Where are they now? Randy Duncan

Randy Duncan played quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1955 to 1958. Duncan was coach Forest Evashevski’s starting quarterback for the 1957 and 1958 seasons. Duncan was born in Osage, Iowa but moved to Des Moines and attended Roosevelt High School where he excelled in both football and basketball. He was heavily recruited out of high school and decided to attend Iowa thanks in large part to his friendship with then Iowa assistant coach Bump Elliott. After serving as backup in 1956, Randy Duncan became Iowa’s starting quarterback for his junior season of 1957. The Hawkeyes finished with a 7-1-1 record that season but were not invited to a bowl game. Duncan led the team in passing and was named 1st Team All-Big Ten as a junior. As a senior in 1958, Duncan led Iowa to an 8-1-1 record and the Big Ten Championship. The Hawkeyes were invited to the 1959 Rose Bowl and beat California by a score of 38-12. Duncan led the nation in total offense that season and was named the 1958 Big Ten MVP. He was also voted a consensus 1st Team All-American and finished 2nd in Heisman Trophy voting to Army quarterback Pete Dawkins. Duncan remains one of only 5 Hawkeyes to ever finish in the top 2 of Heisman voting. Randy Duncan is still the only Hawkeye to ever be selected with the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers picked Duncan first overall in the 1959 NFL Draft. He would never play a down for the Packers however, and instead went to play for Vancouver in the Canadian Football League. It was not that uncommon for players to skip out on the NFL during that time before the AFL/NFL merger, and Duncan was actually offered more money to play in Canada. He played two years in Canada before joining the AFL’s Dallas Texans and played there for a year as backup QB. During that season, he also attended law school at nearby Southern Methodist University. Duncan retired from football after that year and returned to Des Moines where he would finish law school at Drake University. Currently, Randy Duncan is an attorney for the Law Offices of Duncan, Green, Brown, and Langeness. He has operated the successful law firm in Des Moines for decades. Recently, Hawkeye legend Randy Duncan served as honorary captain for Iowa’s season opener against Maine.