Barrington resident Duke going into Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
These days, the NCAA boasts a $710 million annual budget and hundreds of employees working in a fancy corporate building in Indianapolis.
But in 1952, Wayne Duke constituted one-fifth of the NCAA's employees when the institution opened its first full-time office in Kansas City.
To commemorative the occasion, the Kansas City Star wrote a long story about the NCAA's big plans hatched from its three-room office “suite.”
“Over a saloon,” Duke said.
In the story's headline, the Star identified Executive Director Walter Byers by his correct name. As for Byers' assistant? He was listed as “Duke Wayne.”
Wayne Duke has come a long way since that inadvertent identification.
He wrote the NCAA Tournament handbook and had an important hand in the tournament and Final Four for 25 years.
He served as the Big Eight's commissioner for eight years. He became the Big Ten's commissioner in 1971, which was when he annd his wife, Martha, built the brick ranch in Barrington that remains their home today.
In essence, all of the things he accomplished during his 60-plus years in college sports can't be contained on one page.
Duke, 82, adds another honor to that elongated list Saturday night when he returns to Kansas City to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Duke joins the Hall as a contributor in the eight-man Class of 2010 that includes Jerry West, Tex Winter, Christian Laettner and David Thompson.
“I'm a paper shuffler,” said Duke, claiming the primary photographic evidence of him on a basketball team comes from the 1940s when he served as the manager for his Burlington, Iowa, junior high.
“But I represent a lot of people like myself who, behind the scenes, did the administrative work of the Tournament. For that reason, I'm really pleased to represent them.”
Duke's biggest impact on basketball came via the NCAA Tournament.
When he attended his first Final Four in 1953, the tournament was a 22-team affair that didn't allow more than one team per conference.
During his eight years as a member of the NCAA's Executive Committee (1969-76) and six years on the Tournament committee (1976-81), he was a force behind some of the Tournament's biggest changes.
Duke was a vocal proponent to open the Tournament beyond conference champions, which allowed the field to expand gradually from 25 to 48 teams.
He presided over the introduction of the seeding process (rather than simple geographic assignments) in 1978. He endorsed the introduction of RPI in 1981 to aid with the rankings.
Also in 1981, when Ronald Reagan was shot on the morning of the Indiana-North Carolina title game, Duke in his role as the Tournament's chairman had to make the call to play as scheduled.
And, year after year, Duke made it a point to attend every Final Four. Since 1953, he has witnessed every Final Four except two and he wouldn't have missed the 1965 and 2010 finals if not for orthopedic surgeries.
As part of his trip to Kansas City this weekend, Duke plans to go with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Tom Jernstedt to visit Byers at his home.
Will they laugh as they recall the start of their partnership in 1952 when Byers hired “Duke Wayne?”
And will Duke make them chuckle when he recounts his encounter with John Wayne at a Rose Bowl event during his time as Big Ten commissioner?
Duke does his best “Duke” impression when he tells the story.
“We were introduced, he heard my name and said, ‘Ya gotta be kiddin' me.'”