Joseph Anthony Dudek (born January 22, 1964) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player. Dudek received national attention when he was featured on the cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' December 2, 1985, issue as the magazine's pick for the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

after he broke

Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American professional American football, ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

record for career touchdowns. Dudek finished ninth in the voting, the best result ever for a non- Division I player. Dudek finished his collegiate career with ten school records. He holds the NCAA record for career 100-yard rushing games (30) and games with two or more touchdowns (24). Plymouth State went 37–6 during his time there, reaching the

Eastern College Athletic Conference The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 15 sports (13 men's and 13 women's). It has 220 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from ...

playoffs twice and earning their first-ever NCAA playoff appearance. Dudek's number 22 was the first to be retired at Plymouth State College. Dudek played two games for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in 1987 (during the 1987 NFL players' strike), rushing for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Dudek was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 1997. He lives in

Auburn, New Hampshire Auburn is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,946 at the 2020 census, up from 4,953 at the 2010 census. History Auburn was originally settled by Native Americans in 1624. It was a fishing settleme ...

, with his wife and their two children, working for Southern Wine & Spirits. His son, Joey, plays

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

and was selected 152nd overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

."Devils' draft pick Joey Dudek is son of college football legend Joe Dudek" ''NJ.com''
June 28, 2014

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dudek, Joe 1964 births Living people American football running backs Denver Broncos players NFL replacement players Plymouth State Panthers football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees North Quincy High School alumni Players of American football from Boston Sportspeople from Quincy, Massachusetts People from Auburn, New Hampshire