Born: February 19, 1946
Recruited: New Norfolk FC, Tasmania
1967-1974, 1977
Debut Order: 571
First game: Round 2, 1967
Last game: Preliminary Final, 1977
Games: 129
Goals: 727
Guernsey Number: 26 (1967-74), 1 (1977)
Premiership: 1971
Night Premierships: 1968, 1969, 1977
Best & Fairest: 1968, 1970
3rd Best & Fairest: 1969
Most Brownlow Votes: 1969, 1970, 1971
Leading Goal Kicker: 1967 (57), 1968 (125), 1969 (120), 1970 (146), 1971(150), 1977 (110)
Life Member: 1978
Chief Executive: 1995-96
Team of the Century: 2001 (Full Forward)
Hall of Fame Inductee: 2003
Legend of the Club: 2009
VFL / AFL Honours
2nd Brownlow Medal: 1971 (equal)
Coleman Medal: 1968, 1970, 1971, 1977
State Representative 8
AFL Hall of Fame Inductee: 1996
AFL Legend of the Game: 1999
All-Australian: 1966, 1969
VFL/AFL Life Member: 2002
Order of Australia, Services to Football: 1979
Many consider Hudson the best full-forward of all time. An average of 5.59 goals per games exceeds all others. He kicked 100 goals in four consecutive seasons before injury robbed him of absolute greatness. After struggling to get fit for five years, he returned for one season in 1977 to kick yet another ton.
Often criticized for his apparent lack of high marking skills (although he took many) and not liking the ‘rough stuff’, he had a great ability to read the game, using his body to perfection to nudge out an opponent out of the way at the crucial moment before grabbing the ball and goaling.
Hudson was idolized by the Hawks supporters for his incredible deeds with many supporters changing ends each quarter of the game to watch the master at work. He returned to Club Administration in 1995 for two years taking a leading role with Hawthorn’s move to play home games in Launceston.