Richard "Bill" Hudson ~ Professional Football Player - Coach

Richard "Bill" Hudson was a star football player in Henry County long before his professional football career. After his years at Grove High School he was a four year starter at Memphis State. In 1961 he was a second-round draft pick for the San Diego Chargers.

Traded to the Buffalo Bills in 1963 he was a part of the 1964 and 1965 championship teams.
Hudson was named to the All-League Team in 1966 by the American Football League coaches and for the Buffalo Bills Team of the Decade in 1970.

Retiring from pro football he returned to Paris and served as assistant and head coach of the Henry County High School Patriots football team and vice principal of the high school. He is now retired.

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A synopsis of the Buffalo Bills 1964 and 1965 seasons follows:

The 1964 Bills allowed just 913 yards rushing on 300 attempts during the regular season, a pro football record. The same defense registered fifty quarterback sacks, a team record that stands today, even though it was established in a 14-game season. They were the first American Football League team to win 13 games in a season. The 1964 defense also allowed only four touchdowns rushing all season, and started a string that would extend into the 1965 season: seventeen straight games without allowing an opponent to score a rushing touchdown. Eight members of the 1964 squad were on that year's AFL Eastern Division All-Star Team, including cornerback Butch Byrd. Three were eventually named to the American Football League's All-Time Team, and six to the second team. The only professional football player ever inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, without ever playing in the NFL, was a member of the 1964 Bills; guard Billy Shaw.

The Bills won AFL championships in both 1964 and 1965 and were one of only three teams to appear in an AFL championship game for three consecutive years, and the only AFL team to play in the post-season for four straight years, 1963 through 1966.