A three-sport standout, Harold Dudley had success in basketball and football, but earned most of his glory on the baseball diamond. Dudley teamed with pitcher Bob Brenaman to form one of the finest baseball batteries in the state.
As acting captain in 1924, he led the team to a 9-5 record. In 1925, when Dudley again served as captain, the team recorded a 9-8 record against the toughest competition in school history to that point. Dudley was rated by the newspapers as the best catcher in the state his senior season. He was praised by the 1924 yearbook as a player who "possesses a cool head, good throwing arm, and is always in there with lots of spunk and fight." Also in 1924, he was the first recipient of the prestigious Dr. Edgar G. Gammon Cup.
In addition to being a standout athlete, Dudley was also active on campus as a class officer for three years, editor of the school newspaper, and a founding member of Omicron Delta Kappa. Following graduation, he signed a professional contract with the St. Louis Cardinals and played Triple-A baseball in Syracuse, NY.
In 1929, Dudley graduated from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond. In 1993, he formally retired after 65 years as a Presbyterian minister. From 1951 to 1971, he served as General Secretary and State Clerk of the North Carolina Synod. He currently resides in Tarboro, NC.
