Bill Dudley
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225874684
2008-07-15T20:26:16Z
Jwalte04
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{{for|the the U.S. naval historian|William S. Dudley}}
{{NFLretired
|image=
|position=[[Halfback (American football)|Halfback]]<br>[[Placekicker|Kicker]]<br>[[Punter (American football)|Punter]]
|number=35
|birthdate={{birth date and age|1921|12|24}}<br>[[Bluefield, Virginia]]
|deathdate=
|debutyear=1942
|finalyear=1953
|draftyear=1942
|draftround=1
|draftpick=1
|college=[[University of Virginia|Virginia]]
|teams=<nowiki></nowiki>
* [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] ([[1942 NFL season|1942]], [[1945 NFL season|45]]-[[1946 NFL season|46]])
* [[Detroit Lions]] ([[1947 NFL season|1947]]-[[1949 NFL season|49]])
* [[Washington Redskins]] ([[1950 NFL season|1950]]-[[1951 NFL season|51]], [[1953 NFL season|53]])
|stat1label=Rushing yards
|stat1value=3,057
|stat2label=Average
|stat2value=4.0
|stat3label=[[Touchdown]]s
|stat3value=18
|nfl=DUD738296
|highlights=<nowiki></nowiki>
* 2x [[Pro Bowl]] selection (1950-51)
* [[National Football League Most Valuable Player Award|NFL MVP]] (1946)
* [[NFL 1940s All-Decade Team]]
* [[Washington Redskins#The 70 Greatest Redskins|70 Greatest Redskins]]
|HOF=61
|CollegeHOF=40105
}}
'''William McGarvey "Bullet Bill" Dudley''' (born [[December 24]], [[1921]] in [[Bluefield, Virginia|Bluefield]], [[Virginia]]) is a former professional [[American football]] player in the [[National Football League]] for the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], [[Detroit Lions]], and [[Washington Redskins]]. He was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in [[1966]].
==Early life==
Dudley was born in [[Bluefield, Virginia]] and attended [[Graham High School (Bluefield, Virginia)|Graham High School]].<ref name=biography>{{cite web | work=Bill Dudley official site | url=http://www.cmgww.com/football/dudley/biography.htm | title=Biography: You can't stop the "Bullet" | accessdate=2008-07-11}}</ref> He made the [[high school football|football team]] his junior year, and in [[1938]] he kicked a 35-yard [[field goal]] in the season's finale and helped Graham beat favored [[Princeton High School (West Virginia)|Princeton High School]], 10-7.<ref name=coffincorner>{{cite web | work=Pro Football Researchers | url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/18-04-654.pdf | title=The Coffin Corner: Vol. 18, No. 4 (1996) Bullet Bill Dudley | accessdate=2008-07-13}}</ref>
==College career==
At the age of 16, Dudley was awarded an [[athletic scholarship]] by the [[University of Virginia]] [[Virginia Cavaliers football|football team]] by coach [[Frank Murray]].<ref name=biography /> As a result, He received a $500 grant, out of which he paid for room, board, and books.<ref name=coffincorner /> Although he was originally slated as a [[punter (American football)|punter]] and [[placekicker]], Dudley eventually came to play the [[Halfback (American football)|halfback]] position.<ref name=biography /> In his sophomore year, he began as the fifth back on the depth chart but, due to a teammate's injury, played several games.<ref name=coffincorner />
By his third year, Dudley started every game and was the [[Southern Conference]]'s leader in total offensive yards. He was also successful in his senior year, particluarly during a game against the [[University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]]. In that game, Dudley scored all three tochdowns for Virginia and kicked four [[extra point]]s.<ref name=biography /> That season, he became the first Virginia player to earn [[All-America]] honors and was awarded the [[Maxwell Award]] for best [[college football]] player of the year.<ref name=biography /> He was also named the best college player of the year by the [[Washington D.C. Touchdown Club]].<ref name=coffincorner /> 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.<ref name=collegefootballhof>{{cite web | work=College Football Hall of Fame | url=http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=40105 | title=Dudley's College Football HOF profile | accessdate=2008-07-12}}</ref> After the season, he played in the [[East-West Shrine Game]], where he intercepted four passes and threw for his team's touchdown in a 6-6 tie.<ref name=coffincorner /> He also played in the [[College All-Star Game]] in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]].<ref name=coffincorner />
==NFL rookie season (1942)==
Dudley was [[NFL Draft|drafted]] in the [[1942 NFL Draft]] with the first overall pick by the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]. During the [[1942 NFL season|1942]], he led the league in rushing with 696 yards on 162 carries and was then named to the [[All-Pro]] team.<ref name=biography /> 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.<ref name=coffincorner /> 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.<ref name=profootballhof>{{cite web | work=Pro Football Hall of Fame | url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?PLAYER_ID=61 | title=Dudley's Pro Football HOF profile | accessdate=2008-07-12}}</ref>
==Military service (1943–45)==
In [[1942]], the [[United States Military|U. S. armed services]] began [[Conscription|drafting]] all eligible young men to fight in [[World War II]]. Dudley originally enlisted and was sworn into the [[United States Naval Aviator|Naval Air Corps]], however they found out he needed to have his parents' consent, since he wasn't twenty-one.<ref name=coffincorner /> Dudley then enlisted in [[United States Army Air Corps|U. 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.<ref name=biography /> This delay made it possible for him to finish his rookie season with the Steelers.
Dudley went through [[Recruit training|basic training]] in [[Florida]] and then attended [[Flight training|flight school]] in [[Texas]].<ref name=biography /> He then joined the [[United States Military Academy|Army's]] [[Army Black Knights football|football team]]. In [[1944]], Dudley helped his team to a 12-0 record and was named the [[Most Valuable Player]].<ref name=biography /> At the end of the war, Dudley was shipped to the Pacific and flew two supply missions.<ref name=coffincorner /> He was then sent to [[Hawaii]] where the Army selected him to play in three more football games against All-Star teams.<ref name=biography />
==Return to the NFL (1945–53)==
Dudley returned to Pittsburgh that fall and rejoined the Steelers's team for the last four games of the [[1945 NFL season|1945 season]].<ref name=biography /> In a game against the [[Arizona Cardinals|Chicago 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.<ref name=biography />
In [[1946 NFL season|1946]], the Steelers hired a new coach [[Jock Sutherland]] and Dudley scored 48 points, which contributed to the Steelers' 5-5-1 record.<ref name=biography /> 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). In doing this, Dudley became the first and only NFL player to lead in four unique statistical categories.<ref name=biography /> He was named [[All-Pro]] and was awarded the [[NFL_MVP#The_Joe_F._Carr_Trophy|NFL'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.<ref name=biography />
{{Quote box
| quote =''"Despite his lack of breakaway speed, Bill was the most<br>feared kickoff returner in the game. He passed sidearm,<br>like a kid, yet he had a fine completion average. He was<br>'too small,' but he was hardly ever hurt too badly to play.<br>He was the league's top ground gainer, yet he was also one<br>of the fiercest defensive tacklers and the best in the game at<br>interceptions. As one of the men who faced him ruefully admitted,<br>Bill could not throw a pass correctly and 'ran as if he was<br>staggering,' yet he could always find a way to beat you."''
| source =Journalist Robert Smith, on Dudley's ability.<ref name=coffincorner />
| width =200
| align =right
}}
Dudley was traded to the [[Detroit Lions]]after 1946, where he was offered three-year contract and $20,000 a season. He was elected captain of his team all three years, 1947-1949.<ref name=biography /> During his first year with the Lion's, the team finished last. On [[October 19]], [[1947]] against the [[Chicago Bears]], Dudley returned a punt for an 84-yard touchdown, which is still the fourth longest in NFL history.<ref name=biography /> During [[1947 NFL season|1947]], 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.<ref name=biography />
At the end of the [[1949 NFL season|1949 season]], Lions coach [[Bo McMillin]] traded Dudley to the [[Washington Redskins]], where he played for three seasons, during which he led the team in scoring every year.<ref name=biography /> On [[December 3]], [[1950]] Dudley intercepted a 60 yard punt kicked by Steelers' player [[Joe Geri]]. He ran over 30 yards before he reached his hands out of bounds, while keeping both feet in bounds, and intercepted the punt at the Redskin’s four-yard line, and then ran it for a 96-yard touchdown.<ref name=biography /> Dudley took a break during the [[1952 NFL season|1952 season]] but returned in [[1953 NFL season|1953]]. He retired at the end of the season due to knee injuries and an overall physical deterioration.<ref name=biography />
Dudley was named first- or second-team All-NFL six times in his career and was named to three [[Pro Bowl]]s.<ref name=profootballhof /> 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.<ref>{{cite web | work=HickokSports | url=http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/dudleybi.shtml | title=Dudley, "Bullet Bill" (William McG.) | accessdate=2008-07-11}}</ref> Dudley led his team in scoring during every one of his nine NFL seasons.<ref name=coffincorner />
==After football==
After retiring, Dudley was a scout for the Steelers and the Lions. He then entered the insurance business in [[Lynchburg, Virginia]] with his brother Jim in [[1951]] and has been doing it ever since.<ref name=biography />
===Honors===
Dudley was elected to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in [[1956]], the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in [[1966]], and the [[Virginia Sports Hall of Fame]] in [[1972]].<ref name=biography /> The Downtown Club of [[Richmond, Virginia]] has sponsored the Bill Dudley Award since [[1990]], awarded each year to the state's top college football player.<ref name=biography /> Dudley is an unlockable free agent running back in the videogame [[Madden NFL 08]]. Since [[1990]], the Downtown Club of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] has sponsored the Bill Dudley Award, which is given each year to the top [[college football]] player in [[Virginia]].<ref name=coffincorner />
===Politics===
Dudley served four terms in the Virginia House of Representatives. <ref name=collegefootballhof />
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* {{cfbhof|id=40105}}
* {{pro-football-reference|id=DudlBi00|name=Bill Dudley}}
* {{profootballhof|id=61|name=Bill Dudley}}
{{start box}}
{{succession box |title=[[NFL Most Valuable Player Award|NFL Most Valuable Player]] |before=[[Bob Waterfield]] |years=[[1946 NFL season|1946]] season |after=[[Jim Brown]]<sup>1</sup>}}
{{s-ref|There was no major Most Valuable Player award from 1947 to 1956. The [[NFL Most Valuable Player Award#As awarded by the Associated Press|Associated Press Award]] has been given out since 1957.}}
{{1966 Football HOF}}
{{Joe F. Carr Trophy}}
{{Maxwell Award Winners}}
{{NFL NumberOne Draft Picks}}
{{NFL1940s}}
{{Pittsburgh Steelers}}
{{SteelersQuarterbacks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, Bill}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:American football placekickers]]
[[Category:American football punters]]
[[Category:American football running backs]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Detroit Lions players]]
[[Category:Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:National Football League first overall draft picks]]
[[Category:People from Tazewell County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Virginia Cavaliers football players]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins players]]
[[fi:Bill Dudley]]