Boston College Athletics
David Dudeck: The Last One off The Field
September 13, 2015 | Football
by Mark Daly
When the majority of the team walks off Shea Field following practice each day, they are met with ice cold drinks to cool down and a flurry of media wishing to ask them questions. One person often missing from that cluster of maroon and gold jerseys is David Dudeck.
After practice each day, Dudeck, a 5-foot-11 wide receiver from Hamilton, N.J., can be found on the back end zones of the practice fields off Beacon Street taking extra snaps, practicing receiver routes and looking to get any opportunity for one extra catch. If it's not him taking the lessons, then it's an opportunity to teach one of his teammates.
Seeing Dudeck put in the extra time after practice each day has become a trend that has been customary for him in the past three years, and as he enters his senior season, there are no plans to change that routine.
"I have always prided myself on not letting my competitors, not a single person, work harder than me. I look in the mirror at the end of the day and want to say I worked harder than anyone else."
This dedication, one that Dudeck says he has carried with him his whole life, is something that he learned at a young age, and as a result, he doesn't know any differently.
"It's just the way my family is. We have worked hard for everything we have earned and gotten in life."
The work ethic that you see on the practice field is a result of his upbringing.
Growing up as one of four children, Dudeck credits his parents and siblings for sharing this dedication to hard work, something that is very important to him. It helped his older brother, Brendan, solidify a spot on the Navy football roster the past four years while it has led his younger brother, Cameron, to pursue similar ambitions as a receiver for the Midshipmen in 2015.
The work ethic that Dudeck has displayed as a member of the Boston College football team is a characteristic that carries over from his high school years while a three-sport athlete at the Hun School of Princeton (N.J.).
As a quarterback turned receiver who played four years under his father – David, Sr. – at Hun, errors made by the team were addressed specifically from father to son, coach to player, as a means of teaching the younger David how to overcome failure.
No. 26 said, "Obviously, he was the hardest on me by far and I learned a lot of lessons from that. If something went wrong, it would always go to me."
That experience made him into a leader in high school and throughout his first three years at BC. Now as one of 17 seniors on the Eagles this season, Dudeck's goal is to continue helping his teammates better their games to make Boston College the best possible team it can be.
"My goal is to be the best leader I can be for my teammates - help them every day, on or off the field; where ever I can lend a helping hand and help my teammates get better every day."
As a freshman and sophomore, Dudeck would stay after practice to help quarterback Chase Rettig get extra reps for what he could expect in game situations. Last year, when Tyler Murphy joined Boston College as a graduate student, Dudeck found himself assisting Murphy in the adjustment to the ACC style offense.
"It was awesome," Dudeck said. "A great experience playing with both those guys. They are both unbelievable guys who have great work ethics themselves. For them to be putting the time in after practice with me every day just shows you the type of player and people they are, and the work ethic they have themselves."
While his work ethic has defined the senior receiver on the field, the football team is not the only place where Dudeck sees success. In his first three years at the Heights, he has earned the Athletics Director's Award for Academic Achievement as a finance and management major in the Carroll School of Management.
For that, he too credits his parents and the role they had in teaching the values of education. "My parents always stressed how important academics were because eventually one day sports will end and you have to have a great degree. That is why I am at Boston College."
While he has no plans yet for his life after graduation, Dudeck's focus is on this season and helping his teammates accomplish the goals set for the year.
In the meantime, you can find Dudeck after practice - running routes, catching passes and doing everything he can to improve each day.
