G.B. West’s Dudley has can-do attitude

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Rowley Lieberenz

Brandon Dudley has a lot on his plate.

The Green Bay West senior is taking college courses at NWTC, works a part-time job and rarely comes off the field on Friday nights for his football team.

Still, Dudley is always hungry for more and looking for another challenge.

That’s why the three-sport athlete decided to also take on the school musical this year.

“I’ve always had a drive of trying to do as much as possible,” he said. “I multitask and manage it well. I have one of those drives that I will do it and nobody will tell me I can’t.”

Dudley is focused on trying to power his team to a victory tonight when West hosts East in the 112th meeting of the historic football rivalry.

The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder is the Wildcats’ leading rusher and tackler this season and receiving interest from college teams.

“He’s one of the hardest runners in the Bay (Conference),” East coach Brian Nast said. “He’s tough to bring down. That’s been a focus because of how he runs with fearlessness and aggression. That extra effort he gives is one of those things that if you’re not conscious of it he could trample you all night long.”

Follow PrepsAgenda.com on Facebook

Dudley puts forth the same type of effort during the day with his course load.

He’s taking college classes at NWTC this semester, including a six-hour cadaver dissection course on Fridays.

His other classes at the technical college are developmental and abnormal psychology. He’ll continue to take college courses next semester at UW-Green Bay.

Dudley wants to major in psychology and minor in sociology with the goal of becoming a psychiatrist.

It’s something Dudley has been driving towards since he was 12 years old and lost a member of his extended family to suicide.

“That’s where the psychology classes come from because I want to help people going through that situation,” he said.

Dudley got his first tattoo above his right knee in memory of the family member he lost. It features Taurus the Bull, which is the astrological sign for individuals born in a period between April and May.

“We were both born in May,” he said. “We said we were going to get matching tattoos one day.”

Dudley also has a tattoo on his right arm that depicts a series of branches from a tree with the words, “Family, like branches on a tree, may grow in a different direction but our roots remain as one.”

He got the tattoo after his older brother joined the Army earlier this year.

Dudley credits his brother for getting him into football. He quickly became motivated to get the better of his sibling in the sport and can recall writing a three-page paper on NFL running back Adrian Peterson in the third grade because he loved it that much.

The senior captain is a four-year varsity player and three-year starter for the Wildcats.

G.B. West keeps positive focus

“He’s not the fastest or the biggest, but he’s a competitor,” West coach Tommie Williams said. “He excels at being a competitor every play. He wants to win and he wants to compete. That’s the type of kid you want on your team.

“He only comes off the field for a handful of plays. He doesn’t want to come out of the game, which is great and that’s a tribute to him. If he wants to play 48 (minutes), then we’ll play him 48. Then he can rest the next day. That’s what he says.”

Dudley’s desire to do better has served him well in his studies and athletic endeavors. He’ll be a three-year starter on the basketball team and went outside of his comfort zone in the spring in joining the track and field team for the first time.

Dudley has balanced being a student athlete while working a part-time job as a server at a restaurant.

“I started off young and just stuck with it,” he said about having the job throughout high school. “I look at everything I do towards the future.”

Dudley has been focused on that with his football team, helping and encouraging the younger players to do better so the program can grow in the years ahead.

“He’s the personality of the team,” Williams said. “He’s got high goals and is going to go places.”

Dudley definitely wants to go out with a win in his last East-West game.

“This game every year is the biggest, hyped up game,” Dudley said. “This is the biggest rivalry. It’s East versus West. It’s the battle of the bridge.”