had a great understanding of what to do on offense. I recommended him when I left to take the job at UTEP, but everyone knew what a smart young coach he was." UTEP Hudspeth accepted a job as offensive coordinator at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) shortly after leaving BYU. He became interim head coach on October 22, 1972 when head coach Bobby Dobbs resigned following a 56–7 loss. Hudspeth closed out the year 1–3, but followed up with a disastrous 0–11 record the next year. He was subsequently fired from UTEP. Pro ranks The advent of the new World Football League (WFL) in 1974 provided a new job opportunity for Hudspeth. He was hired as an offensive backs coach for the Chicago Fire. A major reason he was hired was because he had coached Chicago's quarterback Virgil Carter, at BYU. However, during the course of the season, the team's weak defense, coupled with severe financial troubles, eventually saw Hudspeth also take over the defensive backfield coaching duties. Escaping from the ill-fated league, Hudspeth took an off-the-field job the next year as the coordinator of personnel and scouting for the Detroit Lions. He remained in that position until October 5, 1976, when Lions' head coach Rick Forzano resigned following a 1–3–0 start and Hudspeth was tabbed to replace him. The new coach had mixed results during the remainder of the 1976 NFL season, with team owner William Clay Ford actively pursuing Los Angeles Rams head coach Chuck Knox to replace Hudspeth. After Knox elected to stay with the Rams, Hudspeth was re-hired on February 9, 1977, signing a three-year contract. Hudspeth and his entire coaching staff were dismissed only eleven months later on January 9, 1978, ending his Lions' tenure with an 11–13–0 mark. On March 7, 1979, Hudspeth returned to Canada when he signed a three-year contract to become the general manager of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. He would return as a head coach on September 14, 1981, when he replaced Willie Wood with the reeling Argonauts sporting an 0–10 record. Once again, he closed out the season, then returned to the front office. Return to Tulsa In 2006, Hudspeth was hired by University of Tulsa director of athletics Bubba Cunningham as an assistant in the area of development and fundraising for athletics. Hudspeth died June 23, 2015 of cancer. He was 83 years old. Head