Former BYU football Consensus All-American and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Gordon Hudson passed away on Monday, September 27, 2021, in San Jose, California at the age of 59. During the fall of 2010, I had the pleasure of interviewing nearly 60 former players, coaches and administrators for a historical book on BYU football — among them was Gordon.
He was gracious, humble, engaging and grateful that I wanted to include his story in the book. Below is an excerpt from “What It Means To Be A Cougar” with Gordon sharing his experience at BYU in his own words. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to meet Gordon and assist him in sharing his BYU story. On behalf of BYU Athletics, we express our love and condolences to the Hudson family. – Duff Tittle
Gordon Hudson
Tight End
1980-83
I came out of Kennewick, Washington. That’s where I played high school football. My senior year my dad moved the family to Salt Lake City, Utah, but I wanted to stay in Washington and graduate with my friends. After the football season, my dad convinced me to move to Utah to be with our family. I played basketball for Duke Reid at Brighton High School. If I hadn’t transferred midway through my senior year, I wouldn’t have gone to BYU.
Even though I was a Mormon kid, I really knew very little about BYU. I knew it was a Church school, and I had heard a few things about Danny Ainge. I wanted to go to the University of Washington. I was a Husky fan through and through.
After I moved to Utah, somehow Utah State found out about me and started recruiting me to play football. I actually verbally committed to Bruce Schneider at Utah State because at the time they were the only Division I school that had offered a scholarship. I grew up right down the road from Washington State and they passed on me, and Washington wanted me to walk on.
If I’m not mistaken, the day after I told Utah State I would come to Logan for a recruiting visit, Norm Chow walked through the door at a Brighton High School basketball practice and introduced himself. It was about a month before signing day. He told me, “Just keep your options open and have an open mind.” He also told me that Dick Felt was going to come watch me play basketball against Alta.”
BYU was recruiting Dave Mills out of Alta. He had already committed, so they were coming to watch him play. After the game, Coach Felt walked into the locker room and said, “I’m going to suggest to LaVell we give you a scholarship.” Just like that, based on watching me play basketball. I said, “Sure enough!” I thought, “Wow, what a huge opportunity.”
That was 1980, so things were quite a bit different than they are today. When the time came to commit, I signed with BYU.
My freshman year at BYU I played on the JV team. Lance Reynolds was our coach. I think I suited up a couple times for varsity and played in a game or two. Floyd Johnson, our equipment guy, put my locker next to Steve Young, who was also a freshman. That was the beginning of our relationship as best friends and roommates.
That 1980 team was very good. Clay Brown was an All-American tight end. He didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend with me, but I was smart enough to watch him. That’s where I built a foundation of learning how to play tight end.
He played tight end differently than most people played the position back then. After making a catch, Clay turned into a running back. He didn’t just look to run over guys, although he could. He would run around them, juke them, and even run away from them. I had a similar style in high school. I always felt I was a small man trapped in a big man’s body. What Clay was doing made me think, “Maybe I can do the same thing someday at BYU?”
At that point, I was planning on finishing my freshman year then going on a mission in the summer of 1981. I had no idea I was even in the mix to be the next varsity tight end. When spring camp opened I wasn’t getting a ton of reps because people knew I was planning on a mission that summer. But every time I got in, it seemed like I’d make a crazy, miraculous catch.
By the spring game, I had moved up to first team on the depth chart. I didn’t really think a whole lot about it until LaVell called me into his office for my exit interview after spring practice was over. I don’t know his exact words, but I can remember the gist of what he said like it was yesterday. He told me he knew I was planning to serve a mission and that he fully respected my decision to serve. He also told me that if I wanted to wait or look at different options, then I would be the starting tight end when we opened fall camp. Either way, LaVell told me he would support me in my decision. I said, “What?” It literally threw my world into a tailspin.
I left the meeting thinking, “Wow! LaVell just handed me the reins to the great legacy of Clay Brown.” I really was planning to go on a mission. That’s how I grew up and that’s what I had been taught. I thought about what to do for a least a week. During that time I didn’t tell anybody.
By this time my parents had moved to Colorado, but they still had our house is Salt Lake City. About a week after meeting with LaVell, they came to town and I went up to spend the weekend with them. I can remember being scared to death to tell my parents about my dilemma. Finally, I got up enough guts and said, “I’m ready to go on a mission when I turn 19 in June, but LaVell just told me that if I choose to stay I’ll likely be the starting tight end this fall.”
I had no idea what they were going to say. I thought my dad would be mad. The first thing my dad said was, “Well, let’s go talk to our stake president.” So the next weekend I made the trip to Colorado to meet with my parent’s stake president, whom I had never met.
We sat down and told him we needed his counsel. I told him I’d been planning to serve a mission and leave that summer. I also explained my conversation with LaVell and the opportunities ahead at BYU. I further explained I thought I could use my playing days at BYU as a missionary tool—that if everything went as planned I could be a positive influence on a lot of people.
Then I said, “What do you think?” I can remember his answer as if it happened yesterday. He looked me straight in the eye, and in a matter-of-fact way said, “Gordon, there’s no question what you should do.” I thought, “Okay. He’s sending me on a mission.” Then he said in these exact words, “You should stay and play football at BYU.” That was it.
So when I got back to Provo, I went and told LaVell I would be playing football in the fall. My understanding is that Steve Young had a similar experience.
From that day on, when I told LaVell, “Okay, let’s do it,” Steve and I became speaking partners. I’m not just talking about speaking around the state of Utah; I’m talking about speaking all over the country. They wore us out. By my estimation, in the four years I spent at BYU, I probably attended 500 speaking engagements. It was something we took very seriously. We tried hard to be a good example, to use our station as athletes to influence the youth and be a positive example of the Church and what it stands for. When I stood at a pulpit or a podium and talked to people, it was genuine and from the heart. For the next three years, I literally felt that that was my calling. That was my mission.
Steve became my very best friend and confidante. There wasn’t anything we wouldn’t do for each other. We spent so much time together as roommates and speaking partners that I could probably write a book filled with the things we accomplished and went through together.
When I look back on it now, I’m proud of the fact that we helped put BYU on the map. The late 1970s and early 80s were a magical time at BYU. There were so many players on those teams that ended up playing in the NFL.
BYU revolutionized college football. Everyone always talks about the West Coast offense and Bill Walsh. Well BYU did the same thing at the college level with LaVell Edwards, Doug Scovil and the other guys who followed him. We revolutionized college football. We passed to set up the run. We ran at the opportune times. That was the legacy we left at BYU.
I was fortunate to play with two of the greatest quarterbacks in NCAA history. Jim McMahon was a legend. I was in awe at what he could do and extremely intimidated by his presence. If Jim told me to do something, I didn’t even ask questions—I just did it. I knew if I dropped a ball, which didn’t happen very often, that I did not want to go back to the huddle.
I played with Steve, Robbie Bosco, and even John Elway in Denver. They were fantastic quarterbacks—some of the greatest to play the game—but I’ve always said, “The best pure drop-back quarterback I ever had the chance to play with was Jim McMahon.”
He just demanded that type of respect. He was a player. I feel fortunate that I got to play with him for one year. It was a big year for me. It took him a couple of games to gain confidence in me, but once he did, we were unstoppable.
The greatest game I ever played was my sophomore year against Utah in 1981. You talk about being “in the zone.” I had 13 catches, two touchdowns, and 259 yards. I felt unstoppable. I ran away from people, around people, and when I couldn’t do that, I ran over them. It was like a whole game of slow motion football for me. It was Jim’s last home game at BYU and I’ll never forget it.
I look back at my time at BYU as an awesome experience. At the time, I think I took it for granted. I caught passes from Jim McMahon and Steve Young. I got to play for the immortal Doug Scovil. I played for Ted Tollner. I played for Mike Holmgren. I played for Norm Chow. I played with Andy Reid. They are legends. They have left their imprint all over the game of football. You start to appreciate those things when you get older.
Obviously, to culminate my career and be elected on the first ballot into the College Football Hall of Fame kind of brought everything full circle. It has changed my life quite a bit. It has made me a much better person, realizing the journey I’ve taken, and knowing there are still many things for me to do.
I don’t think I’ve said enough about LaVell, but he’s the greatest man ever. Without him, I wouldn’t be here today. When he sat down with you and said, “Gordon, I’ve got a piece of advice for you,” you would listen. I did. He taught me service to others and how to be a team player and selfless in my actions.
His genius was to hire good assistants and leave them alone. He knew what he didn’t know, if that makes any sense. He knew that to compete at a national level he had to throw the ball. So he went and found coaches like Doug Scovil that could help him create this unbelievable offensive machine.
LaVell directed the backroom issues. Who are we going to sign? Where are they going to play? He did that for me. He took a shot at a kid who really had nothing to show as far as credentials, and he said, “We’re going to give you a scholarship. We’re going to give you a shot at tight end.” He had never even seen me play, but that’s LaVell. That’s what he did. He’s one of a kind.
Maybe the best years of my life were the four I spent at BYU. I’m proud of the things we were able to accomplish on the field and all the time we spent—three-to-four days a week—speaking at schools, youth meetings, and firesides—sharing the gospel and promoting the values of the university and the Church. That’s what it means to me to be a Cougar. I was very humbled and grateful to be at BYU and be a part of the BYU football legacy.
Gordon Hudson played four years as a tight end at BYU from 1980-83. He was a Consensus All-America as a junior in 1982 and as a senior in 1983. Hudson still holds several NCAA tight end records, including most career passes caught per game and yards in a single game. He helped BYU win four WAC championships and four Holiday Bowl invitations. In 2009, Hudson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 as the first non-quarterback to represent BYU. He was selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft. Hudson played two seasons with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL and one with the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL.