 | Bill Dudek, Associate Head Coach Office Phone: 641-784-5319 e-mail: dudek@graceland.edu |
Bill "Duke" Dudek is the winningest coach in Graceland softball history. In 2002 Coach Dudek earned his 300th win, and finished the 2005 campaign with an overall record of 367-225. Dudek was named to the Graceland Hall of Fame in 1987 for his playing and coaching experience at the university.
As both an athlete and coach, Bill Dudek is one of the most accomplished individuals in Yellowjacket history. As a Graceland student, Dudek earned a school record 13 varsity letters, a record that still stands today. Dudek lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track while completing his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1961. He would go on to earn his Master’s degree in Physical Education from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in 1972. Duke returned to Graceland in 1967 as a member of the Physical Education faculty and in 1971 was named head football coach. He would later become head baseball coach and assistant softball coach.
Off the field, Dudek has served in the Physical Education Department in college and advanced education fields, and is responsible for developing Graceland’s innovative and highly sought-after Adaptive P.E. program.
He has also served the youth of Missouri and Iowa for 27 years as part of the Upward Bound Team, a summer program on the Graceland campus that seeks to make college an option for some of society’s less fortunate youth. Dudek also teaches an outstanding winter term program with Kaleidoscope, with implications for motor-development activity based intervention for preschoolers.
Assistant Basketball Coach
As both an athlete and coach, Bill Dudek is one of the most accomplished individuals in Yellowjacket history. As a Graceland student, Dudek earned a school record 13 varsity letters, a record that still stands today. Dudek lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track while completing his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1961. He would go on to earn his Master’s degree in Physical Education from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in 1972. Duke returned to Graceland in 1967 as a member of the Physical Education faculty and in 1971 was named head football coach. He would later become head baseball coach and assistant softball coach. Adding to Duke’s acclaim, in the spring of 2002, Duke was named the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year for his work with the women’s basketball team at Graceland University
