In 1947, Duke had a more impressive campus than Wake Forest, which was still located in nearby Wake Forest, N.C., and Wake Forest head football coach Douglas "Peahead" Walker used that to his advantage.
Walker, who coached the Demon Deacons for 14 seasons and led them to a victory in the 1946 Gator Bowl, wanted Bill George, a prized recruit from Pennsylvania. Walker was concerned George wouldn't be impressed with Wake Forest's campus, so he picked up the 6-foot-4 prospect from the Raleigh train station and drove him to Durham.
The story from Our State:
Someday, Walker told him as they gazed up at the majestic Duke Stadium, you will play here. George was sold.
Of course, once George got to Wake, the story unraveled. After a few weeks, he asked Walker where the pretty buildings were. “Them buildings, they’re on the West Campus,” Walker told him, according to Peahead! “That’s for upperclassmen. This here’s the East Campus.” Later, when George played a game at Duke, he realized he’d been duped. I didn’t lie to you, Walker supposedly told him. I told you you’d play here one day.
George stayed at Wake Forest and was a second-round pick in the 1951 NFL Draft. He was an eight-time All-Pro with the Chicago Bears.
