As a forward, Bud Ogden led Santa Clara to its best years in its program's history while playing alongside his younger brother, Ralph. He played for the Broncos from 1966–67 to 1968–69, and was an integral part of an era that saw the team go 70–10 overall, including two trips to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. As a sophomore in 1967, Ogden scored a still-standing school record 55 points against Pepperdine, and as of the end of 2019–20 is the 16th all-time leading scorer with 1,437 points. His 18.2 points per game average is third all-time. In 1967–68, his junior year, the Broncos went 22–4, won the Pac-8 Conference title, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament West regional final before falling to a Lew Alcindor-led UCLA squad. The following year, he and his brother guided the Broncos to a 27–2 record, including 21 straight wins to begin the season. They were ranked as high as third in the national polls, won another Pac-8 title and once again met UCLA in the West regional final of the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins again defeated the Broncos and went on to win the national championship. They lost by 38 points in what was Alcindor's final game at Pauley Pavilion. "To be that close to the Final Four–it was heartbreaking", Ogden said. At the conclusion of his senior year, Ogden was named a consensus Second Team All-American. On February 10, 1969, he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Years later, he would have his jersey retired by Santa Clara. Bud and his brother Ralph were both also inducted into the San JoseSports Hall of Fame.
Professional
Bud Ogden was actually drafted into the NBA twice. After his junior season at Santa Clara, the Seattle SuperSonics selected him with the 162nd overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft. He decided to return to school however, and after a successful senior season, the Philadelphia 76ers selected him in the first round in the 1969 Draft. Coincidentally, his brother Ralph was selected in the 1970 Draft by the San Francisco Warriors and play one season for them. Ogden played professional basketball for two seasons, both with the 76ers. In his rookie season, he was given the nickname "The Medium O" by teammates, referencing the nickname "The Big O" bestowed upon Hall of FamerOscar Robertson. He averaged 3.5 points in two seasons and was then waived. He partially attributes his short career as being in the wrong place at the wrong time; Ogden was the power forward back-up to Billy Cunningham, a future Hall of Famer. "My take on it is that I was a power forward in a 6-foot-6 body. If I was 6-foot-8 or 6-foot-9, things might have been different – or if I was quicker. My second year they tried to make me a guard. Well, I had never handled the ball my whole life", he later recounted.
Personal
Ogden's father, Carlos Ogden, Sr., fought in World War II and was awarded the Medal of Honor, three Purple Hearts and one Bronze Star Medal. He credits his father as instilling grit and determination in him via playing basketball in the driveway: "Dad was merciless. He would put us into the garage door." Bud has three children, Lori, Geoffrey and Sydney. He has three brothers – Jim, Ralph and Fred. Bud is now retired from his careers in real estate and teaching high school algebra and special education. Ogden also coached his high school's basketball team. Prior to his first day of teaching, he was asked what he thinks of when his students were going to find out he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He said, "I can picture the kids saying, 'What? Mr. Ogden was on the cover of SI?' I can't wait to see the looks on their faces."
