NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport's Athletic Hall of Fame Committee announced Tuesday the selection of RUDY RUDOLPH to the 2021 class of inductees. Rudolph, a product of Chesapeake, was a four-time All-Conference wide receiver for the Captains football program and one of the top offensive weapons in the history of the program. The speedy receiver joins Jalon Brown of men's soccer, Sabrina Hill of softball, and Brian Jaeger of men's golf in the Hall of Fame class of 2021.

Rudolph was a key component of the Captains prolific passing attack from 2011 to 2014, helping lead the squad to the NCAA Tournament three years out of four. The graduate of Grassfield High School still holds Christopher Newport career records for most receiving yards (3345), receiving touchdowns (32), and average yards per catch (20.5). He finished his career with 163 total receptions, second-most in CNU history, in 41 games played. 

Rudolph was a part of the last four Christopher Newport squads to play in the USA South Athletic Conference, earning league honors each season. He was the model of consistency during his career, catching seven scoring passes in each of his first two seasons, and then grabbing eight as a junior and ten in his senior season. Coached by Matt Kelchner, the four teams Rudolph was a part of compiled an overall record of 30-14 and a remarkable conference mark of 24-5 ... and advanced to play in four games in the NCAA Tournament, including one of only two road NCAA victories in program history (at Delaware Valley in 2014).

"When we recruited him, it was clear he was a great athlete, but he was playing other sports and was a little late to excel in football," Assistant Coach Paul Crowley said. Crowley, now the Captains Recruiting Coordinator and Offensive Line coach, was the Christopher Newport receivers coach at the time. "Rudy was playing basketball as well and was under-recruited as a receiver. We could see he had deep speed and could track a ball over his shoulder."

"As he settled in at Christopher Newport, it took some time for him to acclimate," Crowley continued. "We knew we had to get him on the field and it wasn't long until he had developed a complete array of skills at the receiver position. He also became a leader, more by example than anything else. He had a great work ethic, and other guys followed his lead. Wearing the headset on the sideline and talking to other coaches, there were so many times all that was said was 'we need to get the ball to Rudy'."

The reliable #5 in the blue and silver also still holds the program single-game record for the top two longest receptions in program history (an 85-yard scoring reception at Methodist in 2011 and an 83-yard touchdown catch vs. Shenandoah in 2013). His single-game statistics also include three touchdowns in a game twice during his career (at Ferrum in 2013 and vs. Greensboro in 2014).

The Christopher Newport Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1989 and currently has 148 members. The Hall of Fame honors those men and women who have made significant contributions as a member of the Captains, whether as a player, coach, administrator, or friend of the program. This marks the 33rd Hall of Fame induction class, and the group will be formally inducted next year along with the 2022 class due to CoVID restrictions this year.

Each Tuesday for the last month a new member of the class has been unveiled, with just one more remaining next Tuesday. Please return to CNUsports.com next Tuesday to meet the final member of the 2021 Christopher Newport Athletic Hall of Fame class.