Former BYU All-America tight end Gordon Hudson has died of causes incident to age, according to an obituary submitted to the Deseret News on Wednesday.
Hudson was 59.
He “passed away peacefully of natural causes” on Sept. 27 in San Jose, California, “where he was living,” according to the obituary.
Memorial services are pending.
Hudson was named one of the top 10 players in BYU football history and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 after a standout career playing for the Cougars from 1980-83.
He had stints in the National Football League and the United States Football League after his brilliant playing career at BYU.
At BYU, Hudson was a two-time unanimous All-American (1982 and 1983) and held NCAA records for most passes caught per game by a tight end (5.4), most career yards per game by a tight end (75.3) and most receiving yards by a tight end (259 vs. Utah) when he left BYU.
As a senior, he teamed with NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young at BYU to catch an NCAA-record 44 passes for six touchdowns before an injury cut short his final season in Provo.
He was a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) first-team selection and widely regarded as one of the greatest tight ends in school history at a school that has produced many greats at the position.
He played in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks and in the USFL for the L.A. Express
He went into coaching after his playing career and worked as an offensive coordinator for the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League (1995-97) and was head coach of the Utah Catzz in 1998.
According to the obituary, Hudson coached his son’s Ute Conference youth football team in Holladay from 2002-06. He also helped coach at Northridge High in Layton for three seasons (2011-13).