NBA to Honor Morehouse School of Medicine Board of Advisor Ken Hudson

Born and educated in Pittsburgh, Penn., Ken Hudson, Morehouse School of Medicine board of advisor, has a storied career that took him from interim athletic director at Central State University to vice president of marketing development for The Coca-Cola Company. However, the pioneering moment that changed the landscape of the NBA took place between 1968 and 1972 when Hudson became the first full-time African-American referee in the league.

The Atlanta Hawks will kick off Black History Month by honoring Hudson with a special tribute on Feb. 3, during the Atlanta Hawks-LA Clippers game.

"Ken Hudson has done so much for our community and he is deserving of this honor," said MSM President John E. Maupin Jr., D.D.S. "He has been very supportive of our institution and believes in our mission and we appreciate his commitment to our board of advisors."

The former vice president of marketing development and director of community relations for The Coca-Cola Company, Hudson also became the first person of color to referee a city high school basketball championship in 1967. He developed several Boston-area youth basketball programs and was named to the board of directors of multiple companies, including Coca-Cola New England's board of directors. In 2006 he published a book, A Tree Stump in the Valley of Redwoods, sharing lessons he learned during his career as an NBA referee.

Last year, Hudson, was honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a 2009 co-recipient of Mannie Jackson's Basketball Human Spirit Award along with former NBA veterans Bob Lanier and Alonzo Mourning.

The award is presented annually to individuals who have been inspired from their participation in the game of basketball to use the game as a catalyst for both personal growth and change in their community.

Hudson, Lanier and Mourning were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame during the Enshrinement Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11.