coupled with his own childhood experiences gave him valuable
insight into the positive effect that mentoring and athletics
can have on the lives of young people. He became an assistant
coach of his son’s football team and began to consider starting
a football camp composed of the kids who frequented his
barbershop.
experienced, competitive tackle football players are taught
skills that will help them prepare for high school football.
Bringing in good coaches and staff has been critical to the
development of the children who participate in the Bulldogs’
program. Hudson will only work with men and women who are
“We have access to
so many children with
“We are really big on the importance of being
the barbershop and most
of them are into s ports.
a student athlete, not the other way around.”
I decided to start youth
football camps and we
had 130 participants the
first year. The players grew so much from that experience and
truly committed to helping young people grow. Mentoring the
I knew that we were on to something that could have a big
players and cheerleaders has been an enriching experience for
impact on the community.”
him as well.
Team Classic Bulldogs Youth Football was formed by
Hudson in 2013 to support football players and cheerleaders
ages 5 to 14. The Bulldogs are a part of the National Youth
Sports Nevada, a parent volunteer group that organizes
leagues for more than 20,000 participants every year in Las
Vegas and Henderson. NYS’ 8 and 11 man tackle football
programs are both weighted and unweighted and are offered
in the fall and spring. Younger players in the weighted
divisions learn the game in a safe environment and the more
“I commend anyone who works with the youth as a coach
or mentor. It’s a big responsibility but it is also very rewarding.
We can’t save them all but we try to save as many as we can.”
A focus on academics is one of the biggest requirements
for participation in Team Classic Bulldogs’ football program.
The players and cheerleaders are aware that their academic
performance is being monitored and they can be suspended
for earning subpar grades. Hudson wants all of the participants
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