ray hudson

As witty as he is fiery, the fabulous Ray “Rocky” Hudson is a sports commentator and former professional midfield footballer and manager. He used to play for Newcastle United during the 1970s before moving to the United States where he played in the MLS for 15 years. He then moved into management, taking the hot seat at Miami Fusion and DC United. As a commentator he is loved and loathed in equal measure for his unique commentating style. He started working for ESPN in 2002, and in 2012 he joined Sirius XM Radio as the morning show host of The Football Show. In 2022 he joined CBS Sports for its coverage of the UEFA Champions League.

Born and raised in Gateshead, Hudson was a natural on the football field as a youngster and by the time he was 17 he had signed with Newcastle United. He went on to make 25 appearances for the team between 1974 and 1977, before moving to the United States. Over 15 years in the MLS he turned out for Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Minnesota Strikers, Edmonton Brick Men, and Tampa Bay Rowdies. He retired from playing in 1991, and after working with Miami Fusion as their community outreach director and TV commentator, he took the Head Coach role in the middle of the 2000 season. In 2002 he was hired as Head Coach by DC United and stayed in the hot seat until 2004. He then concentrated on his media career, which had already begun back in 2002 when he was part of ESPN’s World Cup coverage team. He has since commentated and hosted for GoITV, Sirius XM Radio, Inter Miami CF, and CBS Sports.

Hudson regularly connects with his hundreds of thousands of followers and fans through Instagram, and Twitter, posting pictures and videos of his life around sports broadcasting and football.