George McAfee

Bio

Duke's George McAfee was a quick-hitting, speedy, halfback with a talent for deception. Sleek and slender at 6-0, 175-pounds, McAfee and fellow Hall of Famer Eric Tipton formed the one-two punch of the great Duke teams of the late 1930s. There was no more "perfect" regular season than logged by the Blue Devils in 1938 when they rolled through nine games unbeaten, untied and unscored-upon, winning the Southern Conference title before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Southern California, 7-3, in the Rose Bowl. McAfee was a game-breaker that year, prompting sports writers to nickname him "One play McAfee." The experts were particularly impressed with the lefthander's ability to employ the halfback pass with outstanding accuracy. During McAfee's three varsity seasons, the Blue Devils won 24 of 29 games, with 17 of those decisions coming by shutout. As a pro McAfee's great play continued. In 1940, he joined the Chicago Bears and made All-Pro honors in 1941. His career was interrupted by active duty in the U.S. Navy during World War II, but McAfee returned to play for Chicago for five more seasons, switching to defense as an outstanding safety.

Career Highlights

• 1939 All-Conference
• 1939 First Team All-America