{{Short description|American football and basketball player (1920–1971)}} {{Use American English|date=June 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Don Durdan | image = Don Durdan 1942.jpg | caption = Durdan, circa 1942 | position = Half back, defensive back | number = 93 | birth_date = September 21, 1920 | birth_place = Arcata, California, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1971|6|28|1920|9|21}} | death_place = Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 9 | weight_lbs = 175 | high_school = Eureka {{avoid wrap|(Eureka, California)}} | college = Oregon State | undraftedyear = 1943 | pastteams = *San Francisco 49ers (1946–1947) | statlabel1 = Rushing att–yards | statvalue1 = 33–134 | statlabel2 = Receptions–yards | statvalue2 = 2–27 | statlabel3 = Touchdowns | statvalue3 = 1 | pfr = | highlights = * Second-team All-PCC (1941) *1942 Rose Bowl MVP *Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, 1981 * Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, 1988 * Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame, 1988 | HOF = | CollegeHOF = }} '''Donald Edgar Durdan''' (September 21, 1920 – June 28, 1971) was an American professional football and basketball player. He played collegiately for the Oregon State Beavers.
==Early life== Durdan was born in Arcata, California and attended Eureka High School, where he played running back on the high school football team. In 1935, Durdan's team was not only undefeated, but they did not allow their opponents to score a single point.<ref name=timesstd>{{cite web|url=http://www.humboldt.k12.ca.us/hdnleagu/media/Century1900.htm|title=Pigg tops athletes of century|accessdate=2007-11-05|date=January 2, 2000|work=Times-Standard (Eureka, Calif.)}}</ref>
Durdan went on to Oregon State University, where he started in baseball, basketball, and football, and was a member of Pacific Coast Conference championship teams in each sport. He was named an All-American in basketball in his senior year of 1943.<ref name=osua>{{cite web|url=http://digitalcollections.library.oregonstate.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/archives&CISOPTR=281|title=Best of OSU Archives|accessdate=2007-11-06|publisher=Oregon State University Archives|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214001322/http://digitalcollections.library.oregonstate.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Farchives&CISOPTR=281|archivedate=2007-12-14}}</ref>
==Rose Bowl MVP== In 1941, the Beavers football team won the Pacific Coast Conference and a berth in the 1942 Rose Bowl against the undefeated Duke Blue Devils. With the United States' entry into World War II, concern about a Japanese attack on the West Coast brought a relocation of the game to Duke's home stadium in Durham, North Carolina.<ref name=rose>{{cite web|url=http://www.sports-venue.info/NCAAF/Bowls/T_Rose_Bowl_Timeline.html |title=Rose Bowl Timeline |publisher=Pasadena Tournament of Roses |accessdate=2007-11-05 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080522115924/http://www.sports-venue.info/NCAAF/Bowls/T_Rose_Bowl_Timeline.html |archivedate=2008-05-22 }}</ref> In spite of the fact that Duke was favored by two touchdowns, the Beavers pulled off a major upset, winning 20–16.<ref name=time>{{cite journal|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773048,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014153033/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773048,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 14, 2010|journal=Time|title=Underdog Bites Duke|date=January 12, 1942|accessdate=2007-11-06}}</ref> Durdan, who showed his all-around skill by rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown, passing, and punting, was named the game's most valuable player.<ref name=rose/> This remains the Beavers' only Rose Bowl victory.
==Professional career== Durdan served in the United States Navy during World War II.<ref name=mort>{{cite web|title=Our History|url=http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/aboutus/history.cfm?page=2&fh_id=11095&s_id=62DBB3382DC2CF18CDF0339F44C41E82|publisher=DeMoss and Durdan Funeral Home and Crematory|accessdate=2007-11-06}}</ref> After the war, Durdan signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 1946, where he played halfback as well as defensive back for one full season and part of a second in 1947.
In addition to playing professional football, Durdan also played professional basketball for the Portland Indians of the Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League. The league lasted just two seasons (1946–47 and 1947–48), but Durdan's Indians won the best-of-five league championship in 1948 over the rival Seattle Athletics.<ref name=apbr>{{cite web|url=http://www.apbr.org/pcpbl.html|title=Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League 1946-47 to 1947-48|last=Kenyon|first=J. Michael|accessdate=2007-11-06|publisher=Association for Professional Basketball Research}}</ref>
==Personal== In 1946, Durdan married Maxine DeMoss, sister of Oregon golf champion Grace DeMoss (another DeMoss sister married Durdan's Rose Bowl teammate Quentin Greenough).<ref name=mort/><ref name=gazette>{{cite web|url=http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2004/10/21/news/obituaries/thuobi01.txt|title=Obituary: Raymond "Rick" Greenough|work=Corvallis Gazette-Times|date=October 20, 2004|accessdate=2007-11-07}}</ref> Following his sports career, Durdan became a funeral director in his wife's family's funeral home business in Corvallis, Oregon.<ref name=mort/> He died in Corvallis in 1971. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981,<ref name=oshof>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonsportshall.org/inductee-members.html |publisher=Oregon Sports Hall of Fame |title=Hall of Fame Roll of Honor Members |accessdate=May 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727152755/http://www.oregonsportshall.org/inductee-members.html |archivedate=July 27, 2011 }}</ref> and in 1988, to both the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name=rbhof>{{cite web|url=http://www.tournamentofroses.com/history/halloffame.asp |title=Rose Bowl Hall of Fame |accessdate=2007-11-06 |publisher=Pasadena Tournament of Roses |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311130751/http://www.tournamentofroses.com/history/halloffame.asp |archivedate=2008-03-11 }}</ref><ref name=osuhof>{{cite web|url=http://www.osubeavers.com/ot/varsity-o-hall-of-fame.html|title=Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame|publisher=Oregon State Sports Information|accessdate=May 24, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104155007/http://www.osubeavers.com/ot/varsity-o-hall-of-fame.html|archivedate=November 4, 2011}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Find a Grave}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durdan, Don}} Category:1920 births Category:1971 deaths Category:People from Arcata, California Category:Sportspeople from Corvallis, Oregon Category:Players of American football from Humboldt County, California Category:All-American college men's basketball players Category:American football running backs Category:Oregon State Beavers football players Category:Oregon State Beavers men's basketball players Category:United States Navy sailors Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II Category:San Francisco 49ers players Category:American men's basketball players Category:20th-century American sportsmen