From ‘Skin’ Ferrell to Austin Rivers: How Duke’s Century of Legendary Comebacks — Including the Forgotten 1920 UNC Rally — Shaped the Greatest Rivalry in College Basketball History
When Trinity College — known today as Duke University — traveled to Chapel Hill on March 1, 1920, few could have imagined that a routine early-season basketball game would spark what is now considered the most iconic rivalry in college sports. Fewer still remember how that afternoon produced one of the first great comeback victories in the Duke-UNC saga — a game that, though forgotten by many, helped lay the foundation for a century of unforgettable moments.
Trailing 18-13 midway through the fourth quarter, the scrappy Trinity squad staged a rally that stunned the North Carolina faithful. In an era before the “Blue Devils” nickname was even conceived, before March Madness, televised games, or internet highlights, it was players like William “Skin” Ferrell who etched their names into the rivalry’s early chapters. Ferrell, the team’s leading scorer, is widely believed to have delivered the game-winning basket in the final minute, lifting Trinity to a narrow 19-18 victory — a win that, at the time, was considered nothing short of miraculous.
That modest comeback marked only the second meeting between the two programs, but it planted the seeds for what would blossom into the most fiercely contested rivalry in college basketball. Fast forward more than a century, and the Duke-UNC matchup is not only a national spectacle but a cultural phenomenon — producing legends, controversy, and comebacks that define generations.
From the hardwood battles of the mid-20th century to the modern era of primetime television and viral highlights, the spirit of resilience and dramatic finishes has remained a constant theme in this rivalry. None more iconic in recent memory than Austin Rivers’ cold-blooded, last-second three-pointer over Tyler Zeller in 2012 — a shot immortalized by millions of YouTube views and countless replays, completing yet another improbable Duke rally and silencing the Dean Dome crowd.
But Rivers’ heroics were far from an isolated moment in Duke’s rich comeback history. The Blue Devils’ reputation for improbable rallies stretches back decades, from Dick Groat’s 32-point comeback against Tulane in 1951 to the unforgettable 22-point turnaround against Maryland in the 2001 Final Four — still the largest comeback in Final Four history.
The list continues: The 1998 rally against UNC fueled by Elton Brand’s inside dominance, the 2001 ACC Tournament shocker against Maryland, the miraculous 2012 comeback over NC State, and countless others have solidified Duke’s legacy as a team that never concedes defeat — especially not when their fiercest rivals are involved.
The blueprint for those moments, however, traces back to that humble 1920 afternoon in Chapel Hill. A game few modern fans remember, but one that set the tone for Duke’s unshakable will to win and its flair for the dramatic — qualities that have come to define not only the program but the rivalry itself.
Today, every Duke-UNC clash carries echoes of that long-forgotten comeback, reminding players and fans alike that in this rivalry, no lead is safe, and no moment is without historic weight.
So as the Blue Devils and Tar Heels prepare for their next chapter, the memory of ‘Skin’ Ferrell and that unlikely 1920 rally lives on — woven into the fabric of a rivalry that, over a century later, re
mains unrivaled.
