By Danielle Daniels
7/15/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and Green Bay Athletics are mourning the passing of the founder and first head coach of the Green Bay Phoenix men’s basketball program, Dave Buss.
As the first coach for Green Bay men’s basketball, Dave Buss led the team to almost immediate national success as head coach from 1969-1982 which included competing in NAIA, DII, and DI. His prolific teams included some of the most successful players in program history and recorded two NCAA DII runner-up finishes and three DII Final Four appearances.
“We mourn the passing of one of the foundational leaders of UW-Green Bay,” said UW-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander. “Although I never had the opportunity to speak to Coach Buss, I can feel his amazing legacy in countless ways. You can measure greatness through wins and losses, but Coach Buss’ legacy can be felt in far more important ways. He created a belief in our University from its earliest stages, showed what is possible for the future, and made a profound difference in the lives of everyone I have spoken to who knew him. I join with our community in celebrating his life and mourning his passing.”
Buss garnered national attention for their defense and is credited for creating a brand of Green Bay basketball and success, which propelled the program to DI status. Buss, along with founding chancellor Ed Weidner, were the driving forces of propelling the Green Bay Phoenix to the Division I level. Buss was the first coach inducted into the Phoenix Hall of Fame in 1995.
“This is a sad day for all of Phoenix Country,” said Green Bay Director of Athletics Josh Moon. “Coach Buss was a true legend who is on the ‘Mount Rushmore’ of UWGB. He believed in this University and basketball program when many didn’t. He built a program from scratch in 1969 and took us to heights never imaginable including elevating Phoenix Athletics to Division I in 1981. He was a visionary and helped build the foundation of excellence that we carry forward today. I was fortunate to be in regular contact with Coach over the past two years and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations. He was thrilled with the transformation of Phoenix basketball this past year and I could tell how much this University, program, and community meant to him. I will miss our chats dearly and am so blessed to have been able to call him a friend and mentor. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, former players, and all who knew him. We are eternally grateful for everything he did for UWGB and this community.”
One of the only coaches in collegiate history to coach at the NAIA, DII, and DI levels at the same school, Buss accumulated a 271-102 (.726) record in 13 seasons. The height of his coaching success came in a four-year span from 1977-81 where the Phoenix reached three NCAA DII Final Fours, including back-to-back National Runner-Up finishes in 1977-78 and 1978-79.
“As the 10th head coach in Green Bay men’s basketball history, it was an honor two weeks ago to speak to the first head coach at UWGB and take in his words of wisdom,” added head men’s basketball coach Doug Gottlieb. “Today I’m so very sad to learn of Coach Buss’ passing and just wish I had stayed on the phone longer to learn more from such a brilliant basketball mind, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Buss literally built our program from scratch to a three-time Division II Final Four participant. We want to wish his family our condolences to his family and friends from our entire Phoenix Phamily.”
Green Bay men’s basketball and the Green Bay Athletics department will continue to search for ways to honor coach Buss’ legacy this upcoming year.
About UW-Green Bay
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a school of resilient problem solvers who dare to reach higher with the power of education that ignites growth and answers the biggest challenges. Serving 10,300 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students as well as 67,500 continuing education learners annually, UW-Green Bay offers 200 academic degrees, programs, and certificates. With four campus locations in Northeast Wisconsin, the University’s access mission welcomes all students who want to learn, from every corner of the world. Championing bold thinking since opening its doors in 1965, it is a university on the rise – Wisconsin’s fastest-growing UW. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.
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