CARL DURHAM
Football, 1928-31
Inducted February 28, 1987

Carl Durham was a standout lineman in football as he lettered for the grid Bears of Arthur Briggs four years in a row from 1928 to 1931.  Springfield native Durham helped the Bears to an MIAA championship in his freshman season as SMSU went 7-1-1 overall.  The Bears logged records of 6-2-1 his sophomore years and 5-2-1 his senior season and finished as the conference runnerup team each year, while placing as low as third only when Durham was a junior.  Durham was one of the only three SMSU linemen ever to win MIAA all-conference honors in three different seasons.  He was selected to the all-league team as a guard in 1929, as a tackle in 1930 and as an end in 1931, and, his last two years, he was the only SMS player to get all-conference honors.  Durham was the Bears’ captain in 1930 and was selected to the all-southwest Region team in 1931 as a senior.  He was later a unanimous selection to the Senior High all-time team selected by former Bulldog coaches.  Coach Briggs observed of Durham, “He was one of the greatest linemen I ever coached.”  Durham led the Bears to a four-year record of 22-10-3.  He was killed in an automobile accident in 1933.