Dudley Hilton is in his fourth season as head football coach at the University of Pikeville after a legendary career coaching the sport on the high-school level.
Pikeville is Hilton’s first job in the college ranks and he has already had success. In 2013 the Bears finished 7-4 overall with a 3-3 mark in the Mid-South Conference East Division, while also opening the season with a 13-10 win at NCAA Div. I FCS Morehead State.
Heading into his fourth year at the helm in 2014, Hilton’s overall record with the Bears is 14-18 with a 5-11 mark in league games.
Hilton won 345 games in 36 seasons of prep football in the Commonwealth, matching the state record established by Bob Schneider of Newport Central Catholic over a 44-year span. He led Bell County to two state championships, capturing the 1991 Class AAA crown with a 35-13 win over Meade County and the Class AAAA title in 2008 with a 15-13 victory over Bullitt East.
In 1997, he took over a struggling program at Bourbon County and led it to the Class AA state championship in his first season, wrapping it up with a 39-28 win over Owensboro Catholic.
In his last 10 seasons at Bell County, Hilton led the Bobcats to 111 wins and only 20 losses.
He has been named Coach of the Year by the Kentucky High School Athletics Directors Association, the Kentucky High School Coaches Association and the Louisville Courier-Journal. In 2014, it was announced that Hilton would receive the highest honor from the Kentucky High School Athletic Association with induction into its Hall of Fame in 2015.
After his 1997 state title at Bourbon County, Hilton was named Sportsman of the Year by the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Hilton, who holds degrees from St. Catharine College, Eastern Kentucky University and Union College, is married to his wife Janet. The couple has two children, John-Dudley who is a senior on the UPIKE football team, Jennifer and Pam.
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| Hilton's Season-By-Season Record |
| Year | School | Overall | Conference |
| 2011 | UPIKE | 4-6 | 1-4 |
| 2012 | UPIKE | 3-8 | 1-4 |
| 2013 | UPIKE | 7-4 | 3-3 |
| Overall: | 14-18 | 5-11 |
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