James E. Duffy (American football)
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| Date of birth | January 10, 1867 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Date of death | September 16, 1953 (aged 86) |
| Place of death | Bay City, Michigan |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| College | University of Michigan |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1885–1891 | Michigan |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Honors | Michigan team captain (1888) |
James Eugene Duffy (January 10, 1867 – September 16, 1953) was an American football player and lawyer. He played halfback for the University of Michigan football team for seven years from 1885 to 1891 and was captain of the 1888 team. In 1886, he set the world record by drop kicking a football 168 feet, 7½ inches. After graduating from Michigan, he was an attorney in Bay City, Michigan and a long-time member of the University of Michigan Board in Control of Athletics.
A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan (born January 10, 1867), Duffy enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1885. While attending the school as both an undergraduate and law student, he played halfback for the Michigan football team for seven years from 1885 to 1891. He was the team captain in 1888, and his brother John L. Duffy was captain of the 1887 team. Near the end of Duffy's career at Michigan, the Chicago Daily Tribune wrote: "Duffy is an old U. of M. player. Although a swift runner and clever dodger his great strength lies in kicking ability, punting and drop-kicking."
As a rusher, Duffy had great speed. At Michigan's May 1888 field day, Duffy won both sprint events, with times of 10.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash and 22.4 seconds in the 220-yard dash. Prior to the 1888 football game between Michigan and Notre Dame, the players competed in a 100-yard foot race, which Duffy won. Duffy also ran for two touchdowns in the 1888 Notre Dame game which Michigan won by a score of 26–6.
As a kicker, Duffy set or tied distance records for his era. On May 22, 1886, at a field day in Ann Arbor, Duffy drop kicked a football 168 feet, 7½ inches. Outing magazine reported that Duffy's kick broke "the best record of the world by 11 feet and 5 inches." A few days before his record-breaking kick at the May 1886 field day, Duffy had kicked the ball 194 feet in a practice session. On the day of the event, he reportedly broke the record five times. In 1888, the Detroit Free Press wrote:
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