Former UW Athletic Director Mike Lude Passes Away At 101
March 15, 2024 | General
Milo R. "Mike" Lude, the longest-serving athletic director in University of Washington history, has died at the age of 101, his family has confirmed.
Lude, also a former head college football and baseball coach, was in charge of the Huskies' athletic department from 1976 until 1991, one of the highlights of a long, varied and distinguished life.
"Mike Lude's contributions to both University of Washington athletics, and to college athletics as a whole, were innumerable," said Troy Dannen, current UW director of athletics. "The energy, enthusiasm and intellect Mike brought to his work and to his life set a great example for everyone he encountered. On behalf of the department and Huskies everywhere, I offer our deep sympathies and condolences to all who knew and loved him."
Born June 30, 1922, Lude joined in the United States Marine Corps (1943-46) and then attended Hillsdale (Mich.) College, where he played both baseball and football. He quickly completed his degree (he'd begun college prior to his military service), and was hired as his alma mater's head baseball coach and assistant football coach.
After two league-championship baseball seasons at Hillsdale, he was hired to coach baseball (and football, as an assistant) at Maine, leading the Black Bears to a league title in his first season in Orono. After two seasons, Lude moved on to football full-time, spending 10 years as an assistant coach at Delaware, where he continued develop the Wing-T offense first created during his time at Maine. He also found time to earn a master's degree from Michigan State while working at Delaware.
Lude was hired as head coach at Colorado State ahead of the 1962 season, and served as CSU's head coach for eight seasons, guiding the program from an independent into the Western Athletic Conference, beginning in 1968. While head coach, he gained notoriety for hosting a daily radio talk show.
In 1970, he was hired as athletic director at Kent State University in Ohio, and, one year later, named Don James as the Golden Flashes' head coach, in 1971. James, an Ohio native who had played quarterback at the University of Miami (Fla.), was quickly successful, winning the MAC title in his second season. After four years at Kent State, James moved on to Seattle as the Huskies' new head coach. After one season in Seattle, Lude joined him, taking over the UW athletic department in 1976.
Lude was credited with wide-ranging success during his time at Washington, where James established one of the nation's top programs, and where the UW's strong financial growth and stability was a benchmark of this tenure.
While at UW, Lude also chaired the NCAA Postseason Football Committee, the NCAA Football Rules Committee, the Pac-10 Television Committee, and the Pac-10 Budget Committee.
He retired from Washington on June 1, 1991, was immediately named executive director of the Blockbuster Bowl and executive vice president of Raycom Sport.
In 1992, he was hired at athletic director at Auburn, retiring in 1994.
Following retirement, Lude and his wife Rena, his wife for more than 70 years until her passing in 2017, lived an adventurous life, frequently returning from his home in Tucson to Seattle for big events. He remained active for the entirety of his life, skydiving for the first time at the age of 93. He and Rena were the parents of three daughters.
One of the original creators of the Husky Hall of Fame in 1979, Lude was inducted into the Hall himself in 1998. He's also a member of the athletics hall of fame at Hillsdale College and Kent State, and also received an honorary doctorate from Hillsdale in 1995.
Among the many other honors, he received: the James Corbett Award, given to the Nation's Outstanding Athletics Director by NACDA; the Division I-A NCAA Athletics Directors Homer Rice Award; the United States Sports Academy's Carl Maddox Award for outstanding lifetime contribution to intercollegiate athletics; the Tony Gasparovich Memorial Coach Award; The Hillsdale College Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award; and the Contribution to Amateur Football Award from the Seattle Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Lude, also a former head college football and baseball coach, was in charge of the Huskies' athletic department from 1976 until 1991, one of the highlights of a long, varied and distinguished life.
"Mike Lude's contributions to both University of Washington athletics, and to college athletics as a whole, were innumerable," said Troy Dannen, current UW director of athletics. "The energy, enthusiasm and intellect Mike brought to his work and to his life set a great example for everyone he encountered. On behalf of the department and Huskies everywhere, I offer our deep sympathies and condolences to all who knew and loved him."
Born June 30, 1922, Lude joined in the United States Marine Corps (1943-46) and then attended Hillsdale (Mich.) College, where he played both baseball and football. He quickly completed his degree (he'd begun college prior to his military service), and was hired as his alma mater's head baseball coach and assistant football coach.
After two league-championship baseball seasons at Hillsdale, he was hired to coach baseball (and football, as an assistant) at Maine, leading the Black Bears to a league title in his first season in Orono. After two seasons, Lude moved on to football full-time, spending 10 years as an assistant coach at Delaware, where he continued develop the Wing-T offense first created during his time at Maine. He also found time to earn a master's degree from Michigan State while working at Delaware.
Lude was hired as head coach at Colorado State ahead of the 1962 season, and served as CSU's head coach for eight seasons, guiding the program from an independent into the Western Athletic Conference, beginning in 1968. While head coach, he gained notoriety for hosting a daily radio talk show.
In 1970, he was hired as athletic director at Kent State University in Ohio, and, one year later, named Don James as the Golden Flashes' head coach, in 1971. James, an Ohio native who had played quarterback at the University of Miami (Fla.), was quickly successful, winning the MAC title in his second season. After four years at Kent State, James moved on to Seattle as the Huskies' new head coach. After one season in Seattle, Lude joined him, taking over the UW athletic department in 1976.
Lude was credited with wide-ranging success during his time at Washington, where James established one of the nation's top programs, and where the UW's strong financial growth and stability was a benchmark of this tenure.
While at UW, Lude also chaired the NCAA Postseason Football Committee, the NCAA Football Rules Committee, the Pac-10 Television Committee, and the Pac-10 Budget Committee.
He retired from Washington on June 1, 1991, was immediately named executive director of the Blockbuster Bowl and executive vice president of Raycom Sport.
In 1992, he was hired at athletic director at Auburn, retiring in 1994.
Following retirement, Lude and his wife Rena, his wife for more than 70 years until her passing in 2017, lived an adventurous life, frequently returning from his home in Tucson to Seattle for big events. He remained active for the entirety of his life, skydiving for the first time at the age of 93. He and Rena were the parents of three daughters.
One of the original creators of the Husky Hall of Fame in 1979, Lude was inducted into the Hall himself in 1998. He's also a member of the athletics hall of fame at Hillsdale College and Kent State, and also received an honorary doctorate from Hillsdale in 1995.
Among the many other honors, he received: the James Corbett Award, given to the Nation's Outstanding Athletics Director by NACDA; the Division I-A NCAA Athletics Directors Homer Rice Award; the United States Sports Academy's Carl Maddox Award for outstanding lifetime contribution to intercollegiate athletics; the Tony Gasparovich Memorial Coach Award; The Hillsdale College Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award; and the Contribution to Amateur Football Award from the Seattle Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
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