Monday, September 05, 2005

MACON, Ga.- Former Mercer men’s basketball standout Wesley Duke has successfully made the transition from the hardwood of college basketball to the turf of the National Football League. Duke, whose trademark thunderous dunks earned him a spot in ESPN’s Slam Dunk Championships last March, signed as a free agent with the NFL’s Denver Broncos in April.

The native of Norcross, Ga., recorded his first catch since high school in the third quarter of the Broncos’ 30-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals last Friday night, with the Broncos ahead 24-13. The former college basketball player turned Broncos tight end hooked up with quarterback Matt Mauck for 20 yards. A 19-yard reception two plays later was called back on a penalty.

Duke, listed at 6-5, 225 pounds on the Broncos roster, averaged 9.8 ppg. and 5.9 rpg in 116 career games (102 starts), for the Bears while totaling 173 blocks and 104 steals. As a senior, he ranked fifth in the A-Sun in rebounding average (7.2 rpg.), posted a team-high 40 blocks and averaged 11.5 ppg. Duke finished in fourth place in the nationally televised slam dunk contest held in conjunction with the 2005 NCAA Final Four.

His cousin, Rufus Mayes, played 11 seasons in the NFL as an offensive tackle with Chicago (1969), Cincinnati (1970-78) and Philadelphia (1979). The Denver Broncos open the regular season, Sunday, Sept. 11, at Miami.