Bioperse: Duffy Daugherty

At forty-one, Michigan State's Hugh Duffy Daugherty is a coach in the Knute Rockne mold.... Like Rockne, Daugherty has a big grin, a gift for story-telling and an impressive habit of winning.... Duffy grew up in Barnesboro, Pa. and football was drilled into him early.... He likes to tell about his father, who started out as a coal miner and played quarterback on several club teams. "We used to practice our tackling," the elder Daugherty sternly taught his son, "by diving over a coal cart after a rat. If we didn't get hold of both hind legs we weren't any good."...Duffy worked in a shirt factory, later in the mines; not until he was 21 was he able to enter Syracuse, where he starred in the line.... After time out for World War II (including 27 months in New Guinea and a Bronze Star) Daugherty hooked up with his old Syracuse line coach, Biggy Munn, succeeded Biggy at Michigan State two seasons ago.... A seemingly relaxed figure during a game, given to munching apples on the bench, Duffy is an exacting perfectionist in drills. "Growl at 'em!" he commands his linemen. After a practice that fails to satisfy him, he tells them: "Now we're going to run you, run you, run you." And up and down the field his players go, in gasping wind sprints, while Duffy cries, "Dig it! Dig it! Dig it!"...This kind of training paid off for Michigan State in their 8-1 season last year, culminated by victory in the Rose Bowl last January when Dave Kaiser, a junior end, place kicked a 41-yard field goal with seven seconds to go.... Kaiser showed up for practice this fall justifiably entitled to team admiration.

Duffy made sure his boy didn't lose perspective. "Golden Toe," Duffy saluted him. "Hey, Golden Toe, you think you can hold on to a pass?"