Former Spartan All-American Ed Budde Passes Away

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Former Michigan State All-American Ed Budde has passed away at the age of 83 (1940-2023).

Born on Nov. 2, 1940, in Highland Park, Michigan, Budde earned all-state honors at Detroit Denby High School before attending college in East Lansing.

A three-year letterwinner from 1960-62, Budde garnered first-team All-America honors as an offensive lineman in 1962 under head coach Duffy Daugherty. He burst onto the scene as a Spartan, as he quickly won a starting spot on the offensive line as a tackle and earned a varsity letter as a sophomore in 1960. He also saw time on the defensive line.

Throughout his career at Michigan State, Budde was a member of the famed "B" boys up front, which included Dave Behrman, James Bobbitt and Charles Brown. Together, along with Jim Kanicki, they paved the way for All-American backs Sherman Lewis and George Saimes, who helped Michigan State to a No. 2 national ranking in total rushing yardage in 1962. That same season, Budde was rewarded for his efforts by being named an All-American by Time Magazine.

Along with all the stats and honors, one of the things that Budde was most proud of was wins during his time at Michigan State. The Spartans were a combined 6-0 against rivals Michigan and Notre Dame during his three seasons (1960-62).

"I just enjoyed every win," Budde said in 2010 when he was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. "That's the main thing – win. I don't care if it's by one point, you get the W."

Following his college career, Budde had the unique distinction of being selected as a first-round draft pick by both Philadelphia of the NFL (No. 4 overall) and Dallas of the AFL (No. 8 overall). Philadelphia wanted him to play defense, while Dallas wanted him to play offense. He eventually chose Dallas, in part because of former Spartan teammate Fred Arbanas, who was a tight end for the Texans.

Before playing his first professional game for the Chiefs (in the offseason, Dallas had moved to Kansas City), Budde lined up one last time as a college player in the Chicago Charities College All-Star Game, which annually pitted the top collegiate stars against the Super Bowl Champions. Not only was Budde named a captain for the 1963 game, he helped lead the college players to a shocking 20-17 upset of Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers.

A seven-time Pro Bowl and two-time first-team All-Pro selection, Budde saw action in 177 career games and was named to the AFL's all-time team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as well as the All-Decade Team for the 1960s. He played in two Super Bowls (I, IV) and won a Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs in their victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. Budde played in 14 seasons overall from 1963-76 with Kansas City.

Budde had two sons who also found success on the gridiron, much like their father. Brad, an All-American guard at USC who won the Lombardi Award in 1979, played for the Chiefs for seven seasons and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. John lettered four years at Michigan State and was a starter on the 1987 Big Ten and 1988 Rose Bowl championship team. Ed and Brad are the only father-son duo to be drafted in the first round, to the same team, at the same position.

Budde was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1984, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, and the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.

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