Bill Dudley
The NFL halfback who was known as ‘Bullet Bill’
Bill Dudley
1921–2010
At 5 feet 10 inches and 182 pounds, the undersize Bill Dudley nearly missed his first day of training with the Pittsburgh Steelers because the guard at the gate didn’t believe he was a real player. Yet in 1946, he became the only player in NFL history to lead the league in rushing, interceptions, and punt returns in the same season.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dudley’s prowess was obvious at the University of Virginia, where he was “perhaps the greatest athlete in school history,” said the Associated Press. “As a senior in 1941, he had a hand in 206 of the 279 points the team scored on its way to an 8–1 record.” He led the nation in scoring that year and, in one of Virginia’s historic sports moments, carried the ball 17 times in its Thanksgiving Day victory over North Carolina—the first time Virginia had beaten the Tar Heels since 1932. Named the youngest-ever All-American at 19, he was the Steelers’ first pick in the 1942 NFL draft.
Dudley “excelled at every skill in his sport: running, passing, punting, place-kicking, blocking, defense, and returning kicks,” said The Washington Post. “Even in an era when leather-helmeted players stayed in the game on both offense and defense, his versatility was extraordinary.” Though not fast, he combined “balance, toughness, and a remarkable ability to elude tacklers,” earning him the nickname “Bullet Bill.” He retired in 1953, after playing for the Steelers, the Detroit Lions, and the Washington Redskins.
Dudley later entered the insurance business and served eight years in the Virginia legislature. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
‘Every argument has a rational, emotional, and rhetorical component’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
October 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include bad news overload, Donald Trump repeatedly crossing a red line, and the Statue of Liberty fallen on hard times
-
Scorching hot sauces that pack a punch
The Week Recommends The best sauces to tingle your lips and add a fiery kick to your food
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film Festival
Feature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th-century clothing
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach Boys
Feature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
Sly Stone: The funk-rock visionary who became an addict and recluse
Feature Stone, an eccentric whose songs of uplift were tempered by darker themes of struggle and disillusionment, had a fall as steep as his rise
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin America
Feature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
-
Dame Maggie Smith: an intensely private national treasure
In the Spotlight Her mother told her she didn't have the looks to be an actor, but Smith went on to win awards and capture hearts