Joseph J. Buzas (1981) - Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame

Joseph J. Buzas

Induction:
1981
Class:
1941

Joe Buzas was a standout baseball and basketball player at Bucknell. He went on to play professional baseball and then became an outstanding minor league baseball executive. In three years of varsity baseball as an undergraduate, he compiled a career batting average of .378, one of the best in program history. In 1939 posted a .414 batting average, led the team in hits, runs and stolen bases, and went 4-0 as a pitcher. Buzas pitched against St. Lawrence in the 1939 Centennial celebration game in Cooperstown, N.Y. He was also a three-year starter in basketball, leading the team in scoring as a sophomore before ranking second as a junior and senior. He averaged better than eight points per game over his career. Following his collegiate baseball career, Buzas played professionally with the Newark Bears and Seattle Racines, and he was an infielder with the New York Yankees during World War II. He was also a player-manager with the Sunbury team in the Inter-State League and won two pennants in nine seasons as a manager in the Puerto Rican winter leagues. An owner-operator in minor league baseball for more than 45 years, Buzas ran 82 teams. He was named General Manager of the Year in the Eastern League four times, and in 1975 he was presented with the King of Baseball award by Minor League Baseball.
(Bucknell Hall of Fame Class of 1981)