Jim Duncan (cornerback)

Jim 'Butch' Duncan (August 3, 1946 – October 21, 1972), was a professional

In 1970 under new coach Don McCafferty, Duncan won a starting position during the season and he intercepted two passes in the team's last four games. On special teams that year, he averaged a league-leading 35.4 yards per return on 20 kick returns. He was a starter for the Colts in their Super Bowl V victory that year.^[2] Duncan returned 4 kickoffs for 90 yards in the game (with one fumble), and recovered a fumble on defense.

In 1971, Duncan began the season with a starting position, but he experienced injury problems for much of the year.^[2] During a November game vs. the Oakland Raiders, he sustained a head injury. Though X-rays were negative, his mother later said that he began to complain of memory problems after the injury.^[3] During that season, team officials began to notice a change in Duncan's personality. His affable disposition had turned sullen and Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom was concerned enough to hold some private conversations with Duncan about whether he was having personal problems.^[2]

Duncan was traded along with a

Duncan's career yards per kickoff return average was 32.6, which ranked as the highest in NFL history. However, his 42 kickoff returns were not enough to qualify him above the league minimum (75 returns) for the official record.[7]

Death

On October 20, 1972, Duncan walked into a police station in his hometown of Lancaster. Police officials said that he grabbed a pistol from one of the officers and shot himself in the head.^[2] An inquest later supported this account of Duncan's death, but the ruling angered his family members, who cited inconsistencies in some of the events surrounding Duncan's death.^[8]

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