The Passing of Bud Dudley

My friendship with Ambrose (Bud) Dudley began when I was the Athletic Publicity Director of Mississippi Southern College. I noticed that Dudley had offered the University of Georgia $25,000 to come to Philadelphia to play Villanova University. He was Villanova's Athletic Director at the time. I told Southern's Athletic Director Reed Green he should offer Dudley $25,000 to come to Mobile to play Southern in a Catholic city. He made the offer and Dudley grabbed it.
This was 1954 and Southern had just beat SEC champion Alabama and the University of Georgia in 1953 and Southern had an open date. The game was played. Southern whipped Villanova. Dudley said Southern's Yankee players were better than his Yankee players. Ambrose took the 25 grand and stashed it in a Philadelphia bank.
Over the years I told Dudley that being the great sportsman that he was I was sure he would give Southern a return engagement with the same guarantee in Philadelphia.It never happened.
I went North to Trenton New Jersey as Executive Sports Editor-Columnist of the Trenton Times. Dudley, a Notre Damer, had left Villanova to launch the Liberty Bowl. I covered the game featuring Oregon and Villanova. Terry Baker's 98-yard run won the game for Oregon.
The next year Bud was looking for two good teams. I recommended Mississippi State and Bud invited the Bulldogs to play N.C.State in the Liberty Bowl.
The game was played in bitter cold weather. Both teams were all-white. The NAACP picketed the game. The NAACP lawyer watched the pickets in a heated limo. After the first quarter the picket guys left. The Bulldogs won the game. After the game at the post-game reception the Bulldog trainer Dutch Luchsinger went to the bar and a ordered a drink The bartender said that would cost $5,00. Dutch nearly fainted, exclaiming the Sugar Bowl would never expect a guest to buy his own drink.
When Dudley moved the Liberty Bowl to Memphis, after one year in an indoors arena in Atlantic City I had made a brief stop in Memphis with the Commercial Appeal and went to bat for Memphis with Dudley. I covered most of the Liberty Bowls played in Memphis while working for the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, tying in our NFFHF Chapter Awards Dinner as part of the Liberty Bowl festivities.
I worked for Bud and the Liberty Bowl as Director of Corporate Relations after retiring as the NFFHF Executive Director. Chairman Tim Treadwell and Bud offered me the job. That year I again recommended Mississippi State and the Bulldogs played the Air Force Academy, defeating the Falcons before the best Liberty Bowl crowd ever at the time.
When the All-American Football Foundation was launched in 1994 Bud Dudley came on board as a member of the AAFF Board of Directors. The AAFF Outstanding Bowl Director Award carries the good name of Bud Dudley. Recipients appreciated being named the winner in honor of Bud Dudley.
Bud Dudley is the only man to start a Bowl game with his own money. I could not attend his funeral because of being in Los Angeles for a Banquet of Champions. A past president of the Rose Bowl, Libby Wright was the Dudley recipient in Los Angeles at the historic Biltmore Hotel.
When the National Football Foundation and the City of Memphis discussed moving the College Football Hall of Fame to Tennessee Dudley accompanied Sidney Schlenker to Chairman Vincent de Paul Draddy's Palm Beach home. It turned out later that Schlenker forgot to refund Dudley the cost of his plane ticket to Florida.
When the NFFHF Board approved further discussion with Memphis which had been proposed initially by Liberty Bowlers Treadwell and Dudley as the College Football Hall of Fame sight I was asked by Treadwell and Dudley to let me know what happened at the meeting. Schlenker also asked me to call him in New York and let him know too.
I called the Pierre Hotel where Schlenker was staying in John Tigrett's suite and he was not there. I left word what had happened. I called Treadwell and Dudley and told them the NFFHF wanted to come to Memphis for further discussions and they so informed Mayor Dick Hackett. When Schlenker found out I had also told Treadwell and Dudley he was infuriated and told the Foundation lawyer George Weiss he did not want McDowell involved in further discussions.
Draddy had asked Weiss to check out Schlenker. Weiss reported that Sidney was 100%.
Schlenker was 100 percent phony as The City of Memphis found out later. The College Hall did not go to Memphis as part of the Pyramid project and relocated in South Bend instead. The Foundation relocated in Dallas and Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones is a new member of the Board. Will he invite the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame to re-locate in his new Stadium when the current agreement with South Bend expires in less than two years? Weiss is chairman of the Executive Committee moving in to that slot after Draddy's demise.
Schlenker turned out to have a second family in Denver. The Commercial Appeal noted that the City of Memphis had fallen for Sidney "Hook, Line, and Schlenker." He later was associated with the Hollywood Madam, Heidi Fless before becoming paralized in a car accident and has since passed away.
I will miss Bud Dudley, a man of honor, a loyal husband and devoted Father and Grandfather and my friend for over s half century.
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