A few days ago, I noticed an “In Memoriam” tribute to former MLB pitcher Howie Judson who passed away on August 18th. The name rang a bell with me. Then it hit me. He was a former Illinois pitcher and his name adorns a plaque at Illinois Field. In fact, there it is right below Lou Boudreau’s.
We have seen many former pro players pass on in the past few days. Many such as Tom Seaver, Lou Brock and Bob Gibson hail from the era when I was a child. Not so, with Howie Judson. He lived to the age of 95 and played in the majors from 1948-1954. According to the News Gazette, he was the 10th oldest living MLB player until his passing.
In 11 games, Judson went 5-3 while striking out 97 batters in 98 innings for the Illini during the span of 1943-45.
Judson’s career in the big leagues lasted seven years which is a feat in of itself. He had a respectable 4.29 career ERA but accumulated a 17-37 win-loss record which probably more indicative of the teams he played on.
RIP Howie Judson