Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
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Final
Men's Lacrosse
12
vs Georgetown
16
Former Swimming And Lacrosse Coach Dies At 96
8/22/2005 1:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
DURHAM, N.C. --
Walter Scott "Jack" Persons, who coached the Duke swimming and lacrosse teams and is a member of the Duke Sports Hall of Fame, passed away Monday morning. He was 96.
Persons, a 1933 Duke graduate, was dedicated to Duke athletics, serving as the head swimming coach from 1931-1975 and the head lacrosse coach from 1940-1966.
When Persons took over the swimming position in 1931, he was the youngest head coach at a major university in the nation as a 20-year-old. He led his teams to 207 victories in 378 meets, including undefeated seasons in 1933 (6-0) and 1939 (9-0). Persons' teams also captured one Southern Conference championship and seven runner-up finishes and ranked at the top of the Big Five from 1932-35.
After assuming lacrosse coaching responsibilities in 1940, Persons directed Duke to one of the greatest upsets in collegiate lacrosse history in 1946 when the Blue Devils shocked national power Maryland, 12-4. In the 1950s, his team was a national contender on a yearly basis, with the 1951 squad finishing second in the nation. Persons had three teams finish the year ranked among the top 10 teams in the country. Persons retired from Duke coaching in 1975 and was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
In addition to his coaching duties, Persons taught physical education at Duke and was a pioneer of swimming in North Carolina. As a leading advocate of water safety, he was the chairman of the Durham County Red Cross life saving and water safety units.
Persons' burial will be held Thurs., Sept. 1, at 10 a.m. at Cross Roads Presbyterian Church on Hwy 119 in Mebane, N.C. A memorial service will follow the same day at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 305 E. Main St., in Durham.
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