William Dudley

William Henry Dudley III (January 15, 1931 – January 18, 1978) was an American competition swimmer who competed for Castle Heights Military Academy, and represented the United States in the 4x200 freestyle relay as a 17-year-old at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London .

Born in New Orleans on January 15, 1931, he competed for the New Orleans Athletic Club under Coach Bert Raacke, who said of him at 17, "He has great swimming potentialities, more than anyone in the South now". While at Castle Heights Military Academy, Dudley captured mid-South records of 22.5 in the 50-yard freestyle, 56.1 in the 100-yard freestyle, and shared a record for the freestyle and medley relays. Dudley graduated from Lebanon, Tennessee's Castle Heights Military Academy, and captained their Swim team in 1947.

Dudley swam for the gold medal-winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He did not receive a medal, however, because under the rules in effect in 1948, only those relay swimmers who competed in the event final were eligible. The American 4x200 relay team that won the final heat consisted of Wally Ris, Jimmy McLane, Wally Wolf, and Bill Smith, and had a combined time of 8:46.0. They defeated second place Hungary who took the silver in a close race by only 2.4 seconds. The American team's anchorman Bill Smith opened a slight lead, which he maintained till the end of the race. Overall, the Hungarian and American teams dominated the individual medals.

Tulane University He was a 1953 graduate of Tulane University, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. In 1950, during his college years, Dudley set five Southern AAU District Swim Records. In May 1949, for the 1948-49 school year, he was an academic honoree at Tulane.

Later life

In 1965 Dudley founded Dudley Engineering Co., a manufacturer's representative for HVAC equipment, which he managed until his death. He belonged to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers. He was also a member of the Manufacturers Agents National Association, and as an active businessman, participated in the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce.

Honors He was a 1986 inductee into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.

Dudley died of what was diagnosed as a heart attack in his office in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 19, 1978 and was buried at New Orlean's Lawn Park Cemetery in Orleans Parish.