Bio

There was much more at stake than the Ohio Valley Conference championship when Tennessee Tech golf coach Bobby Nichols sent the Golden Eagle men’s golf team onto the Old Hickory Country Club for the 1990 OVC Tournament. The veteran coach told his players that a first place finish by the golf team would also clinch the OVC Men’s All-Sports Trophy.

Nichols wasn’t worried about the added pressure on his team; the 1990 Golden Eagles featured a veteran lineup including Hall of Famer Tom Pack and current nominee Bobby Hudson, both fifth-year seniors.

Those two, which had each spent a redshirt season the previous year, were back on the course for one final year in 1989-90. Already they had combined to help the Golden Eagles capture 11 tournament championships, including five during 1989-90.

The team was projected for a third-place finish, but with Pack (208) capturing medalist honors and Hudson (209) finishing second – one shot back – the Golden Eagles won their sixth title of the year, their first OVC championship in 35 years, and secured the university’s first All-Sports championship.

Hudson played four seasons for the Golden Eagles between 1985 and 1990, earning all-tournament honors 10 times. Of the five players with as many or more all-tournament awards during their careers, three (Scott Stallings, Pack and Jim Cornelius) are in the Hall of Fame.

In addition to his 10 all-tourney honors, Hudson also posted one medalist finish, capturing first place at the 1987 Shorter Classic in Rome, Ga., edging teammate Jim Cornelius (see above) on the third playoff hole.

A Kingsport native who attended Dobyns-Bennett High School, Hudson began his Tech career in the 1985-86 season and ranked sixth on the team. He was a regular in the five-man lineup as a sophomore and junior, before sitting out a season to concentrate on developing his game.

Hudson received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Tech in 1990.