LA FERIA — High school Principal Isaac Rodriguez was tight lipped when he told Athletic Director Oscar Salinas he had received a package.
When Rodriguez handed the box to Salinas, he opened it right away.
Inside was a shiny golden football commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Football League and honoring La Feria legend Jim Hudson for participating in Super Bowl III.
The gold football is part of the Super Bowl High School Honor Roll, an initiative developed by the NFL to recognize schools and communities that contributed to Super Bowl history and positively impacted the game of football.
“We are very proud to have Jim Hudson be part of Super Bowl history and a graduate of La Feria,” Salinas said. “It helps us understand that even from a small town, you can go out and achieve your dreams at the highest level.”
A former La Feria High School athletic standout, Hudson later went on to play football at the University of Texas and in the NFL for the N.Y. Jets. Hudson died on June 25, 2013 in Austin. He was 70.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl, the NFL presented commemorative gold footballs to the high school of every player and head coach who has appeared in a Super Bowl, according to NFL.com.
Hudson was just one of them. He was prolific on the gridiron and helped the Texas Longhorns to its first National Championship on defense in 1963.
The following year, in the 1965 Orange Bowl, he threw a 96-yard touchdown pass to help lead Texas over Joe Namath’s National Championship Alabama team.
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