Bill Hudson obit

Former Clemson, AFL star Hudson dies at 82

 He was not on the list.

Spartanburg lost one of its most accomplished and well-rounded citizens when Bill Hudson died at the age of 82 Wednesday at Spartanburg Medical Center.

Hudson was a very successful athlete before going on to great achievements in the business world and was known around the city as a warmhearted and charitable individual. He played football at Clemson and then professionally before starting a lucrative company.

“He was one of those guys where when he walked in the room, the room kind of lit up,” said George Bennett, the former longtime executive director of Clemson’s IPTAY organization. “Spartanburg has lost a real pillar in their community.”

One of Hudson’s three children, William “Alex” Hudson II, said, “What I remember most is him always being there for anybody that needed him. I think he was most proud of his family. He loved his family and we took trips around the world together. He had six great-grandchildren he always bragged about and enjoyed spoiling. As one of three kids we were blessed to call him our father and he was my best friend. I could always turn to him for anything.”

Born in Hartsville the youngest of five boys, Hudson played defensive tackle for Clemson from 1954-56 and played in the Orange Bowl as a senior when Clemson finished 7-2-2 and won the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time. He was selected to the National East-West All-Star Game and the North-South All-Star Game before being selected 34th overall in the 1957 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Hudson was the last of four brothers to play at Clemson. He was selected for the South Carolina and Clemson Athletic Hall of Fames.

“Bill was the baby of that family if you can have babies among that group,” Bennett said. “They were all pretty big guys. He was an outstanding football player.”

Hudson also was one of the founding members and one-time president of Clemson’s Block C Club, formerly known as the Tiger Letterwinners Association, which helps connect past and present student-athletes. He also established the Hudson Family Clemson Football Position Endowment Scholarship.

“His footprints are all around Clemson,” Bennett said. “We have lost a real big Tiger, a real big one.”

Hudson was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals ahead of well-known players such Sonny Jurgensen and Don Maynard. He opted for a higher salary with the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes, where he played for three seasons. He continued taking classes at Clemson during the off-seasons and graduated in 1959 with an education degree.

Hudson played three seasons in the American Football League (which later merged with the NFL) — two with San Diego and one with Boston — and was an AFL All-Star in 1961. His defensive line coach with San Diego was Chuck Noll, who went on to become head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty in the 1970s, and Hall-of-Famer Sid Gillman was the head coach.

While with the Chargers, Hudson was part of the original “Fearsome Foursome” on a line that was known for its collective size that would be formidable in today’s game. It included Ernie Ladd (6-foot-9, 325 pounds), Earl Faison (6-foot-5, 260) and Ron Nery (6-foot-6, 247). The Rams defensive front would make the moniker their own several years later.

Hudson told the Herald-Journal in 2009, “About 10 years ago, Chuck Noll made the comment in Sports Illustrated when asked if his Pittsburgh line (the infamous Steel Curtain) was the best he’d ever had and he said, no, the Chargers line was the best.”

Hudson added, “We were the largest defensive line in the history of football at that time. And back in those days, we lied about our weight down, where now players lie up about their weight.” There was even a musical recording to celebrate the line titled “The Fearsome Foursome Stomp.”

Also on that San Diego staff was receivers coach Al Davis, who would go on to own the Oakland Raiders and hire Hudson as a scout for 17 years. Hudson also remained friends with San Diego teammate Jack Kemp, a vice presidential candidate in 1996 and a longtime New York congressman and later Housing Secretary under George H.W. Bush. Bennett recalled Kemp coming to visit Hudson in Clemson.

Alex Hudson played on Clemson’s 1981 national championship team and Hudson’s grandson, Ross Hammond, is a junior long-snapper at Wofford.

“Because of his declining health, last year was the first year he’d ever missed a home Clemson football game,” Alex Hudson said. “I think it affected me more than it did him, but I told several of my friends he’ll get to watch the playoff and hopefully the national championship from the best seat in the house and he’ll have the biggest kick with that.”

In 1970, Hudson founded Puritan Industrial Maintenance (which later became Diversco, Inc.), an industrial cleaning, security and staffing business that grew to employ 5,400 employees in 16 states. He was named South Carolina’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” and also co-founded the Spartanburg County Touchdown Club. He was involved with raising money for numerous charities and organizations, including the YMCA, Boy Scouts, Spartanburg Regional Hospital and Clemson.

“He was a well-rounded man and helped so many people, just an all-around good person,” Alex Hudson said. “And was a very successful businessman who didn’t shy away from a challenge.”

Alex Hudson added his father was equally proud of his accomplishments in both athletics and business, but his greatest joy was watching his family succeed.

“He always told me one of his proudest moments was back in 1981 when we won the national championship and being a part of that. Then he was just tickled to have a grandson playing at Wofford. Yes he enjoyed his athletic achievements, but I think he really enjoyed watching other people accomplish things and really got the biggest kick out of that.”

Hudson is survived by his wife of 59 years, Lillian, three children, six grandchildren and two brothers.