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Duke Athletics Hall of Fame Member Bob Pascal Passes Away
3/13/2021 12:01:00 AM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. – Bob Pascal, a former All-America running back at Duke and member of the school's Hall of Fame, passed away on Friday. He was 86.Â
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A native of Bloomfield, N.J., Pascal lettered three seasons (1953-54-55) as a running back and helped the Blue Devils to a three-year record of 22-6-3 including three ACC championships and a 34-7 win over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl on January 1, 1955. Duke did not lose an ACC contest during Pascal's career, posting a perfect 12-0 ledger while finishing each season ranked in at least one of the two major national polls.Â
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Playing for Hall of Fame head coach Bill Murray, Pascal finished his collegiate career with 307 rushing attempts for 1,523 yards and 19 touchdowns. He led Duke in both rushing yardage and scoring in 1954 (561 yards & 60 points) and 1955 (750 yards & 48 points). In addition to becoming the first Blue Devil to earn first team All-ACC honors in multiple seasons (1954 & 1955), Pascal was a first team All-America selection in 1955. Â
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Pascal is one of just two players in Duke history with multiple seasons of 500-plus rushing yards and eight-plus rushing touchdowns, joined only by Jay Calabrese. In Duke's victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, Pascal rushed for a game-high 91 yards on just nine attempts and scored the first touchdown of the contest. He scored a career-best three touchdowns in Duke's 47-12 win over North Carolina on November 27, 1954, and gained a career-high 157 ground yards on 20 carries in a 14-0 triumph over Wake Forest on November 19, 1955.Â
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Pascal was a third round selection of the Baltimore Colts in the 1956 NFL Draft and was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.Â
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On September 2, 2011, Duke University held a dedication ceremony for the Pascal Field House, an 80,000-square foot structure featuring a 120-yard football playing surface located at the Brooks Practice Facility. The building is named for Bob Pascal, who provided a lead gift of $6 million for the project.
#GoDuke
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A native of Bloomfield, N.J., Pascal lettered three seasons (1953-54-55) as a running back and helped the Blue Devils to a three-year record of 22-6-3 including three ACC championships and a 34-7 win over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl on January 1, 1955. Duke did not lose an ACC contest during Pascal's career, posting a perfect 12-0 ledger while finishing each season ranked in at least one of the two major national polls.Â
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Playing for Hall of Fame head coach Bill Murray, Pascal finished his collegiate career with 307 rushing attempts for 1,523 yards and 19 touchdowns. He led Duke in both rushing yardage and scoring in 1954 (561 yards & 60 points) and 1955 (750 yards & 48 points). In addition to becoming the first Blue Devil to earn first team All-ACC honors in multiple seasons (1954 & 1955), Pascal was a first team All-America selection in 1955. Â
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Pascal is one of just two players in Duke history with multiple seasons of 500-plus rushing yards and eight-plus rushing touchdowns, joined only by Jay Calabrese. In Duke's victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, Pascal rushed for a game-high 91 yards on just nine attempts and scored the first touchdown of the contest. He scored a career-best three touchdowns in Duke's 47-12 win over North Carolina on November 27, 1954, and gained a career-high 157 ground yards on 20 carries in a 14-0 triumph over Wake Forest on November 19, 1955.Â
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Pascal was a third round selection of the Baltimore Colts in the 1956 NFL Draft and was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.Â
Â
On September 2, 2011, Duke University held a dedication ceremony for the Pascal Field House, an 80,000-square foot structure featuring a 120-yard football playing surface located at the Brooks Practice Facility. The building is named for Bob Pascal, who provided a lead gift of $6 million for the project.
#GoDuke
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