Even if Earle Wentz had not been an outstanding three-year letterman in football and baseball, his name still would be forever etched in the Blue Devil record books as the first Duke baseball player to hit a home run at the Duke Stadium, now Jack Coombs field. Wentz achieved that feat in 1933 when he hit a homerun to left field that insured a win over Virginia Tech. Wentz went on to become a career .300 hitter while at Duke.

Although it was his baseball skills that first got him in the record books, Wentz achieved more fame on the gridiron. He was named All-America in 1934, his final reason as a player. In that year, he was also named All-Southern Conference, All-South and All-State for a second straight season.

He was a standout end on three Wallace Wade teams that accumulated a record of 23-6. Those three teams captured one Southern Conference title and were Big Five champions twice. Wentz helped the Blue Devils to a 9-1 record in 1933, with the lone loss coming in the season finale to Georgia Tech, costing the team a trip to the Rose Bowl. Wentz caught a fourth down pass in the end zone for an apparent touchdown in that game, only to have it nullified by a much-debated penalty. Duke lost 6-0.