Drafted fourth by the Green Bay Packers in 1937, Bud Svendsen joined his brother George in Green Bay that year.

In 1938, he left to coach Northeast Missouri State for a season. The 6’1”, 195-pound Svendsen, a center and linebacker, returned to play in the 1939 season, including the championship victory over the Giants.

Svendsen, a University of Minnesota star, scored a touchdown against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939 and picked off a Lem Barnum pass in the ‘39 championship game, played at State Fair Park in Milwaukee.