Ed Pudlik (2019) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

Ed Pudlik

Induction:
2019
Class:
1949

He earned first-team All-Big 7 honors as a junior in 1948, Colorado’s first year in the conference (one of just two players to make the first team) … He played right end in the platoon era, and was one of the top receivers in the league on offense, catching 12 passes for 238 yards (19.8 per) and five touchdowns … He was the team captain as a senior in 1949 … Freshmen were allowed to play at the time due to World War II, and he would start all four years at end on both offense and defense during the platoon era … At 6-0, 195, he was known for the big play during his CU career, as he caught 24 passes for 503 yards and nine touchdowns, the first player in school history to average over 20 yards per catch (21.0) and still one of just nine in school history to do so with at least 20 career receptions … His nine TDs set a school record that stood for just four years, but would remain the second-most for 41 seasons (and are still tied for 17th) … He scored 11 touchdowns overall and made 21-of-27 PAT kicks for 87 total points, which were the second only to Byron White at the time of his graduation and still tied for 53rd all-time … Top game statistically came in a 27-13 loss at Missouri his junior year, when he caught five passes for 103 yards and two scores (and the one PAT kick for all of CU’s points) … He was a pitcher on CU’s baseball team, and known for his fastball … Had a 1-1 record in 1948, CU’s first year in the Big 7 ... Pitched a complete game win against Iowa State in ’49, striking out six, as CU’s 6-4 upset win knocked the Cyclones out of the league lead on the next to last day of the season ... Turned down a $6,000 contract to sign with the Baltimore Colts in 1950 to go into dairy farming … For years, he owned Colorado’s largest private dairy farm (Eagle Dairy) on Highway 93 just outside of Golden … He prepped at Denver North High School and was an All-State performer in football and baseball (many referred to him as the most dominant pitcher in the state as a prep) … Followed his older brother John to CU (who once owned The Sink on the Hill) … He was drafted into the U.S. Army out of high school and served two years in Europe, where he began his tour shortly after D-Day in 1944; he enrolled at CU upon his return … He passed away from complications due to leukemia on March 30, 1999 at the age of 72.