Duke’s successful 89’ football run

Clarkston Hines was maybe the smoothest wide receiver I watched back in my college days.

They kind of overlap. He played at Duke. He was a three-time all-ACC player, unanimous all-American ACC player of the year, ACC athlete of the year, and an ACC champ. And he joins us on the Adam Gold Show. I did the best I could with that intro. How are you?

I'm doing fantastic, Adam. All right, I want to get to that season because there have not been many, especially in the modern era of college football, meaning like anything after 1980, there have not been sustained periods of good football for Duke. David Cukla just experienced one and now Mike Elko is trying to do the same. But you guys were good under Steve Spurrier.

What was it like? How did that happen under Spurrier? I know it was a short period of time, but how did that come about?

Great question. It started right away with the tone that Coach Spurrier set when he first began interacting with the team, the confidence that he had. We were a losing program at that point.

I can't remember how many. In fact, I don't think we had a winning season since Coach Spurrier was the offensive coordinator in the early 80s and Red Wilson was the head coach. He comes in infectious attitude, confident, talking about winning. We needed to hear that as a team. We needed to build some confidence. Then he installed that incredible offense, the air ball, which was the nickname back then, the marketing nickname. We started the 87th season. I think we finished five and six, so a little bit of improvement. Then we built upon that the next year in 88 by going 7-3-1, narrowly missing going to a bowl game. So things were set up for 1989 for us. Although, I don't know if you recall, I think we started a season one and three. So we had a disastrous beginning of the season. Then we just turned it around. We won the last seven games in a row, won the ACC championship, and was able to go to a bowl game for the first time. So everything just began to shift and move and set up for that fantastic 1989 season. Clarkston-Hines is joining us here in that year.

17 touchdown catches, 61 catches, 1,149 yards. The six and one ACC record of the six ACC wins. That was the most since 1962.

It's only been equaled one time since. There was a time where you guys only, not you, but teams only played six conference games. And in that point, you guys were only playing seven conference games.

You did. You got off to one and three starting, including a loss to Virginia in your first ACC game. And then you're ripped through, as you said, you know, as you said, the last six in a row, including wins over NC State and North Carolina to close the season. When you guys were on a roll like that, was it belief?

Was it confidence? Or were you just flat better than most of the teams you were playing? I think that the upset win that we had against Clemson, when Clemson came up to Wallace Wade, I believe, I know they were in the top 10.

They could have been number, you know, seventh or eighth in the country. And when we, that win that we had against that really good team, just really, it helped us get away from the doldrums of the beginning of the season. And it was a new start for us. It got us back on track and the offense got more effective. Our defense, we took a lot of risks. We were blitzing defense back then. We took chances.

Back then we took chances. We had, you know, really good cornerbacks and playing one-on-one, Wyatt Smith and Quinton McCracken. We had a really good safety and Erwin Sampson. So just everything just started to click. Of course, Coach Spurrier's play calling, the offensive line got going. And then Cuddy Cuthbert, Randy Cuthbert, you know, he was, I think, our first 1,000-yard rusher in a long time.

So just everything started to click. Clarkson Hines is joining us here. Yes, Clemson. Well, you are either staring at college football reference, as I am, or you have amazing recall. Clemson was seventh in the country. Of course, the famous picture with Spurrier in front of the scoreboard at Keenan Stadium, 41-0, which is one of the most famous photos in ACC history. Just hysterical.

He was trolling before trolling was really invented. What was it like playing for Coach Spurrier? Obviously, that was in the early days of that was his first really shot as a head coach of major college football. So what was it like playing for him?

It was great. I mean, it was a wide receiver's dream to play for a play caller like Coach Spurrier, someone who was in the, you know, Heisman Trophy winner in college, but one in the last generation of NFL quarterbacks that called their own plays. So he's built on that experience of being able to call his own plays in the NFL. And then it helped him become one of, in my opinion, one of the best play callers, offensive play callers ever. So just a character, a winner, someone who was one of the first head college football coaches that had a marketing streak about him to really just add excitement and fun to just about everything we did.

Yeah, he was a Duke. And then he went to the USFL. I wonder, because he spent some time, I guess it was like Tampa Bay or something. I remember him there.

I wonder if that had kind of an influence on when he came back to college as a head coach. You spent one year with the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks. Can you sum up what that was like? It was a forgettable season. We were winless. It's the first time I've ever been a part of any team that didn't win a game. It was going back to rec league as a little kid. We got to play with some great guys. And we had Roman Gabriel as our head coach. And so it was weird for my home stadium, and I had an air quotes up, Adam, to be Carter Finley Stadium. That didn't seem right. But other than that, I was able to make an all-world league.

That sounds great. Well, I was very fortunate individually, but we didn't have hardly any team success. So yeah, not surprisingly, I think the team folded and got out of the game. Again, I think the team folded and got transferred to Ohio. And I said, hey, you know what? I'm going to hang up my cleats after that. You've obviously been a huge success off the field.

But I would just say that all-world sounds better than all-American to me. But let me ask you one more thing. And this goes back to Duke because Coach Cutt had a very good run over at Wallace Wade Stadium. And Coach Elko, Mike Elko, did an amazing job at stirring it up and waking everything back up last season. When you look at Duke football now, what do you think the possibilities are?

I think the possibilities are good. And it takes... Macy's one day sale starts tomorrow with deals of the day on the perfect wardrobe updates and home finds. Like 40 to 60% off summer style she'll love. Up to 40% off her favorite shoes, handbags, and wallets. And 35 to 70% off bedding and bath featuring hotel collection and more. Plus get contact-free curbside pickup or pickup in store today. Details at Macy's.com slash pickup.

Savings off sale and clearance prices. Exclusions apply. A good leader to come in. We have to have at Duke support from administration, support from the athletic department. And we need to just make sure that we position ourselves from a schematic standpoint in terms of our offensive strategy, defensive strategy based upon a talent that we have to be as effective as possible. And to make sure that we are competitive in each game. That we don't shoot ourselves in the foot. But we can win. We saw the coach barrier when I was there and coach Cut had some success, really good success especially early on.

And like you alluded to, coach Elko has started off on the right foot. So it can happen. We just need to, you know, continue to improve. But more than anything, we've got to have support from all types of resources within Duke, administration, former players, etc.

in order to make this happen. Maybe it all gets going with another upset win of a top 10 Clemson team. This one coming on opening night. I hope you'll be there. I actually think it will be a blast and I think Duke has a real chance. Week one, anything can happen in week one.

We have no clue. It could be a blast. Clarkston Hines, a Duke legend. I appreciate your time, sir. I'll reach out again and we'll talk football. Fantastic.

Thanks again for having me on and have a great rest of the day. Incredible gentleman, Clarkston Hines. Clarkston Hines, the incredible wide receiver at Duke. He's in the Duke Hall of Fame. I think he's in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame as well. But the numbers for those three years, 38 total touchdown catches.

Almost, just about, almost 200 receptions in three years. Remember, they weren't playing 12 or 13 games all the time. For Duke, they played 11, then they played 11, and then they played 12.

So, because they went to a bowl game only once, but that was a great era of Duke football. Macy's one day sale starts tomorrow with deals of the day on the perfect wardrobe updates and home finds. Like 40 to 60% off summer styles she'll love. Up to 40% off her favorite shoes, handbags, and wallets. And 35 to 70% off bedding and bath featuring hotel collection and more. Plus get contact-free curbside pickup or pickup in store today. Details at macy's.com slash pickup. Savings off sale and clearance prices. Exclusions apply.