Featured Athlete of the Week: Duke Duff, North Putnam

Thursday, January 12, 2017
Duke Duff

Duke Duff is a senior at North Putnam, and is an old-school three-sport athlete — competing in baseball, basketball and football.

Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you?

Duke Duff: “Sports are everything to me, and they have been my entire life. With my dad [Jarrod Duff] being a coach, I have always been on the field and in the gym. I would be very bored if sports didn’t exist.”

BG: Do you have a favorite sport, and which one do you think you play the best?

DD: “I like all of them equally. I’m not sure which one I’m best at.... maybe baseball. I’ve put the most time into that throughout my life.”

BG: You are not the star player on your teams, but your coaches all talk about how valuable you are to the team overall. Do you like that role?

DD: “I try to do the little things right. Even if I’m not the best at all the skill sets, I try to do things that don’t require a lot of athletic ability. Things like hustling and being a leader.”

BG: What have you learned from sports?

DD: “Sports have taught me to be a better leader, along with how putting in work in the off-season pays off when you play the games. If one of my other teammates is down, I have learned to pick them up by not yelling at them. When I have my own business someday, I will know how to handle employees better.”

BG: What line of work do you want to go into?

DD: “I am going to Purdue in the fall to major in landscape architecture. I worked a couple of side jobs in landscaping over the summer, and I enjoyed those. I like the agriculture industry.”

BG: What was it like going to Cloverdale before coming to North Putnam?

DD: “I enjoyed going to Cloverdale, and I went there with my dad. I only left when my dad got a coaching job at North Putnam. I couldn’t go there and have the possibility of playing against him. I got to play football for him my freshman and sophomore years, and baseball my sophomore year. He was an boys’ assistant basketball coach at North Putnam last year, so I got to play for him in all three sports. That was cool. Not many people get the chance to do that.”

BG: What classes have helped you most at North Putnam?

DD: “Math here is very good. Mrs. Lippencott is a very good teacher. I also enjoyed psychology with Mr. Spencer, and he’s a really good teacher.”

BG: What do you do that is not school-related?

DD: “I like to spend time with my friends and family, and I like to work and make some money whenever I can.”

BG: What are you going to do with your time once your school sports career ends this summer?

DD: “I don’t know. It’s going to be awkward and weird without sports in my life after this year.”

BG: What is something you have never done before that you would like to do.?

DD: “My dad and I have always talked about traveling to all of the major-league baseball parks. Maybe someday if I get a good job I can pay the expenses for all that.”

BG: Are you going to miss it here?

DD: “I love North Putnam, and I love all the coaches and teachers here. They have all been great to me.”

BG: Where do you see yourself living as an adult?

DD: “I would like to have my own landscaping business around here, and all my family is here.”

BG: Maybe even coach a little bit?

DD: “Yeah.”

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