Joe Dudek attended Plymouth State from 1982 to 1985, where he was a standout running back for the Panthers’ football team. On September 11, 1982, he played his first career game for Plymouth State, rushing for four touchdowns to lead the Panthers to a milestone 53-14 victory over Norwich University. Dudek led Plymouth State to the NCAA Division III playoffs three times during his tenure. In addition to his team’s success, he also broke 10 school records during his career and finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1985, the highest finish ever by a non-Division I player.
Dudek broke National Football League Hall of Famer Walter Payton's NCAA career touchdown record with his 79 touchdowns, more than any other college football player at any level at the time. In 1997, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Dudek was also a two-time ECAC Division III Player of the Year and ECAC Rookie of the year, as well as the Most Valuable Player of the first-ever ECAC Division III football championship in 1983 at Massachusetts Maritime. Dudek rushed for 279 yards and three touchdowns en route to capturing the Most Valuable Player Trophy.
In 1985, he gained national acclaim when he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated alongside Bo Jackson. The college football star went on to earn an NFL contract with the Denver Broncos and would receive two
Super Bowl checks. [DB1]
[DB1]Was he on the team when they played? Which ones? Need to clarify this.