Dudley goes No. 1

Hall of Famers Published on : 1/1/2005

Bill Dudley is one of only 14 players in the history of the National Football League draft to have gone from being the first overall pick of a draft to earning election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1942 - BILL DUDLEY, HB, VIRGINIA (PITTSBURGH STEELERS)

How the Steelers landed the No. 1 pick:

Pittsburgh suffered through a woeful 1-9-1 season in 1941 to finish last in the NFL’s Eastern Division. The club’s lone victory came against the Brooklyn Dodgers with three weeks remaining in the regular season.

Scouting Dudley’s college career:

Newspaper accounts of the 1942 draft noted that there was little surprise with the Steelers pick. Dudley, a unanimous All-America choice at Virginia had led the nation in scoring.

Rookie debut:

Dudley rushed for 107 yards against the Eagles in his pro debut en route to winning the NFL rushing title that year. In all, he had 162 carries for 696 yards and scored 5 TDs. He was named a consensus first-team All-NFL choice for his performance that season.

NFL Career highlights:

“Bullet Bill” split his career between the Steelers, Lions and Redskins. In 1946, he accomplished a rare “triple crown” when he led the NFL in three separate statistical categories. HOF Bio>>>

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