Steve Hudson glances around the room. He is surrounded by grandeur. There are three more floors above it with the same thing – hundreds of display cases that contain pieces of history, artifacts belonging to icons and legends.

As he stands next to his own exhibit at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Hudson feels out of place.

“It was hard to believe,” he said of the news of his dedication to ASHOF. “Even when they called me, I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t feel worthy.

Hudson, a former golfer at the University of Alabama in Jasper, was one of three inductees into the AHOF on Friday. He was joined by Alabama All-American and NFL player George Teague and Olympic gold medalist and former Alabama track star Lillie Leatherwood.

“I think I kinda know what it feels like to go to heaven,” Hudson said of his induction.

Hudson was a member of the Crimson Tide golf team which won the program’s first SEC Championship in 1979. He enjoyed great success as an Alabama Golf Association player and as a senior amateur.

Hudson played professional golf from 1981 to 1987, and three times he was named AGA Player of the Year and twice he was named AGA Senior Player of the Year. He has played in 15 USGA events, including two US Senior Opens, and won a USGA Silver (2005) and Bronze (2007).

While scanning the window of the AHSOF building, Hudson noticed that most of his accomplishments came after college.

“That’s the great thing about golf – you can still compete as you get older,” said Hudson.

It was during his time in the West that Hudson really found his rhythm. In California, he has won the Society of Seniors Senior Masters three times, the first in 2014.

This earned him a new nickname – Alabama Desert Fox.

“I won it three out of four years. After the second time, one of the guys mentioned it, and someone picked it up and said, ‘You’re like Johnny Miller. You play well in the desert. But far from what Johnny did. But it was quite a funny name.

Miller was called Desert Fox for his penchant for winning golf tournaments in the West.

It was ranked in the top 10 of the National Golf Week Rankings for four different years and received an Honorable Mention by the Global Golf Week Rankings for three years. In 2017, he was named the Society of Seniors Player of the Year.

“People reached out to me to help me feel more worthy of being inducted,” said Hudson. “Maybe over time I will feel more comfortable.”