Ducote attended Auburn University, where he played on the Tigers football team under Mike Donahue from 1915 to 1917, primarily in the backfield as a fullback or halfback due to his skill at drop kicking,[REF] but also as a guard and end [REF].
The 1917 team held undefeated Big Ten champion Ohio State to a scoreless tie,[REF] but ran into a juggernaut in Georgia Tech, the South's first national champion, losing 68-7.