Hampton hall of fame set to induct QB Ludwig

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, August 6, 2017 | 10:52 PM

As a young kid in the back alleys of Pittsburgh, Herb Ludwig watched the planes fly over him. He knew exactly what he wanted to do in life.

So it would come as no surprise that the retired pilot would take his athletic talents to the football field and win as Hampton's quarterback — even if it was more of a running game back in the 1950s. Now, he is set to be one of eight inducted into the 2017 Hampton hall of fame in September.

“This was way back when it was just a small school,” said Ludwig, class of 1955. “They had to rent the lights to play football Friday nights down on Route 8.”

This was also way back when Walter Fridley and Ed Fay were coaching football, long before the field would bear the former's name.

Hampton hall of fame athletes Dean Renwick and Bill “Red” Mack, the latter of whom played in the NFL, made it a little easier on Ludwig.

“Our last year was a pretty good year,” Ludwig said of his 7-2 senior season. “We scored a whole bunch of TDs. I played with a lot of fellas that were really, really good.”

He also played under center for the Wexford Boys Club and won another championship before enrolling at Penn State. There, he joined the TKE fraternity and competed in intramural football, where he won more titles.

“Intramurals were pretty big at Penn State,” he said. “It was just touch football, but there were over 50 fraternities.”

While Ludwig never lost his arm talents though college, his true passions were far above in the sky.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force before earning his wings. In his five-year stint with the Air Force, he traveled the world, including Europe during the Cold War. He also was involved heavily in operations for the Cuban Missile Crisis and at Howard Air Force Base in the Canal Zone.

After leaving the Air Force in 1965, Ludwig opted for something more conventional and commercial. He flew for Delta Airlines for 32 years, all based out of Atlanta. One of his proudest career highlights was getting to fly the first 727 Flight for Delta Airlines into his hometown of Pittsburgh.

“That was an exciting time for me,” said Ludwig, who has a degree from Penn State in meteorology.

Ludwig, who resides in Pensacola, Fla., plans to another flight back to Pittsburgh in September for the ceremony.

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.

Tags: Hampton