Redshirt senior Daeon Hudson, along with the 11 other redshirt seniors and two true seniors, embarked on their last football game as Wildcats on Nov. 12 at the annual senior day game. 

“It’s going to be emotional,” Hudson said, “It usually takes a while for things to really hit me but Monday morning as I was getting ready for the weight room and I was like, ‘Wow, this is my last week as a college athlete.’” 

CWU took on University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) where they completed the season with a ‘W,’ finishing the game with a score of 49-14. 

The game was held on Veterans Day. CWU thanked Veterans by making the game Military Recognition Game as well. 

CWU got ahead of UTPB early in the first quarter. In the second half, CWU had UTPB by 21 points with a score of 28-7.

CWU defense shut down UTPB offense, only allowing two touchdowns the whole game, one per half. 

The fourth and final quarter went scoreless for UTPB while CWU secured one more touchdown to finalize the score of 49-14. 

According to Hudson, his final collegiate game and season means more to him than just playing football. 

“I always told myself I would be here in the end, [last] June I was able to walk across the stage and graduate, which was a milestone for not only me but my family,” Hudson said. “To be able to play the sport that I love on top of that too has just been crazy.” 

The Ohio native moved to Lakewood, Washington his senior year of highschool and attended Lake High School, according to Hudson.

“They [CWU] found me when I moved to Washington … I definitely respect Washington’s game and the athletes they produce year after year … I’ve played against some great players here,” Hudson said. 

According to Hudson, his collegiate career has not always been smooth sailing. 

“There was a time period where I was suspended from the team,” Hudson said. “I was starting as a sophomore in 2019 but I think I got too full of myself … I wasn’t really going to classes and my coaches were trying to help me but I wasn’t accepting their help.”

Hudson came back and made moves on the field as well as in the classroom.

“I was on the Dean’s List … I ended up being consistent in my school, too. I had three straight quarters with a 3.0 GPA,” Hudson said. 

The following season after being suspended was the 2020 season where CWU played in one game against Montana State University (MSU) before being shut down due to COVID-19.

During the CWU and MSU game, Hudson made 11 tackles including five solo stops, according to Wildcat Sports. 

As Hudson reflects on his last season, there is one memory that sticks out.

“Us beating Kingsville,” Hudson said. “That was a great team moment. … We really rode for each other. Coach Fisk always talks about riding for the brand, we rode for the brand that night. OffenseOffense came and they scored on that last drive for a game winning touchdown. It was just a fun night, everybody went home happy.”