After a 14-year run that included six bowl appearances, Duke and head football coach David Cutcliffe have mutually agreed to separate, according to an announcement from the university. The Blue Devils finished the 2021 season with a 3-9 record that ended with a 47-10 loss to Miami on Saturday. It marks the program's third straight losing season under Cutcliffe, 67, who finishes his tenure with a 77-97 record.
"After some detailed and amiable discussions with Nina King, we've mutually decided that it is the right time for change in the leadership of Duke Football," said Cutcliffe in a statement. "Karen and I have loved our time in Durham. Duke University will always hold a special place in our hearts."
The Blue Devils had won just 10 total games in the eight seasons before Cutcliffe's arrival for the 2008 season. The former Ole Miss coach built the ACC bottom-dweller into a respectable squad, leading it to six bowl games in seven seasons from 2012 to 2018. The stretch was highlighted by a 10-4 (6-2 ACC) season in 2013 that included an ACC Coastal title. For his efforts, Cutcliffe was named Walter Camp Coach of the Year.
The past three seasons were less kind, however. Duke has won just 10 games since the end of the 2018 season with just one conference victory in the past two seasons.
First-year athletic director Nina King will hire Cutcliffe's replacement after it was announced on May 19 that she would succeed retiring AD Kevin White. Hiring a football coach is merely the latest development for the department during the first year of King's tenure. Legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski announced on June 2 that he will retire after the upcoming season.
"We are extremely grateful for David's leadership over the past 14 seasons," said King. "He lifted our program to unprecedented heights, both on and off the field, while maintaining the core values of the University and we could not be more appreciative of his mentorship of every student-athlete who played for Duke during his tenure. David and Karen have been tremendous ambassadors of Duke University and the Durham community and we wish them, along with their family, all the best going forward."
