Dr. Richard Hudson
Dr. Richard A. “Dick” Hudson is an outstanding all-around athlete who achieved international acclaim through his work with the Olympic Games.
Dick played basketball at Hickory High School from 1961-63. While the school didn’t have baseball, he excelled in the diamond sport at all levels from Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion ball. In Legion play, he hit .451 his final year and helped the team win the Shenango Valley championship and earn a spot in the state playoffs.
He went on to play baseball at Slippery Rock University, starting at shortstop all four years while serving as captain his junior and senior years. As a senior, his team went 16-1, setting a record for winning percentage at the university.
Dick was a standout in independent baseball with Jefferson Township team in the Pymatuning League, while playing in the Youngstown AA League. He still plays in an over-45 baseball league out of Atlanta, Ga., and has been named MVP two of the last four years.
He was asked to play shortstop for a Pittsburgh team in the National Roy Hobbs Amateur Baseball Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla., in 2007.
He played softball for many years in the Athens, Ga. area and was All-City shortstop for several years.
He has been a highly ranked tennis player in Georgia and the Southeast U.S. in both singles and doubles in various age divisions. He won the prestigious Crackerland Tournament, defeating the No. 1-ranked player in the South in the finals in straight sets.
He has helped recruit athletes for the University of Georgia and has received 3 NCAA championship rings (swimming, women’s and men’s tennis) for his efforts. He also received an Outstanding Service Award from UGA. He helped coordinate the 100 Years of Georgia Football for a special event in 1992 and developed a video of 100 Years of Georgia Football that is still being sold.
Dick coordinated the University of Georgia’s involvement in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, overseeing 3 venues (soccer, rhythmic gymnastics and volleyball). He was hired as a consultant for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
For his outstanding contributions to the Olympic Games he received: a Medal of Appreciation from the King of Sweden; Outstanding Contribution to Australia Award from the Australian Ambassador to the U.S.; and Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Olympic Committee for work with the U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team.
Dick was inducted into the Slippery Rock University Sports Hall of Fame and received the SRU Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010.