William McGarvey Dudley (December 24, 1921 – February 4, 2010), nicknamed "Bullet Bill", was an American professional football halfback, safety and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966. He, along with Deion Sanders are the only players in NFL history to score touchdowns in six different ways (rushing, receiving, punt return, kick return, interception return, and fumble return)
Early life
Dudley was born in Bluefield, Virginia and attended Graham High School. He made the football team his junior year, and in 1938 he kicked a 35-yard field goal in the season's finale and helped Graham beat favored Princeton High School, 10–7.
College career
At the age of 16, Dudley was awarded an athletic scholarship by the University of Virginia football team by coach Frank Murray. After the season, he played in the East–West Shrine Game, where he intercepted four passes and threw for his team's touchdown in a 6–6 tie.
Military service (1943–45)
In 1942, the U. S. armed services began drafting all eligible young men to fight in World War II. Dudley originally enlisted and was sworn into the Naval Air Corps; however, they found out he needed to have his parents' consent, since he was not yet 21. In doing this, Dudley became the only NFL player to lead in four unique statistical categories. Dudley led his team in scoring during every one of his nine NFL seasons. He died in his home in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 4, 2010.
See also
- List of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders