Swope Park Rangers captain Christian Duke became the first soccer player inducted into the Raider Athletic Hall of Fame at Shawnee Mission South High School on Friday night during the Raiders’ basketball victory over the Shawnee Mission West Vikings. Duke’s parents, Chris Duke and Cynthia Herdt, accepted the award on his behalf with Duke himself in Tucson, Ariz. for preseason with Sporting KC.
"Being inducted into the Hall of Fame at such a great school is a humbling honor," Duke said in October when the honor was first announced. "I hope to use this recognition to show younger kids that if you stick to your dreams and do all the little things right, in the classroom and on the field, you will one day achieve what you've set your mind to.
"There were many people along the way that helped me. I want to thank my high school soccer coach Travis Gatewood, Athletic Director Dr. John Johnson and all of the Shawnee Mission South staff for giving me all the tools necessary to be where I am today."
Duke, 25, was the first player signed by the Rangers in November 2015, and the Overland Park native captained the side to the Western Conference Championship while being the only player to appear in all 34 games in 2016.
A SKC Academy product and a 2009 Shawnee Mission South graduate, Duke was drafted by Sporting KC in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft and spent time on loan with Orlando City SC and OKC Energy FC and signed with OKC ahead of the 2015 season before returning to Kansas City with the Rangers.
