Eastern Washington University Athletics

Finishing his career with five school records, Buss was a NAIA All-American in 1972 for the Eagles when he set school records with 595 points and a 20.52 average per game. His point total stood as a school record for 17 years until it was broken by David Peed in 1989 with 626 and now stands sixth (through 2014-15 season). He also held the single season record for 17 years for scoring average (20.52 in 1971-72), which is now tied for sixth. Buss originally set the record in 1971 when he scored 520 points (18.61 average per game). His career scoring average of 17.06 was also a school record for 18 years until broken by Peed (now fourth). He finished with 1,399 career points, which currently ranks sixth (second in school history at the time). He also had 849 career rebounds that ranked as a school record for a year until broken by teammate Dave Hayden (1,139 from 1970-1973). Hayden ended his junior season in 1972 -- his third in the program -- with 821 rebounds (10.8 average).  Buss had a 10.5 rebounding average and Hayden finished his career with an 11.4 average, with Ron Cox currently holding the school record for both rebounds (1,273 from 1974-77) and average (12.0). His 317 free throws made in his career were also a record until broken 35 years later by Rodney Stuckey. Buss set a school record with 36 points in a 120-70 victory over Metropolitan State on Dec. 22, 1971. It stood for just over 17 years and now ranks 15th. Buss made 53 percent of his field goal attempts in his career (541-of-1,017) and 71 percent of his free throws (317-of-444) in 82 career games. He averaged 12.4 field goal attempts and 5.4 free throw attempts per game in his career, and 14.7 and 6.3, respectively, during his senior season. As a team in 1972, Eastern set school records of 2,610 total points, 90.0 points per game, 2,275 field goals attempted, 1,027 field goals made, and 791 free throws attempted. The points scored record stood for 43 records until broken by EWU’s NCAA Tournament team in 2015 (2,820 points). Eastern out-scored opponents by an average of more than 10 per game that season. EWU's win-loss records went from 8-18 to 17-11 to 22-7 in his three years in the program. Eastern came a win away from the NAIA Tournament in his senior season, winning the first game in Cheney of a best two-out-of-three series with Western Washington, which won the next two games in Bellingham to earn the berth. In the three seasons he played in Cheney, Eastern went from 8-18 to 17-11 to 22-7. Said former Eastern head coach Jerry Krause: “He was one of the best players that ever played at Eastern Washington. He had great end-to-end speed and just unbelievable hands.”  Nicknamed the “Magic Buss” at Eastern, he went on to play professionally three years in Belgium. He settled down in Minok, Ill, just 100 miles from his hometown of Shannon, Ill.