay City from 1897 to 1899 and thereafter returned to private practice. Duffy was also a member of the University of Michigan's Board in Control of Athletics from its inception through at least 1921. In February 1917, he was the only member of the Board who voted against a resolution favoring Michigan's rejoining the Western Conference
.
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 and lawyer. He played 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...
for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
football team for seven years from 1885 to 1891 and was captain of the 1888 team. In 1886, he set the world record by drop kick
Drop kick
A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....
ing a football 168 feet, 7½ inches. After graduating from Michigan, he was an attorney in Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
and a long-time member of the University of Michigan Board in Control of Athletics.
University of Michigan
A native of Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
(born January 10, 1867), Duffy enrolled at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1885. While attending the school as both an undergraduate and law student, he played 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...
for the Michigan football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
team for seven years from 1885 to 1891. He was the team captain in 1888
1888 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1888 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1888 college football season. The team compiled a 2–1 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 94 to 36. The captain of the 1888 team was James E. Duffy....
, and his brother John L. Duffy was captain of the 1887 team
1887 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1887 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1887 college football season. The team compiled a 5–0 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 102 to 10. The 1887 season capped three consecutive undefeated seasons in which Michigan won its...
. Near the end of Duffy's career at Michigan, the Chicago Daily Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
wrote: "Duffy is an old U. of M. player. Although a swift runner and clever dodger his great strength lies in kicking ability, punting and drop-kicking."
As a rusher, Duffy had great speed. At Michigan's May 1888 field day, Duffy won both sprint events, with times of 10.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash and 22.4 seconds in the 220-yard dash. Prior to the 1888 football game between Michigan and Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
, the players competed in a 100-yard foot race, which Duffy won. Duffy also ran for two touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s in the 1888 Notre Dame game which Michigan won by a score of 26–6.
As a kicker, Duffy set or tied distance records for his era. On May 22, 1886, at a field day in Ann Arbor, Duffy drop kicked a football 168 feet, 7½ inches. Outing
Outing (magazine)
Outing was a late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American magazine covering a variety of sporting activities. It began publication in 1882 as the Wheelman and had four title changes before ceasing publication in 1923....
magazine reported that Duffy's kick broke "the best record of the world by 11 feet and 5 inches." A few days before his record-breaking kick at the May 1886 field day, Duffy had kicked the ball 194 feet in a practice session. On the day of the event, he reportedly broke the record five times. In 1888, the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
wrote:
"Included in the team is J.E. Duffy, who holds the world's record for the drop kick, he having propelled the ball 168 feet seven and one half inches, at Ann Arbor May 22, 1886. It may be explained that a drop kick is made by letting the ball fall from the hands and kicking it at the very instant it rises. Duffy is a tall, well formed muscular player who gets over the ground like a wraith and fights for every point."
On November 22, 1891, Duffy also kicked a field goal from the 55-yard line against Cornell
Cornell Big Red football
The Cornell Big Red football team represents Cornell University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Ivy League. It is one of the oldest and most storied football programs in the nation...
-- a kick that either tied or fell one yard short of the American football record for the longest field goal to that time.
Michigan was undefeated in Duffy's first three seasons with the team, outscoring opponents 222 to 0 in the 1885, 1886 and 1887 seasons. With Duffy as captain in 1888, the team won its first four games, including two wins over Notre Dame, by a combined score of 126 to 20.
For the final game of the 1888 season, Michigan traveled to Chicago to play a game to raise money for charity against the Chicago University Club
Chicago Maroons football
The Chicago Maroons are the college football team representing the University of Chicago. The Maroons play in NCAA Division III as a member of the University Athletic Association. From 1892 to 1939, the Maroons were a major college football power...
, a group described as a "picked team" made up of "eastern college experts." One of Michigan's stars, Horace Greely Prettyman
Horace Greely Prettyman
Horace Greely Prettyman was an American football player in the early years of the sport. Prettyman won a record eight varsity letters at the University of Michigan, playing for the school's football team from 1882–1886 and 1888–1890...
, was ejected from the game for slugging. Though Michigan lost the game 26–4, newspaper accounts credited Duffy's play. In one instance, Chicago halfback Crawford (described as "a famous Yale man") came out of a heap of players, "dodging between the legs of the big fellows and knocking down the little fellows till Duffy got a full Nelson lock on him and hurled him neck over heels." Duffy accounted for Michigan's only points against Chicago, running for a touchdown in the second half "by good running and dodging."
In Duffy's first six years as a varsity football player at Michigan, the team compiled an overall record of 17 wins and 4 losses. In his seventh season, Duffy reportedly served as a player and coach for the 1891 team
1891 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1891 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1891 college football season. The Wolverines played their home games at Ann Arbor Fairgrounds...
. While official sources list only Mike Murphy
Mike Murphy (trainer and coach)
Michael Charles "Mike" Murphy was an athletic trainer and coach at Yale University , the Detroit Athletic Club , the University of Michigan , the University of Pennsylvania , and the New York Athletic Club...
and Frank Crawford
Frank Crawford
Frank Crawford was a college football player and coach, lawyer and law professor. He played college football at Yale University and served as the first head football coach at the University of Michigan in 1891...
as the coaches of the 1891 team, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported in November 1891 that the Michigan team was "coached systematically" by Murphy, Crawford, Horace Greely Prettyman
Horace Greely Prettyman
Horace Greely Prettyman was an American football player in the early years of the sport. Prettyman won a record eight varsity letters at the University of Michigan, playing for the school's football team from 1882–1886 and 1888–1890...
and Duffy. The 1891 team finished with a 4–5 record, losing more games that year than in the prior six years combined.
Duffy received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1890 and a law degree in 1892. While at Michigan, Duffy was a member of the Chi Psi
Chi Psi
Chi Psi Fraternity is a fraternity and secret society consisting of 29 active chapters at American colleges and universities. It was founded on Thursday May 20, 1841, by 10 students at Union College with the idea of emphasizing the fraternal and social principles of a brotherhood...
(ΧΨ) fraternity.
Legal career
After receiving his degrees, he entered the practice of law in Bay City, MichiganBay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
. He was the city attorney in Bay City from 1897 to 1899 and thereafter returned to private practice. Duffy was also a member of the University of Michigan's Board in Control of Athletics from its inception through at least 1921. In February 1917, he was the only member of the Board who voted against a resolution favoring Michigan's rejoining the Western Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
.
Honorary degree
In 1921, the University of Michigan presented Duffy with an honorary degree of Master of Arts. When the honorary degree was presented, Professor John G. Winter praised Duffy as follows:"Mr. James Eugene Duffy, of Bay City, a graduate of Michigan, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, class of 1890, and of the Law School in the class of 1892. Vividly remembered by his fellow collegians of the older day as an athlete of high renown; a member of the Board in Control of Athletics since its inception, he has been helpful and constant in his devotion to the best interests of his Alma Mater. Honored alike by his associates of the bar and the citizens of his commonwealth, he deserves recognition by the University."