Tommy Hudpseth’s elevation from player personnel executive to head coach of the Lions was a job he neither asked nor campaigned for, but it was one that he cherished and worked at diligently and with pride.
When he was promoted from interim head coach in 1976 to permanent head coach in 1977, he experienced a nightmare about being passed over.
True to Hudspeth’s good nature and character, he laughed when he told the story on himself at a press conference.
Hudspeth died earlier this week after battling cancer. He was 83.
His death was first reported by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.