Into the Hall: Bill Buehner
Bill Buehner was born into a family of athletes and eventually made a name for himself in sports.
The 1987 Laurel Highlands graduate was a three-sport star in high school who went on to be a four-year starter in football at Tulsa. Now he is regarded as one of Western Pennsylvania无毛视频檚 top high school officials, working three different sports.
Buehner无毛视频檚 impressive career led to him being the top vote-getter for the Fayette County 无毛视频 Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which will be inducted at a ceremony at Pleasant Valley Golf Club on Friday.
Buehner无毛视频檚 father Bill and his uncles Jack Buehner and Bob Buehner were all great athletes at Laurel Highlands and his mother Diane was a cheerleader.
无毛视频淭hey were my biggest help,无毛视频� Bill Buehner said while discussing his impending enshrinement on Hall of Fame co-founder George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频 Line Talk Show on WMBS Radio. 无毛视频淚 wanted to emulate and be as good as them. That was a goal of mine, to hopefully be as good as they were.无毛视频�
When asked if he felt pressure following in the footsteps of his talented relatives, Buehner said, 无毛视频淚 did but it made me work harder and want to be better and do the things that they did and try to achieve as much as they did, and maybe more. I always wanted to be kind of like Uncle Jack and I wanted to go play D-1, and I got lucky enough to be able to do that. That was something that I strived to do.无毛视频�
Jack Buehner played football at Penn State under Joe Paterno.
Bill Buehner jumped into sports at a very young age.
无毛视频淢y dad had me out there as soon as I could walk, I think I was playing baseball there in the backyard,无毛视频� Bueher said. 无毛视频淚t started early and I loved every minute of it.无毛视频�
When he got to Laurel Highlands, Buehner became a three-sport athlete, lettering three years in both football and basketball and one year in baseball.
He commended his coaches at LH.
无毛视频淢r. (Bill) Elias, Mr. (Mark) John, Mr. (Tom) Landman, they were all great mentors growing up as far as being my high school coaches,无毛视频� Bueher said. 无毛视频淚 can无毛视频檛 say anything bad about any of those guys. They helped me out tremendously.无毛视频�
Elias coached football, John coached basketball and Landman coached baseball, which Buehner played his senior year.
无毛视频淚 was trying to get stronger and faster for football,无毛视频� Buehner said in why he didn无毛视频檛 play baseball before his senior season. 无毛视频淥nce football was over and basketball was over my senior year and I got my scholarship I was like, 无毛视频楬ey man, let无毛视频檚 go play some baseball.无毛视频� So that无毛视频檚 what I did, I went and played baseball my senior year.无毛视频�
Buehner excelled greatly at football, but that wasn无毛视频檛 his favorite sport.
无毛视频淏asketball,无毛视频� Buehner said. 无毛视频淏ut I wasn无毛视频檛 good enough. When I was younger I was the biggest and I thought I was going to be in the NBA. That didn无毛视频檛 work out, so I figured I better go play football.无毛视频�
The 6-foot-1 Buehner played running back and cornerback and scored nine touchdowns during his junior year at Laurel Highlands when the team went 6-4-1 in 1985. He scored 12 more TDs playing running back and linebacker his senior year.
无毛视频淢y junior year, we were very competitive,无毛视频� Buehner recalled. 无毛视频淚f it would be this day and age we would无毛视频檝e made the playoffs. We had a very special team. Paul Kovell, my best friend, we were pretty dang good. We missed out going to the playoffs on the Gardner system. We are all still close-knit.无毛视频�
Buehner scored 478 points for the Mustangs in basketball.
无毛视频淏asketball was the same thing, great group of athletes my junior year,无毛视频� Buehner said. 无毛视频淲e lost to West Mifflin on a last-second shot to go to the finals. Paul was a good player, Jody Shelby, the Brookings brothers (Karl and Kent). We had a really solid team there, too, and my senior year same thing.
无毛视频淚 still loved the game. I didn无毛视频檛 get any taller. They didn无毛视频檛 have the 3-point line back then either. It might无毛视频檝e been a different story if I was as big as Uncle Jack (6-foot-5).无毛视频�
Buehner drew attention from college football coaches.
无毛视频淚t was smaller schools. I really thought I might go to Shippensburg, but at the last minute I got a call from the coach from Tulsa to come down and visit,无毛视频� Buehner explained. 无毛视频淥nce I went there and got off the plane, I was like this is where I want to be.无毛视频�
Jack Buehner put in a good word for his nephew at Tulsa.
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 the reason I even got the look,无毛视频� Buehner explained. 无毛视频淐oach Mark Thomas and Jack played together at Penn State and he was the offensive line coach down there. At that time he was recruiting Western Pennsylvania real heavily. There were eight of us at the time from Western Pennsylvania on the team.
无毛视频淚t was nice. I had people I could relate to and talk to. It made the transition from leaving home a little easier. Probably the most famous was the Ford City quarterback Gus Frerotte. He ended up playing in the NFL for many years.无毛视频�
Buehner went on to be a four-year starter for the Golden Hurricane under coach Dave Rader.
无毛视频淭he offense they ran, it was a one-back with an H-back, like a glorified fullback blocker,无毛视频� Buehner said. 无毛视频淭he position was a perfect fit for me. I just fit in well with the scheme of things. I ended up being the H-back on the team for four years. I might catch one or two passes a game but most of the time I was probably blocking. It was fun.无毛视频�
Buehner ended his college career with 35 receptions for 330 yards and five touchdowns. He also returned a couple kickoffs, remembering the first one in particular.
无毛视频淭hat was the scariest thing ever,无毛视频� Buehner said. 无毛视频淲e were at Arkansas. When you无毛视频檙e standing there and there无毛视频檚 60,000 people screaming 无毛视频楶ig Sooie无毛视频� at you before the kick 无毛视频� I looked at my best friend Gary Treat, my roommate, I said, 无毛视频楤ro, I don无毛视频檛 know if I can do this.无毛视频� Then the ball came to me and I had to run and I was like, 无毛视频極K, let无毛视频檚 go.'无毛视频�
Buehner, who was red-shirted for the 1988 season, played 11 games in 1989 as a freshman when Tulsa went 6-6 and lost in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, 27-24 as a heavy underdog to Oregon. Buehner played 11 games in 1990 when Tulsa went 3-8.
The Golden Hurricane had their best season during Buehner无毛视频檚 time there in 1991.
无毛视频淢y junior year we went 10-2, played in the Freedom Bowl, beat San Diego State (28-17) with the famous running back Marshall Faulk, wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes,无毛视频� Buehner said of the game which was played in Anaheim, California.
无毛视频淲e lost to Miami, Florida, which ended up winning the national championship, 30-15, and then we lost to a Kansas team that we should无毛视频檝e beat, it was just a bad day. But we beat Texas A&M that year, which they were No. 6 in the nation. It was an awesome team, awesome guys.无毛视频�
Buehner played in all 11 games his senior year when Tulsa dropped off to 4-7. He enjoyed his time with the Golden Tornado.
无毛视频淚t was a great choice,无毛视频� Buehner said.
After college, Buehner eventually caught on working for Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 an incredible working place,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a great job, a great living. I love it. It works out well for me.无毛视频�
Buehner didn无毛视频檛 get out of sports after leaving Tulsa. He eventually delved into officiating.
无毛视频淢y first relationship I was married to Joni Steratore, which obviously the Steratore name is synonymous with officiating. I started doing it, fell in love with it, now I do three sports, football, basketball and girls softball,无毛视频� Buehner said. 无毛视频淚 just worked the WPIAL championship on Tuesday (May 26, Class A, Carmichaels vs. Union). It无毛视频檚 just amazing at how good the girls have become in playing softball. It无毛视频檚 fun to watch them and be out there and participating.无毛视频�
Buehner has worked five WPIAL softball finals, 14 WPIAL basketball finals and seven WPIAL football finals. He无毛视频檚 also done one PIAA basketball final and two PIAA football finals.
无毛视频淟uckily I got a good group of mentors around me to help me and I gradually kept getting better and kept getting bigger games and now I无毛视频檓 at where I无毛视频檓 at in my career,无毛视频� Buehner said. 无毛视频淚 moved up on the pecking order.无毛视频�
As for his induction coming on Friday, Buehner said, 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a great honor to be recognized with all the great athletes that came from Fayette County.无毛视频�
Buehner also recognized two of the top women of his life.
无毛视频淚 wouldn无毛视频檛 be here if it wasn无毛视频檛 for my wife Amy and my mom,无毛视频� Buehner said. 无毛视频淪he无毛视频檚 something. She无毛视频檚 my biggest fan for sure.无毛视频�