Faculty Spotlight: David Hudson
Ever since graduate school at St. Lawrence University, Athletic Director David Hudson has poured his energy into athletic education. Though he has worked at his alma mater and Governor’s Academy, Hudson eventually returned to the first institution he was hired to: Phillips Exeter.
Throughout his time in high school and college, Hudson has been an athlete. During his high school years, Hudson wrestled and played baseball. At St. Lawrence, Hudson lettered for four years in college football and wrestling.
When he was younger, athletics enriched Hudson’s life on and off the field or ring. “As a student, being on a team definitely gave me some discipline, some focus and a routine,” Hudson said. “You had to manage the hours you were putting into your sport and travel and all that and balance that with academics.”
Because of his passion for sports, Hudson is still involved in athletics today, as a coach. At the Academy, he instructs the Varsity Football team in the fall, Varsity Wrestling in the winter and JV Lacrosse in the spring.
Across all three sports, Hudson has tried to cultivate strong team dynamics. “I think one of the things I’m most proud of is that the kids that have come through the athletic program share a collective feeling about the team that’s carried over from year to year,” Hudson said. “Even for individual sports, having team chemistry in place helps players improve and enjoy their time on the team.”
In his position as Athletic Director, Hudson has many other roles within the department. On the daily, Hudson is charged with committee work and budgetary concerns. Simultaneously, Hudson also handles the long term direction of the Athletics department including athletic scheduling, transportation and staffing.
Apart from the Athletics program, Hudson also works with students in dorms. Over the course of his years at the Academy, he has worked in numerous dorms—from Dutch House to Webster Hall.
“I didn’t come from a boarding school background, so I really had no idea what I was getting into when I came here young in my career,” Hudson said. “Relationships with advisees, kids in the dorm—I wouldn’t necessarily come across in my day to day operation over here [in the athletics department], and those relationships have been some of the best parts of my time at the Academy.”
Wrestlers coached by Hudson noted his encouragement for students to explore their own skillsets. “Coach Hudson focused on the individuality and independence of each person as a wrestler. He helps … us reach our fullest potential by allowing us to make our own decisions,” senior Tyler Morris said. “This is much like what happens in the classroom, what happens on this campus. His style of coaching is to let the wrestler figure it out for themselves, while keeping them on the path to success.”
Senior Angus Scott further described Hudson as loving, though effective. “He’s very rugged and tough, but—deep down—he really loves all of his athletes,” Scott said. “At the end of all the practices, we do conditioning and running—he really wants us to be in good shape for the season. But he also puts our health safety above anything else.”
Morris had similar sentiments. “We get down to business when we need to get down to business. The first couple weeks, when I got to know him, he was very welcoming,” Morris recalled. “He’s just the best coach I could have asked for.”
Wrestlers also noted Hudson’s sense of humor. “I dressed up as Coach Hudson for Halloween, and I saw him at Grill,” senior Ethan Rosenthal said. “He started laughing. He said, ‘Meet me in the gym. I’ll change so we can match.” Rosenthal further recalled a time, during weight cutting, when Hudson bought twenty pizzas that the team could not eat.
Hudson’s running gag with food goes beyond one-time pranks. “Coach Hudson gets really excited at hotels when they have continental breakfasts. He’ll eat as much as he can in front of us,” Scott said.
Physical Education Instructor William Glennon agreed that Hudson consistently improves the players around him. “As one of the best coaches I have been associated with in my long career, he is a true teacher and mentor to students as well as fellow coaches,” Glennon said. “One of the top wrestling coaches in the country, a great football mind and a strong, technical lacrosse coach … As one of his former JV Lacrosse coaches used to say, we will be the better conditioned team than anyone we play.”
Throughout his time at the Academy, Hudson has always done the best by the Exeter community. “It is exactly because of his character that some of the most telling anecdotes are ones that he would not want to have shared,” Physical Education Instructor Hilary Hall said. “He’s the person who does all sorts of selfless acts, behind the scenes things for people and families that make a difference in both a community and the larger world. He does the right thing, even when that is not the easy thing. He is willing to give up something that would benefit him individually if it means the group is better off for it. He’s exactly the person you’d want your children to be influenced by.”
Due to this quality, Hudson has made a profound impact on the Academy. “In a quiet and humble way, Mr. Hudson has been hugely impactful,” Hall said. “His current stepping up to take on the huge job of being the Athletic Director because the school needed him to is a great example. On the teams that he coaches, his athletes see both the coach who cares about each person and at the same time the deeply competitive spirit that has driven him his whole life. He is respected by kids and adults in equal measure. He has shown that you can win a whole cache of titles and championships without budging on character.”
To many wrestlers on his team, Hudson is a mentor as well as a coach. “He always stops you in the hallways, asks how you’re doing,” Scott said. “Our relationship leaves the wrestling room—he sees you as a person as well as an athlete.”