Mike Pressler spent 16 seasons as the bench boss of the Blue Devils, capturing three Atlantic Coast Conference championships and finishing runner-up to Johns Hopkins in last year's NCAA title game.
"Coach Pressler offered me his resignation earlier this afternoon, and I accepted it," said Duke athletic director Joe Alleva. "I believe this is in the best interests of the program, the department of athletics and the university."
The rape allegations have rocked Duke, the upper echelon of American academic and athletic institutions, and the community of Durham, N.C., raising racial tensions and putting the focus on privilege over poverty.
Officials in Durham continue to investigate the incident, which allegedly occurred on March 13. A woman who works as an exotic dancer reportedly told police that she and another dancer were hired to perform at a private party in a home near the Duke campus. The woman, who is African-American, told police that she was pulled into a bathroom, where she was beaten, strangled and raped by three men.
Police took DNA samples with a cheek swab from 46 of the lacrosse team's 47 players. The 47th player, the only African-American member of the team, did not have to provide DNA because the dancer said her attackers were white.
Investigators say the athletes are being silent and uncooperative. No one has been charged.
Durham is a city of 118,000 whose population is 43.8 per cent African-American – according to the 2000 U.S. census – with more than 26,000 residents living below the federal poverty line.
In contrast, Duke is one of the U.S.'s most prestigious universities, costing nearly $43,000 US a year to attend without financial aid. Of Duke's more than 6,200 undergraduates, only 11 per cent are African-American.
The emotionally-charged situation has spurred demonstrations on and off campus over the past few weeks.
with files from Associated Press
