By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Across four seasons from 2009-2013, Judson Dillard established himself as arguably the best rebounding guard in Tennessee Tech history and one of the best scorers to ever suit up for the Golden Eagles.
He is one of five inductees into the 50th class of the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame. Along with Dillard, Angela Freund Bobo (soccer, 1998-2001), Daniel Miles (baseball, 2013-2014), Michael Penix Sr. (football, 1992-1995), and Zach Stephens (baseball, 2011-2014) will be inducted during the annual Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. CT at the Roaden University Center's Multipurpose Room. Tickets for the dinner are on sale by calling (931) 372-3940, visiting the Eblen Center ticket office, or by visiting TTUsports.com.
Following his four-year career, one that saw him play as the team's secondary scoring option to Hall of Famer Kevin Murphy for three seasons, Dillard littered his name across the Tech record books and hauled in numerous accolades for his work on the court.
He remains the only Golden Eagle guard to rank in the top 10 in program history in career rebounds, finishing seventh with 816 thanks to an unmatched ferocity on the glass. Dillard marks the only Tech player to crack the top 10 in rebounding in the last 15 years. The Atlanta, Ga. native also concluded his career sixth all-time in scoring for the program, piling up 1,732 points for the second-best mark by a guard.
Dillard represents an elite club of only four members of the Tech program to rank in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding for their career, joining Earl Wise (the program's all-time leading scorer), Hall of Famer Stephen Kite, and Hall of Famer Jimmy Hagan (the program's all-time leading rebounder, all of whom have their jersey's hanging in the rafters of the Hooper Eblen Center.
During his career, the combo guard led the team in rebounding three times, including a junior campaign that saw him haul in 282 boards to tie for the eighth-most in a single season in school history (ninth now). He also led the team in scoring as a senior, posting 19.3 points per game and 572 overall, the eighth-highest total in program history.
Throughout his time in the purple and gold, Dillard averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 49.8 percent from the floor and 76.1 percent from the charity stripe. His 470 converted free throws rank third in program history, while his 123 games played are tied for fourth and his 606 made field goals rank sixth.
Since 1961-62, Dillard tied for the fourth-most double-doubles in a Tech career, compiling 26 overall. He piled up 34 contests of scoring 20 or more points, tied for the fifth-highest total in school history. His 3,443 career minutes rank seventh since 1981-82.
Making 28 starts and playing 29 games as a senior, Dillard averaged 19.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor, 33.6 percent from distance, and 81.2 percent from the charity stripe. He sunk 160 tries at the line, ranking ninth in school history, three spots back of his sixth-place total of 169 set in 2011-12. The guard posted a career-high 34 points twice during the year in contests against Coastal Carolina and at Eastern Illinois.
Just a 55.1 percent free throw shooter as a freshman, Dillard turned his career at the charity stripe around to become one of the more efficient players in school history. He sunk 72.4 percent as a sophomore, 82.4 percent as a junior, and 81.2 percent as a senior. He also set the program record with 30 straight free throw attempts converted during his final season.
He ranks third in school history for free throws made while shooting 100 percent, converting all 14 of his attempts against Jacksonville State as a senior. In terms of field goal percentage, he boasts three of the top-10 contests with at least eight makes, finishing 9-for-9 at UT Martin as a sophomore (tied for third), 11-for-12 (91.7 percent) against Austin Peay as a freshman (tied for ninth), and 11-for-12 (91.7 percent) versus Tennessee State as a junior (tied for ninth).
As a freshman, he topped 20 points three times, including a 25-point outburst in his first career start at Morehead State. He finished the season shooting a remarkable 55.8 percent from the floor as a rookie. He scored in double figures in all but two of his 29 contests as a senior, topping 20 points 15 times, including his final four games in the purple and gold.
During his sophomore campaign, he earned OVC All-Tournament honors while nearly helping Tech to an OVC Tournament title (falling to Morehead State in the championship game). He also helped the Golden Eagles to appearances in the OVC Tournament semifinals as a freshman and junior. Dillard earned NABC All-District Team and All-OVC First Team accolades in 2011-12 and All-OVC Second Team honors in 2012-13. He was also a two-time OVC Player of the Week and three-time OVC Freshman of the Week.
Following his career with the Golden Eagles, Dillard played two seasons of professional ball overseas. He averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists playing for a team in Lithuania in 2013-14. He posted 7.8 points, 4.0 boards, and 1.6 dimes per game in Germany in 2014-15 before injury ended his career early.
Dillard graduated from Tennessee Tech in 2013 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
