RIP Sweet Lou Hudson

Sweet Lou Johnson
Sweet Lou Dunbar
Sweet Lou Whitaker

 

Sweet Lou Brock?

 

Behind his back but not to his face. LOL

 

Sour Bob Gibson had Sweet Lou's back.

 

I don't think any big-city columnist in the country is better at writing about the old legends of his state better than Reusse. This one's a bit different because it's about a guy who went on to the NBA, but columns like this and especially ones on old small-town legends who only made a mark in Minnesota are always great reads.

 

Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News does a fabulous job with that type of story/column as well.

 

This is the 3rd Hawk of that era that has died in past year. We've had
previously discussed Walt Bellamy and Zelmo Beatty.

Hudson was a pro typical small forward of that era when the NBA
was pretty set in their ways in terms of positions. He would match up
with players like Bill Bradley, Jack Marin and Jim McMillan.

The Hawks had some good players but were just a cut below the top tier
teams like the Celtics, Knicks, Lakers and Bullets. Hard to believe that
The Bullets/ Wizzards were ever any good but they were.

I know NBA Historian Bill Simmons thought it was a down era for the NBA but I thought it was one of the best. Most teams were solid and there were some great rivalries.

 

I appreciate Reusse's institutional knowledge of all things MN sports. As you said, always good stuff.

 

Sweet Lou 'Do Henson.

 

The St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks of the late 60s/early 70s had quite a lineup.


Lenny Wilkens was the PG for that Hawks team, and he was pretty good. (About midway in the run, he was replaced by Walt Hazzard/Mahdi Abdul-Rahman, who was not bad early in his career.)

Joe Caldwell and Bill Bridges and Paul Silas were on the roster too.

During the stretch 1964-74 the team alternated between good stretches (winning 45-50 games) and bad (in the mid-30s). In 67-68, their last year in St. Louis, they went 56-26, but could never take the next step up to serious title contender.

They were hammered by the double-whammy of 1969 expansion (in which they lost Silas and Wilkens) and contract battles with the ABA (Caldwell and Beatty).

Hudson was a kind of constant through it all.

 

In the late 60's the player coach was still in vogue which Richie Guerin filled
for The Hawks.

Pistol Pete joined them I think in '72.

 

#23 was a player.