Former Duke Letterman, Coach Mike McGee Passes Away

DURHAM, N.C. – Former Duke football letterman and head coach Mike McGee, the 1959 Outland Trophy recipient and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, passed away Friday at his home in Montrose, Colo. He was 80 years old.

“Coach McGee was a man we could all admire,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “Obviously, he played the game at the highest level and had success as both a coach and administrator, but his integrity, kindness and leadership qualities commanded respect from everyone who knew him. Our deepest condolences are extended to his family and loved ones.”

Born December 1, 1938 in Washington, D.C., and raised in Elizabeth City, N.C., McGee lettered three seasons on the gridiron at Duke from 1957-59, twice earning both All-ACC (First team in both 1958 & 1959) and All-America (Honorable mention in 1958 & first team in 1959) honors. He capped his outstanding collegiate career by receiving the ACC Player of the Year accolade in addition to the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman.

Named to both the Silver Anniversary and 50th Anniversary All-ACC teams, McGee also garnered the McKevlin Award as the ACC's Male Athlete of the Year in 1960. A second round pick of St. Louis in the 1960 NFL Draft, McGee played three seasons with the Cardinals, starting 36 games.

McGee's storied gridiron coaching career included assistant coaching stops at Duke (1963-65), Wisconsin (1966) and Minnesota (1967-69) and head coaching stints at East Carolina (1970) and Duke (1971-78). He transitioned into administration and later served as the athletic director at Cincinnati (1980-84), Southern California (1984-93) and South Carolina (1993-2005).

In 1990, McGee was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and also holds membership in the Duke Sports Hall of Fame (1983) and North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1991).

Former Duke Letterman, Coach Mike McGee Passes Away

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