Moon Ducote

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Moon Ducote (Richard Joseph Ducote), known as "Moon," was a talented American athlete and coach born on August 28, 1897, in Cottonport, Louisiana. He starred in football, baseball, and basketball, attending Spring Hill College and then Auburn University, where he played football from 1915 to 1917. A versatile back and line player with a famous drop-kicking ability, Ducote earned All-Southern honors in 1916 and 1917. He is remembered for a remarkable 40-yard field goal kicked off a helmet in 1916 against Georgia, a moment that led to a new rule requiring the ball to be kicked from the ground.

During World War I, he played for the Cleveland Naval Reserve football team and in 1920 appeared in one NFL game for the Cleveland Tigers. He also pursued baseball, playing in the minor leagues for teams including the Mobile Bears, Portsmouth Truckers, and Charlotte Hornets between 1919 and 1926.

As a coach, Ducote led Spring Hill College’s football program from 1919 to 1922 and again in the early 1930s. He also coached at Louisiana State University (LSU) as head basketball and baseball coach in 1924 and later served in various roles at Loyola University of New Orleans, including head football coach in 1924, backfield coach in the mid-1930s, and athletic director from 1936 until his death. He spent several years as a football official in the Southern Conference and Southeastern Conference, officiating many games and helping to judge the 1935 Rose Bowl; he was elected chairman of the Southern Football Officials’ Association in 1935.

Off the field, Ducote ran a cleaning service in the late 1920s. He passed away in New Orleans on March 26, 1937, at the age of 39 after a period of illness. In 2014, he was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.