During its Rose Bowl games of the 30s and 40s and winning seasons in the 80s under former coach Steve Spurrier, the Duke football team was at the top of its game.
Jerry Mansell thinks he'll be around for the next winning era of Duke football under coach David Cutcliffe.
That's why Mansell -- who's signed up for the pass since he arrived at Duke two years ago -- was excited to be among the first Duke employees to purchase the Employee Athletic Pass, which offers faculty and staff reduced prices on season tickets to every Duke football and women's basketball home games. The pass is sponsored by the Duke Credit Union.
"Coach Cutcliffe is making a large effort to involve everybody at Duke and I certainly want to be supportive," said Mansell, a low vision coordinator at the Duke Eye Center. "I feel he deserves every bit of my support because he's going to turn this ship around."
Last year, about 2,700 employees took advantage of the pass, nearly double the amount from the 2007 season. New this year is tiered pricing, based on sports team:
• Single employee pass, football only -- $100
• Single employee pass, football and women's basketball -- $125
• Family employee pass, four tickets for football only -- $199
• Family employee pass, four tickets for football and women's basketball -- $250
Employees can add a person to a family plan for $49.75. Each pass holder also receives a free Duke T-shirt and multiple chances to purchase men's basketball tickets.
"Employees get to experience the pageantry and excitement of college football and basketball in some of the best venues in the country for an extreme discount," said Bart Smith, director of marketing and promotions for Duke Athletics. "We're always looking for ways to show our appreciation to the Duke Employees and give them the best deal possible when it comes to supporting Duke athletics."