National Football Foundation

Born and raised in Philadelphia, he attended Notre Dame and not only played football and baseball, but excelled in the classroom, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. Dudley was also President of the Notre Dame class of 1943. After graduating, Dudley enlisted in the Air Force during World War II. Dudley served as a Captain, flew 54 missions, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with five clusters and seven major battle stars. After WWII ended, Dudley returned to Philadelphia as a decorated war veteran and was asked to recruit football players to his alma mater, Notre Dame, and the University of Georgia.

Soon thereafter, Dudley was hired as the athletics director at Villanova University. Dudley set up extremely successful, well attended games for Villanova, which pushed him to his goal of bringing a bowl game to the east coast. Dudley created the Liberty Bowl which was first held in Philadelphia, until Dudley moved it to Atlantic City in 1964. The event was America’s first indoor bowl game, before the Astrodome and Super Dome became homes for bowl games. After Atlantic City, the Liberty Bowl was moved for the final time to Memphis where it has been played each year since 1965. Dudley was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. Dudley died in 2008 after an extended illness at the age of 88.