Rhodes Athletic Hall of Fame
Judd Williford has been a splendid athlete and champion all his life. His mother introduced him to athletics when she took him to the tennis courts at the Fairgrounds at the age of nine and put a tennis racquet in his hand. Four months later he was playing in the finals of a youth tennis tournament. Today at the age of 83, Judd is still competing. You can find Judd and his good friends mixing it up in a friendly golf game each week at the Links at Galloway.
Judd added football and basketball to his repertoire when he was a student at Snowden Junior High School. Later, he was a star in both sports at Central High School. Judd was eligible for early graduation from Central. He was also anxious to serve his country in World War II, so at the age of 17, he joined the Marines and served in the Pacific Theatre. Upon leaving the Marines in 1946, numerous college basketball coaches tried to recruit him. When asked how he decided to attend Southwestern, Judd responded, “While serving in the Marines I learned how much I loved this country, and more specifically how much I loved Memphis, so attending Southwestern was just a natural.”
Coached by Loyd Stockstad, then Al Clemens, Judd played on several outstanding basketball teams at Southwestern. During his career he teamed up with some excellent players, too. The starting five Judd’s senior year were Art Derr, Bill Coley, Roy Gwin and Eldon Roark.
In tennis, the Lynx competed against the top teams in the South, holding their own against the likes of Tulane, Vanderbilt and Sewanee. Bill Maybry was the tennis coach, and Judd played #2 and #3 on several outstanding Lynx teams, which included Paul Curry, John Austin, Eldon Roark, Ted Fox and Ed Wills.
