Dudley, "Bullet Bill" (William McG.)
Football
b. Dec. 24, 1921, Bluefield, VA
Only 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds, Dudley wanted to play football at Virginia Polytechnic, but was rejected because of his size. He went instead to the University of Virginia, where he was an All-American halfback in 1941.
He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1942, led the NFL in rushing with 696 yards on 162 carries, and was named to the All-Pro team. After serving as a bomber pilot in World War II, Dudley returned to the Steelers for part of the 1945 season and again led the NFL in rushing in 1946 with 604 yards on 146 attempts.
Because of differences with Pittsburgh Coach Jock Sutherland, Dudley was traded to the Detroit Lions. The remarkably versatile Dudley scored 13 touchdowns for the Lions in 1947, 7 on pass receptions, 4 on runs from scrimmage, 1 on a punt return, and 1 on a kickoff return, in addition to throwing 2 touchdown passes.
He played for Detroit through 1949, then joined the Washington Redskins for two seasons. Dudley sat out the 1952 season, returned to the Redskins briefly in 1953, then retired for good.
During his 9 professional seasons, Dudley gained 3,057 yards on 765 rushing attempts, a 4.0 average, and scored 20 touchdowns; caught 123 passes for 1,383 yards and 18 touchdowns; returned 124 punts for 1,515 yards and 3 touchdowns; ran back 78 kickoffs for 1,743 yards and 1 touchdown; intercepted 23 passes and returned them for 459 yards and 2 touchdowns; and punted 191 times for a 38.2-yard average. He added 121 extra points and 33 field goals to his 44 touchdowns for a total of 484 points.