THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 1, 1994 TAG: 9409010715
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DURHAM LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
When Fred Goldsmith was considering the head coaching job at Duke last December, it made sense for him to call on old friend Steve Spurrier for advice.
Spurrier, now at Florida, was the only coach since the Bill Murray era ended in 1965 who has had a winning career record at Duke.
But while Goldsmith found Spurrier's advice helpful, he says he leaned more heavily on Spurrier's wife, Jerri, also an old friend.
``I wasn't just the best man in their wedding - I was the only man in their wedding,'' Goldsmith says with a laugh.
But what could Jerri Spurrier tell Goldsmith about the Duke football program? Plenty.
``She had a son (Steve Jr.) who had just finished playing four years at Duke,'' Goldsmith says. ``I wanted to know how the players felt about Duke. Did they enjoy going there? I wanted to be very careful about this.
``A lot of players go to academic schools to get a good education but do not enjoy it while they are there. I didn't want to be in that situation.''
Goldsmith had been in such a situation as an assistant at the Air Force Academy, and he wasn't completely satisfied with the social climate for his players at Rice, the small, private school in Houston where he had been head coach for five years.
Goldsmith's concerns were soothed by Jerri Spurrier. Her son loved Duke. So did his friends.
``It was the kind of place that the players felt they could get an Ivy League education and still have fun on campus,'' Goldsmith says.
Goldsmith, 50, became the 17th head football coach at Duke last December, replacing Barry Wilson, who was 13-30-1 in his four-year stay. He'll make his debut Saturday at home against Maryland.
Goldsmith says the input from Jerri Spurrier was so important he probably would have backed away if she had not been positive.
``At this stage of my career, I do not want to be going anyplace that I don't feel like I am selling a great product,'' Goldsmith explains. ``Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football and when you walk into a young man's home, if you don't really believe in the product you are selling, then it's too tough.''
But what really convinced Goldsmith to take the job, which had been turned down by others, was a promise by athletic director Tom Butters that the university was willing to make new commitments to improving the football program.
``He (Butters) convinced me of those intentions, and he has backed that up,'' Goldsmith says. ``We are doing things like the top people are are now, and our conference is filled with top people. If you recruit against them, you have to have the same commitments that their universities do.''
Duke has been able to bring in some quality players in recent years, but not enough to compensate for the injuries that are part of the game.
The lack of quality depth was what prevented Wilson from succeeding, and Goldsmith with have to struggle under the same handicap, at least for a couple of seasons.
Meanwhile, Goldsmith hopes more quickly to improve another perennial Duke problem: weak defense.
``You are interesting when you play well on offense, and we have to continue to play well on offense,'' he says. ``But you have to play good defense to win. We have a tradition of being good offensively, but we can't be real good on one side and real bad on the other side and win.''
Goldsmith has thrown himself totally into the challenge of making Duke as successful on the football field as it is on the basketball court.
During the spring, he personally wrote notes to students asking for their support.
``We have the `Cameron Crazies' in basketball, and that is what makes Cameron Indoor Stadium special,'' Goldmsith says. ``Otherwise, it would be just a little, old, small, 9,000-seat gym. The atmosphere is created by people.''
Goldsmith credits Duke president Nan Keohane with nicknaming student supporters in Wallace Wade Stadium ``Wade's Wackos.''
``I like it,' smiles Goldsmith. ``We are having T-shirts made up.''
Whether Goldmsith can give the students something to go wacky about - or even hold their interest to the basketball season - remains to be seen. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
New Duke coach Fred Goldsmith inherits a program that has managed 13
wins in four years.
by CNB