Ken Duncan

Kenneth W. Duncan (born February 28, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ventura Pirates and Tulsa Golden Hurricane and was selected in the 17th round of the 1971 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He played one season for the Green Bay Packers in 1972 and was also briefly a member of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1973.

Early life Duncan was born on February 28, 1946, in Rock Island, Illinois. He first attended San Marcos High School in California before transferring to Carpinteria High School, where he competed in football, basketball and track and field as a junior and senior. As a junior, he was named first-team all-league in basketball and set the league record in the shot put. He then averaged 17.7 points per game as a senior in basketball and was selected All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). He concluded as a two-time all-league selection in both football and basketball, and as a senior he also set the league high jump record. He redshirted for the 1966 season. In 1967, Duncan was selected into the United States Army to serve in the Vietnam War.

Duncan returned to the University of Tulsa in 1969 and became the football team's starting punter, while also playing split end. In 1970, he caught nine passes for 152 yards and averaged 41 yards per punt to rank among the top punters nationally. He was named an All-American by The Sporting News for his performance and also served as Tulsa's co-team captain for the 1970 season. He also had four rush attempts on fake punts at Tulsa, with the Tulsa World noting that "you just never know what he's going to do when he drops back to punt a football". However, he was later released without playing in a game, as the Vikings decided to have quarterback Bob Lee perform punting duties. After being released by the Vikings, he was claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers. Duncan made his NFL debut in the Packers' Week 2 game against the Denver Broncos, punting twice for 75 yards; he then punted four times for 141 yards the following game against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, he tore his hamstring against the Bengals and was then placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Duncan signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1973 and initially impressed, but was ultimately released prior to the regular season, in part due to recurring knee issues.

Later life Duncan married and had two daughters and a son. After his playing career, he worked as a coach at Ventura College, coaching punters and wide receivers, and coached basketball and football at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura. He started a business, Unique Fitness, and worked as a personal trainer. He was inducted into the Carpinteria High School Warrior Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame in 2009.