Estes Hudson was a star on the football field for Hackleburg High School and played at Jacksonville State. He was a letterman on the 1938 JSU team before embarking on his high school coaching career.

It all began in 1941 at Brilliant when his first team finished the season with an 8-0-1 record. Hudson spent one season at Marion County High School and another year at Francis Marion before he took the head coaching job at Winfield High School in 1946.

The next 18 years were spent as the head coach at Winfield where Pirates posted 108 wins, 52 losses and 17 ties. Hudson coached four undefeated teams, and his best team came in 1950 when his Pirates enjoyed a perfect seasons with a 10-0 slate.

Winfield baseball teams under Hudson did equally as well as did his basketball teams. His basketball record shows 438 wins against 159 losses. This record no doubt stands as one of the all-time outstanding records by a high school basketball coach in the state of Alabama.

Seven times he carried basketball teams to the State Basketball Tournament at Tuscaloosa. In 1949-50, his Winfield team won third place in the State Playoffs. The 1951-52 State Tournament saw his Winfield Pirates winning over a great Coffee team for the State Championship. In 17 years of coaching basketball, his teams won 14 County championships and seven District Tournaments.

Coach Hudson was named to the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1991. The football stadium at Winfield High School is named in his honor.