Tim Hudson, with wife, Kim, and Auburn Director of Athletics Allen Greene, was inducted Saturday into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham.
May 1, 2018
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Briefly overcome with emotion during his Alabama Sports Hall of Fame induction speech, Tim Hudson received a towel from a fellow Class of 2018 inductee, Terrell Owens.
Minutes earlier, Owens, who will also be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, had needed a moment to wipe away tears during his speech.
It was that kind of night Saturday in Birmingham when the Hall honored its 50th anniversary class.
"A huge honor," said Hudson, who led Auburn to the 1997 College World Series before winning 222 Major League Baseball games. "Going into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame with so many great athletes from this state.
"I looked at the alumni of the Hall of Fame. It's the who's who of all sports. It's really exciting. Had a great class coming in this year with T.O. and Dabo Swinney, Stewart Cink. It was very humbling, very gracious that they considered my career good enough for that call."
The SEC Player of the Year and a First Team All-American in 1997, Hudson turned in the best two-way season in program history in his final year, helping take the Tigers to Omaha. The First Team All-SEC pitcher and outfielder posted a 15-2 record with a 2.97 ERA and 165 strikeouts on the mound while also hitting .396 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI at the plate. Hudson led the NCAA in wins while his strikeout total was also the highest in the SEC. Additionally, his wins, ERA and RBI numbers are second in single-season program history.
After spending two years on the Plains (1996-97), Hudson still ranks in the top 10 in program history in career winning percentage (20-5; 0.800) and strikeouts (255).
Following his Auburn career, the Columbus, Georgia, native was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the sixth round of the 1997 MLB Draft and went on to spend 17 years in the big leagues with Oakland (1999-2004), Atlanta (2005-13) and San Francisco (2014-15). He posted a 222-133 career record with a 3.49 ERA, was a four-time MLB All-Star and won the 2014 World Series as a member of the San Francisco Giants.
Hudson also finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year race in 1999, placed in the top six of Cy Young voting on four occasions and was named the 2010 Comeback Player of the Year with Atlanta.
The Hudsons: Tess, Kade, Kim, Tim and Kennedie
Hudson and his wife, Kim, an Auburn University graduate, are raising their three children in Auburn, allowing Tim to keep a close eye on his alma mater and its ace pitcher, Casey Mize.
"You've got one of the best pitchers in the country, if not the best pitcher in the country, pitching for you once every three games in the SEC, so I like our chances," Hudson said. "I love what Butch [Thompson] is doing. I think he has the right guys surrounding him and those boys are going to respond."
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Briefly overcome with emotion during his Alabama Sports Hall of Fame induction speech, Tim Hudson received a towel from a fellow Class of 2018 inductee, Terrell Owens.
Minutes earlier, Owens, who will also be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, had needed a moment to wipe away tears during his speech.
It was that kind of night Saturday in Birmingham when the Hall honored its 50th anniversary class.
"A huge honor," said Hudson, who led Auburn to the 1997 College World Series before winning 222 Major League Baseball games. "Going into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame with so many great athletes from this state.
"I looked at the alumni of the Hall of Fame. It's the who's who of all sports. It's really exciting. Had a great class coming in this year with T.O. and Dabo Swinney, Stewart Cink. It was very humbling, very gracious that they considered my career good enough for that call."
The SEC Player of the Year and a First Team All-American in 1997, Hudson turned in the best two-way season in program history in his final year, helping take the Tigers to Omaha. The First Team All-SEC pitcher and outfielder posted a 15-2 record with a 2.97 ERA and 165 strikeouts on the mound while also hitting .396 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI at the plate. Hudson led the NCAA in wins while his strikeout total was also the highest in the SEC. Additionally, his wins, ERA and RBI numbers are second in single-season program history.
After spending two years on the Plains (1996-97), Hudson still ranks in the top 10 in program history in career winning percentage (20-5; 0.800) and strikeouts (255).
Following his Auburn career, the Columbus, Georgia, native was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the sixth round of the 1997 MLB Draft and went on to spend 17 years in the big leagues with Oakland (1999-2004), Atlanta (2005-13) and San Francisco (2014-15). He posted a 222-133 career record with a 3.49 ERA, was a four-time MLB All-Star and won the 2014 World Series as a member of the San Francisco Giants.
Hudson also finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year race in 1999, placed in the top six of Cy Young voting on four occasions and was named the 2010 Comeback Player of the Year with Atlanta.
The Hudsons: Tess, Kade, Kim, Tim and Kennedie
Hudson and his wife, Kim, an Auburn University graduate, are raising their three children in Auburn, allowing Tim to keep a close eye on his alma mater and its ace pitcher, Casey Mize.
"You've got one of the best pitchers in the country, if not the best pitcher in the country, pitching for you once every three games in the SEC, so I like our chances," Hudson said. "I love what Butch [Thompson] is doing. I think he has the right guys surrounding him and those boys are going to respond."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer👏🏾Congratulations Tim Hudson on your richly deserved @ASHOF induction!-- Allen Greene (@AGreeneIV) April 29, 2018
You and @kimberlybhudson do so much for @AuburnU & @AuburnTigers.
Thankful that I didn't have to try to hit against you back in the day!⚾️#WarEagle | #HallofFamer pic.twitter.com/liYLBnHkQa
from Auburn Tigers News http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/aub/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/050118aaa.html
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