# Duke Iversen > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Duke_Iversen > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Duke_Iversen.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Iversen > Source revision: 1357070039 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Christopher Arnold** "**Duke**" **Iversen** (February 26, 1920 – May 20, 2011) was an American professional [football](/source/American_football) player who played five seasons in the [National Football League](/source/National_Football_League) (NFL) and [All-America Football Conference](/source/All-America_Football_Conference) (AAFC) with the [New York Giants](/source/New_York_Giants), [New York Yankees](/source/New_York_Yankees_(AAFC)) and [New York Yanks](/source/New_York_Yanks). He was selected by the Giants in the seventh round of the [1947 NFL draft](/source/1947_NFL_draft) after playing [college football](/source/College_football) at the [University of Oregon](/source/University_of_Oregon). ## Early life Christopher Arnold Iversen was born on February 26, 1920, in [Petaluma, California](/source/Petaluma,_California) to Danish immigrants Chris and Karen Iverson.[1][2] His family's name was spelled "Iverson" but a doctor misspelled it as "Iversen" on Duke's birth certificate.[2] He grew up on a sheep and poultry ranch.[2] He played [high school football](/source/High_school_football) at [Petaluma High School](/source/Petaluma_High_School) from 1935 to 1938.[1][2] Iversen was a charter member of Petaluma High School's Sports Hall of Fame.[2] ## College and military career Iversen accepted a scholarship to attend the [University of Oregon](/source/University_of_Oregon) and play [college football](/source/College_football) for the [Oregon Ducks](/source/Oregon_Ducks_football).[2] He was a member of the Ducks freshman team in 1939.[1] He was then a three-year [letterman](/source/Letterman_(sports)) for the Ducks from 1940 to 1942.[1] His football career was interrupted by a stint in the [United States Marine Corps](/source/United_States_Marine_Corps) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II).[1] Iversen was initially stationed in [Jacksonville, Florida](/source/Jacksonville,_Florida), where he trained in [aviation ordnance](/source/Aviation_ordnance) and played football on a service team for two years.[2] He was then transferred to [Okinawa, Japan](/source/Okinawa,_Japan) where he taught hand-to-hand combat and played football.[2] In 1946, he returned to the Ducks for his final season of college football.[1] He played in the [East-West Shrine Game](/source/East-West_Shrine_Game) after his senior year.[2] ## Professional career Iversen was selected by the [New York Giants](/source/New_York_Giants) of the [National Football League](/source/National_Football_League) (NFL) in the seventh round, with the 54th overall pick, of the [1947 NFL draft](/source/1947_NFL_draft).[3] He played in eight games, starting five, for the Giants during the 1947 season, recovering three fumbles, catching one pass for 11 yards, and returning one kick for 16 yards.[3] He was released by the Giants on September 20, 1948.[4] Iversen signed with the [New York Yankees](/source/New_York_Yankees_(AAFC)) of the [All-America Football Conference](/source/All-America_Football_Conference) (AAFC) on September 26, 1948.[4] He appeared in ten games, starting one, for the Yankees in 1948, accumulating four receptions for 30 yards and one interception.[3] He played in 12 game for the newly-renamed Brooklyn-New York Yankees during the final season of the AAFC in 1949, totaling one interception, six carries for 50 yards, and two kick returns for 18 yards.[3] He also started one playoff game that season, recording one interception.[3] Iversen started the first seven games of the 1950 season for the [New York Yanks](/source/New_York_Yanks) of the NFL, recording three interceptions for 26 yards and a touchdown, before being placed on injured reserve on October 30, 1950.[3][4] He played in nine games, starting seven, in 1951, recording one kick return for 14 yards.[3] He was released by the Yanks in 1951.[4] ## Later life Soon after his football career ended, Iversen sold the family ranch and entered the real estate business.[2] He died on May 20, 2011, in Petaluma, California.[1] ## References 1. ["Duke Iversen"](https://www.profootballarchives.com/players/i/iver00200.html). profootballarchives.com. Retrieved 12 December 2024. 1. Osborne, Harlan. ["Duke Iversen relished his five-year pro football career"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140924042127/http://www.petaluma360.com/csp/mediapool/sites/PressDemocrat/News/story.csp?cid=2248267&sid=555&fid=181). petaluma360.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.petaluma360.com/csp/mediapool/sites/PressDemocrat/News/story.csp?cid=2248267&sid=555&fid=181) on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014. 1. ["Duke Iverson"](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/I/IverDu20.htm). pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved 12 December 2024. 1. ["Duke Iversen NFL Transactions"](https://www.profootballarchives.com/transactions/i/iver00200.html). profootballarchives.com. Retrieved 12 December 2024. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Duke Iversen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Iversen) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Iversen?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.