Andrew Charles Dudish (October 13, 1918 – January 19, 2001) was an American football halfback. Dudish was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1918 and attended Hanover High School in Hanover, Pennsylvania. He played college football for Georgia from 1940 to 1942. He was a member of the undefeated

1942 Georgia Bulldogs football team The 1942 Georgia Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented the University of Georgia in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1942 college football season. In their fourth season under head coach Wally Butts, th ...

that won a national championship. He played in Georgia's backfield with Frank Sinkwich and earned a reputation as "a vicious, savage tackler" and "one of the most outstanding defensive backs Georgia has ever known." Dudish served in the Army from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. He suffered a fractured vertebrae in 1944 during a football game at

Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...

. Dudish played professional football in the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

for the Buffalo Bisons in 1946 and

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

in 1947 and in the National Football League for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in 1948. He appeared in 29 professional football games, six of them as a starter, and totaled 141 rushing yards, 163 receiving yards, 622 punt and kick return yards, and two touchdowns. After retiring as a player, Dudish worked for a life insurance company and coached youth football in Georgia. With his wife, Lugenia, he had two sons and three daughters. He died in 2001 in Lawrenceville, Georgia, of complications from pneumonia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dudish, Andy 1918 births 2001 deaths American football halfbacks 176th Infantry Spirits football players Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players Buffalo Bisons (AAFC) players Detroit Lions players Georgia Bulldogs football players United States Army personnel of World War II Players of American football from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania Deaths from pneumonia in Georgia (U.S. state)