'Alabama Desert Fox' Steve Hudson Humbled by ASHOF Induction

Former Alabama golfer, along with football player George Teague and track star Lillie Leatherwood welcomed as newest members of Hall of Fame

Steve Hudson glances around the room. He is surrounded by greatness. There are three more floors above him with the same thing – hundreds of display cases that hold pieces of history, artifacts belonging to icons and legends.

As he stands next to his own display at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Hudson feels out of place.

“It was hard to believe,” he said of receiving the news of his enshrinement into the ASHOF. “Even when they called me, I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t feel worthy.”

Hudson, a former University of Alabama golfer from Jasper, was one of three inductees into the AHOF on Friday. He was joined by Alabama All-American and NFL player George Teague, and Olympic gold medalist and former Alabama track star Lillie Leatherwood.

“I think I know a little bit of what it feels like to go to heaven,” Hudson said of being inducted.

Hudson was a member of the Crimson Tide golf team that captured the program’s first SEC championship in 1979. He had major success as an Alabama Golf Association player and as a senior amateur.

Hudson played pro golf from 1981-87, and three times he was named AGA Player of the Year and twice he was named AGA Senior Player of the Year. He played in 15 USGA events including two US Senior Opens as well as winning a USGA Silver Medal (2005) and Bronze Medal (2007).

As Hudson scanned the display case at the AHSOF building, he noticed that most of his accomplishments came after college.

“That’s the nice thing about golf – you can still compete as you get older,” Hudson said.

It was during his time out West where Hudson really found his groove. In California he won the Society of Seniors Senior Masters three times, the first in 2014.

It earned him a new nickname – Alabama Desert Fox.

“I won it three out of four years. After the second time, one of the guys mentioned it, and somebody picked up on it and said, ‘You’re like Johnny Miller. You play good in the desert.’ But nowhere near what Johnny did. But it was kind of a fun name.”

Miller was called Desert Fox for his penchant for winning golf tournaments in the West.

He has been ranked in the top 10 in the Golf Week National Rankings four different years and made honorable mention by Global Golf Week Rankings for three years. In 2017, he was named the Society of Seniors Player of the Year.

“People have reached out to me to help me feel more worthy of being inducted,” Hudson said. “Maybe with time it will feel more comfortable that I’m in there.”