Aurora University Athletics

The Aurora University athletic department announced the recipient of the 2019-2020 Richard Rickey Award, JT Hudson. The annual award is presented to a senior male athlete demonstrating outstanding character development throughout the academic year. This award, given since 1964, is a memorial to the late Richard Rickey who died in an automobile accident in 1963 while he was a member of the basketball team.

The mental and moral qualities of JT Hudson are very unique, first as the ultimate leader on the AU Men's Golf Team. He made the decision to come back for his entire senior year to participate as a member of the team because he knew how much of a leader he is on and off the course.  With the capability to gather the team with one simple text message or phone call, JT also encourages his teammates to succeed even if this means his position is shifted. On top of being a committed leader of the team, JT has experienced a phenomenal amount of success individually.  One would never know about this success because he is committed more to the team's success.

In his four years, JT never missed a start and scored in 90%+ of those events. He was named All -Conference every year that he participated and in his junior year he was named NACC Player of the Year.  I have no doubt that if given the chance to play in his fourth Conference Tournament, he would have continued this unprecedented accomplishment. 

Hudson's commitment is not just on the golf course, as he is also a dedicated student at Aurora University, carrying a 3.5 GPA over his four years. Being a student-athlete is about more than just athletic talent.  His pride for Aurora University is also seen through his volunteer hours.  JT committed his time to volunteering for Aurora University Athletics and also throughout the community of Aurora. He participated in volunteer hours at local elementary schools, The Interfaith Food Pantry and the Kids Golf Foundation at Rich Harvest Farms. 

JT has represented the golf program, Aurora University and the Athletic department with the utmost respect.  JT is a regular in the stands cheering and supporting other Spartan student athletes. He is genuinely a one of a kind person. 

The Richard Rickey award is voted on by members of the Aurora University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) with nominations coming from the Head Coaches of various sports.

To view a complete list of the Richard Rickey award recipients, click here.