Dudy Noble
Encyclopedia
Clark Randolph "Dudy" Noble (May 6, 1893 – February 2, 1963) was an American football
, basketball
, and baseball
player, track
athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator.
Noble was born in Learned, Mississippi
. He attended Mississippi State University
(then known as "Mississippi A&M") in Starkville, Mississippi
, where he earned 14 varsity letters in four sports—football, basketball, baseball and track. He graduated in 1915.
After his college playing days were over, Noble served as the head football coach at Mississippi College
(1916), the University of Mississippi
("Ole Miss") (1917–1918), and Mississippi State (1922), compiling a career college football
record of 9–14–3. He was also the head basketball coach at Ole Miss for a season in 1918–1919, tallying a mark of 0–3, and the head baseball coach there for two seasons and for a total of 26 seasons at Mississippi State (1920–1943, 1946–1947), amassing a career college baseball
record of 277–205–9. From 1938 to 1959, he was also the athletic director
at Mississippi State.
Noble died on February 2, 1963 at a hospital in Vicksburg, Mississippi
; he was 69 years old. The Mississippi State baseball field was named in his honor in 1959, and he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1961.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player, track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator.
Noble was born in Learned, Mississippi
Learned, Mississippi
Learned is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 50 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Learned is located at ....
. He attended Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
(then known as "Mississippi A&M") in Starkville, Mississippi
Starkville, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,869 people, 9,462 households, and 4,721 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.4 people per square mile . There were 10,191 housing units at an average density of 396.7 per square mile...
, where he earned 14 varsity letters in four sports—football, basketball, baseball and track. He graduated in 1915.
After his college playing days were over, Noble served as the head football coach at Mississippi College
Mississippi College
Mississippi College, also known as MC, is a private, Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi. Mississippi College comprises the main campus in Clinton, as well as satellite campuses in Brandon and Madison, Mississippi, and the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson...
(1916), the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
("Ole Miss") (1917–1918), and Mississippi State (1922), compiling a career college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
record of 9–14–3. He was also the head basketball coach at Ole Miss for a season in 1918–1919, tallying a mark of 0–3, and the head baseball coach there for two seasons and for a total of 26 seasons at Mississippi State (1920–1943, 1946–1947), amassing a career college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
record of 277–205–9. From 1938 to 1959, he was also the athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
at Mississippi State.
Noble died on February 2, 1963 at a hospital in Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
; he was 69 years old. The Mississippi State baseball field was named in his honor in 1959, and he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1961.