 Dudley displayed on a Bowman card, 1948 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3, 35, 44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Halfback Safety Return specialist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1921-12-24)December 24, 1921 Bluefield, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died: | February 4, 2010(2010-02-04) (aged 88) Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 182 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Graham (Bluefield, Virginia) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College: | Virginia (1939–1941) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1942: 1st round,1st pick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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William McGarvey Dudley (December 24, 1921 – February 4, 2010), nicknamed "Bullet Bill", was an American professionalfootballhalfback,safety andreturn specialist who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for thePittsburgh Steelers, theDetroit Lions, and theWashington Redskins. He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.[1][2][3]
Dudley was born inBluefield, Virginia and attendedGraham High School.[4] He made thefootball team his junior year, and in 1938 he kicked a 35-yardfield goal in the season's finale and helped Graham beat favoredPrinceton High School, 10–7.[5]
At the age of 16, Dudley was awarded anathletic scholarship by theUniversity of Virginiafootball team by coachFrank Murray.[4] As a result, he received a $500 grant, out of which he paid for room, board, and books.[5] He also pledged and became a brother of theSigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Although he was originally slated as apunter andplacekicker, Dudley eventually came to play thehalfback position.[4] In his sophomore year, he began as the fifth back on the depth chart but, due to a teammate's injury, played several games.[5]
By his third year, Dudley started every game and was theSouthern Conference's leader in total offensive yards. He was also successful in his senior year, particularly during a game against theUniversity of North Carolina. In that game, Dudley scored all three touchdowns for Virginia and kicked fourextra points.[4] That season, he became the first Virginia player to earnAll-American honors and was awarded theMaxwell Award for bestcollege football player of the year.[4] He was also named the best college player of the year by theWashington D.C. Touchdown Club.[5] Dudley also led the nation in four categories: touchdowns with 18; points scored with 134; rushing average with 6.2 yards a play; and touchdowns responsible for with 29.[6] After the season, he played in theEast–West Shrine Game, where he intercepted four passes and threw for his team's touchdown in a 6–6 tie.[5] He also played in theCollege All-Star Game inChicago.[5]
Dudley wasdrafted in the1942 NFL draft with the first overall pick by thePittsburgh Steelers. During the1942 season, he led the league in rushing with 696 yards on 162 carries and was then named to theAll-Pro team.[4] He also completed 35 of 94 passes for 438 yards and two touchdowns, punted 18 times for a 32.0 average, returned 20 punts for 271 yards (14.0 avg), and ran back 11 kickoffs for 298 yards (27.0 avg), scoring once.[5] In the first game of his professional career, Dudley ran for a 55-yard touchdown and in his second game scored on a kickoff return.[7]
In 1942, theU. S. armed services begandrafting all eligible young men to fight in World War II. Dudley originally enlisted and was sworn into theNaval Air Corps; however, they found out he needed to have his parents' consent, since he was not yet 21.[5] Dudley then enlisted inU. S. Army Air Corps in September 1942, but there was an influx of recruits and Dudley was told he would have to wait three months before he began training.[4] This delay made it possible for him to finish his rookie season with the Steelers.
Dudley went throughbasic training inFlorida and then attendedflight school inTexas.[4] He then joined theArmy'sfootball team. In 1944, Dudley helped his team to a 12–0 record and was named theMost Valuable Player.[4] At the end of the war, Dudley was shipped to the Pacific and flew two supply missions.[5] He was then sent toHawaii where the Army selected him to play in three more football games against All-Star teams.[4]
Dudley returned to Pittsburgh that fall and rejoined the Steelers's team for the last four games of the1945 season.[4] In a game against theChicago Cardinals, he ran for two touchdowns and kicked for two additional points and became the Steelers' leading scorer for that season. He also rushed for 204 yards and returned three kickoffs for 65 yards.[4]
In1946, the Steelers hired a new coachJock Sutherland and Dudley scored 48 points, which contributed to the Steelers' 5–5–1 record.[4] During that season, he became the league leader in rushing (604 yards), interceptions (10 total which he returned for 242 yards) and punt returns (27 total for 385 yards).[8] In doing this, Dudley became the only NFL player to lead in four unique statistical categories.[4] He was namedAll-Pro and was awarded theNFL's Most Valuable Player Award. Dudley became the first (and as of 2007, only) person to win MVP awards in college, service, and professional levels.[4]
"Despite his lack of breakaway speed, Bill was the most
feared kickoff returner in the game. He passed sidearm,
like a kid, yet he had a fine completion average. He was
'too small,' but he was hardly ever hurt too badly to play.
He was the league's top ground gainer, yet he was also one
of the fiercest defensive tacklers and the best in the game at
interceptions. As one of the men who faced him ruefully admitted,
Bill could not throw a pass correctly and 'ran as if he was
staggering,' yet he could always find a way to beat you."
Dudley was traded to theDetroit Lions after 1946, where he was offered a three-year contract and $20,000 a season. He was elected captain of his team all three years, 1947–1949.[4] During his first year with the Lions, the team finished last. On October 19, 1947, against theChicago Bears, Dudley returned a punt for an 84-yard touchdown. During1947, he scored 13 touchdowns; seven on pass receptions, four on runs from scrimmage, one on a punt return, one on kickoff return and throwing two. In his last season with the Lions, he led Detroit in scoring for the third year in a row.[4]
At the end of the1949 season, Lions coachBo McMillin traded Dudley to theWashington Redskins, where he played for three seasons, during which he led the team in scoring every year.[4] On December 3, 1950, Dudley fielded a 60-yard punt kicked by Steelers' playerJoe Geri. He ran over 30 yards before he reached his hands out of bounds, while keeping both feet in bounds, and caught the punt at the Redskin's four-yard line, and then ran it for a 96-yard touchdown.[4] Dudley took a break during the1952 season but returned in1953. He retired at the end of the season due to knee injuries and an overall physical deterioration.[4]
Dudley was named first- or second-team All-NFL six times in his career and was named to threePro Bowls.[7] During his nine pro seasons, Dudley gained 3,057 yards on 765 rushing attempts, a 4.0 average, and scored 20 touchdowns; caught 123 passes for 1,383 yards and 18 touchdowns; returned 124 punts for 1,515 yards and three touchdowns; ran back 78 kickoffs for 1,743 yards and one touchdown; intercepted 23 passes and returned them for 459 yards and two touchdowns; and punted 191 times for a 38.2-yard average. He added 121 extra points and 33 field goals to his 44 touchdowns for a total of 484 points.[9] Dudley led his team in scoring during every one of his nine NFL seasons.[5]
Dudley is the only player ever with a rushing touchdown, touchdown reception, punt return for touchdown, kickoff return for touchdown, interception return for touchdown, fumble return for a touchdown, and a touchdown pass. He also had a touchdown via lateral and kicked PATs and field goals.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1942 | PIT | 11 | 11 | 162 | 696 | 4.3 | 66 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | 24 | 0 |
| 1945 | PIT | 4 | 4 | 57 | 204 | 3.6 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | PIT | 11 | 11 | 146 | 604 | 4.1 | 41 | 2 | 4 | 109 | 27.3 | 80 | 1 |
| 1947 | DET | 9 | 8 | 80 | 302 | 3.8 | 28 | 2 | 27 | 375 | 13.9 | 64 | 7 |
| 1948 | DET | 7 | 4 | 33 | 97 | 2.9 | 11 | 0 | 20 | 210 | 10.5 | 22 | 6 |
| 1949 | DET | 12 | 10 | 125 | 402 | 3.2 | 26 | 3 | 27 | 190 | 7.0 | 18 | 2 |
| 1950 | WAS | 12 | 11 | 66 | 339 | 5.1 | 27 | 1 | 22 | 172 | 7.8 | 17 | 1 |
| 1951 | WAS | 12 | 12 | 91 | 398 | 4.4 | 40 | 2 | 22 | 303 | 13.8 | 40 | 1 |
| 1953 | WAS | 12 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 3.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | 71 | 765 | 3,057 | 4.0 | 66 | 18 | 123 | 1,383 | 11.2 | 80 | 18 | ||
After retiring, Dudley was a scout for the Steelers and the Lions. In 1951, he then entered the insurance business inLynchburg, Virginia with his brother Jim.[4]
Dudley was elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1956, thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1966, and theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.[4] The Downtown Club ofRichmond, Virginia has sponsored the Bill Dudley Award since 1990, awarded each year to the state's top college football player.[4] Dudley is an unlockable free agent running back in the videogameMadden NFL 08.
Dudley served four terms in the Virginia House of Delegates.[6]
Dudley suffered a massivestroke on January 30, 2010.[10] He died in his home in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 4, 2010.[11]
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