Brad Edward Budde, born on May 9, 1958, had a remarkable career in college at USC and in the NFL playing offensive line. Budde played college football for the University of Southern California from 1976 to 1979. As a senior in 1979, he was a unanimous first-team All-American, runner-up in the Outland Trophy voting, USC Offensive Player of the Year, USC Most Inspirational Player, and an Academic All-American. He was also the recipient of the Lombardi Award. Budde's college success included starting in three Rose Bowls, all won by USC, and winning a share of the national championship in 1978.

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In the 1980 NFL Draft, Budde was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Ed Budde, becoming the first and only father-son duo in NFL history to be drafted in the first round by the same team and play the same position. Budde played for the Chiefs for seven seasons, from 1980 to 1987, and made significant contributions as an offensive guard. Off the field, Budde and his wife, Nicolette, were involved in philanthropic work, particularly with abused and neglected children, through organizations like Camp Opportunity and the Division of Family Services in Kansas City.

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Following his retirement from the NFL in 1988, Budde pursued further education and earned a master's degree in physical therapy from Loma Linda University. He established Budde Physical Therapy, Inc., where he rehabilitated senior citizens for 17 years as the company's President. Additionally, Budde worked as an offensive line coach at San Clemente High School and Orange Coast College from 1995 to 2005. In 2005, he founded GameDay Performance Systems, focusing on implementing the principles of high-performing sports teams in the workplace. Throughout his life, Budde has been actively involved in charitable activities, delivered speeches to Christian groups, and formed Brad's Buddies, a program dedicated to providing leadership to youth groups.