Hall of Fame
Position: Defensive Back
Years: 1991-94
Place of Birth: Houston, Texas
Date of Birth: October 6, 1971
Jersey Number: 47
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Weight: 199 lbs
High School: Worthing (Houston, Texas)
One of the premier defensive backs of the 1990s, Chris Hudson played a pivotal role in one of the most successful eras in Colorado football history. The Houston, Texas, native becomes Colorado's 11th player inducted into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.
Hudson capped his collegiate career with a dominant senior season in 1994, earning consensus First Team All-America honors and capturing the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. Playing three years at corner and as free safety his junior year, he was also recognized as a Third Team Associated Press All-American as a junior.
A cornerstone of the secondary under NFF Hall of Fame head coach Bill McCartney, Hudson helped guide Colorado to a 36-9-3 overall record, four bowl appearances, and a Big Eight championship in 1991. The Buffaloes finished ranked nationally in each of his four seasons, topped by a No. 3 in 1994. He helped lead Colorado to victories in the 1993 Aloha Bowl and the 1995 Fiesta Bowl, while also appearing in the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl and the 1993 Fiesta Bowl. His teammates included fellow NFF Hall of Famers Deon Figures, Rashaan Salaam, and Michael Westbrook, as well as 1992 NFF Campbell Trophy recipient Jim Hansen.
One of only seven CU players ever named First Team All-Big Eight three times, Hudson anchored a conference-defining defense that lost just three league games during his career, posting a 22-3-3 conference record.
He ranks second all-time in Colorado history with 15 career interceptions and finished his career with 141 tackles, 15 interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, and 20 pass breakups. He also contributed on special teams, returning 53 punts for 516 yards and 10 kickoffs for 155 yards.
In 1994, Hudson earned the team's Hang Tough Award after playing the final 10 games of the regular season with a nagging turf toe injury while still performing at an All-America level. The previous season, he delivered one of the defining performances of his career, recording seven tackles, two interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, and two pass breakups in Colorado's 36-14 season-opening home victory against Texas.
Selected in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hudson played professionally with the Jaguars, Chicago Bears, and Atlanta Falcons from 1995 to 2001.
Hudson currently resides in Olive Branch, Mississippi, where he is an entrepreneur owning restaurants and hotels while remaining deeply committed to community service through youth mentorship and volunteer coaching. He was inducted into the CU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
