Football Hall of Fame

At every level of competition, Bobby Judd had greatness. While at Spalding Institute, he was a football all-star, a basketball guard on the school's first state tournament team, and a skilled catcher who won a batting title his senior year.

At Xavier University in Cincinnati, he was a football standout, and in the Canadian Football League, he was one of the best.

He was a starting guard on Spalding's 1950 basketball team that made the school's first trip to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to eventual state champion Mt. Vernon, and he won the Greater Peoria batting title in 1950 by hitting .396.

But football was Bobby Judd's premier sport.

An elusive runner and a hard-nosed defensive player, he was voted Illinois’ most valuable player in 1949.

At Xavier, he had 1,636 career rushing yards, second in school history at that time, and set 10 Xavier offensive records. His 1951 team finished 9-0-1.

He played halfback on the U.S. Army team in Germany that won the European title in 1956 and was named to the All-Army team in 1956.

The Baltimore Colts and Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL wanted him in 1957, but he went with the Ottawa Rough Riders and was a key member of the team in 1957, 1958 and 1959.

Wrote an Ottawa sportswriter about Judd: "Even with such a lush crop of spectacular halfbacks growing in the grid garden of our nine major league cities in Canada, it would be difficult to exclude Bobby Judd from a list of the nation’s top five.

"In addition to being recognized as a crashing defensive back, he packs guts and go as an offensive halfback and as a punter. Which adds to a useful 190-pound, five-foot-eight package of footballer to have around."

Tragically, Bobby and wife Shirley were fatally injured in a car accident over 30 years ago.