Born April 20, 1915, in Petersburg, Virginia, Duke University’s standout halfback of 1936 to the 1938 seasons, Eric “ Red” Tipton. Tipton was good at many things on the gridiron but his punting skills may be at the forefront. The FootballFoundation.org bio on Tipton tells of a game against the University of Pittsburgh in 1938 Coach Clarke Shaughnessy describes it as one of his top twelve moments witnessed on the field of play. Shaughnessy described it vividly, writing: "Tipton was a one-man show. The game was played on ice and snow at Durham, North Carolina; before a record crowd, and I doubt that anybody ever kicked a ball more skillfully or consistently than the grim, square-jawed Tipton that afternoon. Seven of his punts left Pitt within its own 10-yard line, while another seven stopped dead or went out of bounds inside the 20. Final score: Duke 7, Pitt 0." Tipton was brilliant at other phases of the game as well and helped Duke achieve a record of 25-4 during his time with the team. That 1938 squad though was special as they fought through a brilliant 9-0 run to get invited to play Southern Cal in the 1939 Rose Bowl. Duke played a tremendous game against the Trojans and lost it in a heart breaker in the waning seconds by the score of 7-3. That USC TD with about a minute left to play were the first point scored upon Duke all season! The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Eric Tipton in their legendary museum in 1965. Red, who became a heck of a baseball and football coach, also played Major League Baseball – in the top half in seasons (7) for over 500 MLB games played.