Paul Duhart

Paul Albert Duhart (December 30, 1920 – January 18, 2006) was a Canadian-American professional football player. Duhart played college football for the University of Florida. Thereafter, he played for the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Boston Yanks of the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons during the mid-1940s.

Early life

Duhart was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is of French-Canadian descent. He attended Saint Peter's High School in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he was a standout high school football player.

College career

Duhart enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida Duhart's performance that season earned his varsity letter in 1942, Duhart was the first college football player from the state of Florida to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft. After playing two games for the Steelers in , the Boston Yanks purchased him, and he finished the 1945 season with the Yanks before injuries ended his NFL career.

Duhart finished his two-season NFL career with sixty-eight carries for 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and nine receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed seven passes for sixty-nine yards.

Life after the NFL

After retiring from the NFL, Duhart attended Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in history and English.

In 1960, Duhart moved west from Southbridge, Massachusetts to become the athletic director and head varsity football coach for Arcadia High School in Arcadia, California. His 1961 Pacific League championship team was undefeated, extending his personal win streak to thirty games, and for the first time ever, the Arcadia Apaches defeated their cross-town rivals, the Monrovia High School Wildcats. Duhart led the Arcadia Apaches football program from 1960 through 1969, and also served as the head coach of the boys' varsity golf and girls' varsity tennis teams. He coached the girls' tennis team to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) tournament finals in 1992, and was later inducted into Arcadia High School's coaching Hall of Fame in 1998.

Duhart was a published poet in his later years and was remembered as a mentor to many students during his long tenure at Arcadia High School. He spoke French fluently, and taught French and history classes at Arcadia. An accomplished athlete who loved sports, he continued to play golf and tennis long into his retirement. Duhart died at his home in Huntington Beach, California, in 2006; he was 85 years old.