Buster Bishop
Encyclopedia
Bernays Emery "Buster" Bishop (1920 – November 19, 2004) was an American college golf
coach. Bishop was best known for leading the Florida Gators men's golf team of the University of Florida
to National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) Division I championships in 1968 and 1973.
. He attended Gainesville High School
, graduating in 1939. He then enrolled in the University of Florida, where he earned his bachelor's degree
in education in 1944, and his master's degree
in physical education in 1955.
Bishop became the head coach
of the Florida Gators golf team of the University of Florida in 1964. Under his tutelage, the Gators won the 1968 NCAA national championship; it was the first national championship in any sport for the university's intercollegiate athletics program. Five years later, the Gators won a second NCAA national championship in 1973. The Gators were also the runners-up at the NCAA national championship tournament in 1967 and 1974.
During Bishop's tenure as head coach, the Gators won four SEC team championships (1968, 1973, 1974, 1975), and only finished worse than third in the ten-team SEC once in his fifteen seasons leading the team. His fellow SEC coaches recognized him three consecutive seasons as the conference's Coach of the Year (1973, 1974, 1975). Starting in 1970, eight of his Gators received sixteen first-team All-SEC honors.
Individually, his Gators golfers won three U.S. Amateurs: Bob Murphy
(1965), Steve Melnyk (1969), and Fred Ridley (1975). Murphy also won the NCAA individual title (1966). Six of his student-athletes won eight individual Southeastern Conference
(SEC) titles: Steve Melnyk (1968), Jimmy McQuillan (1971), Gary Koch
(1973, 1974), Phil Hancock
(1975, 1976), Sam Trahan (1977) and Larry Rinker (1978). Fifteen of Bishop's golfers earned a total of twenty-five All-American honors between 1964 and 1978.
Strangely, Bishop had never played golf before becoming the head coach of the Gators golf team. When he started to play following his appointment as coach, he went from novice to breaking 80 on the University of Florida Golf Course within a month. His players remembered him as a "master motivator."
The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) inducted him into its Coaches Hall of Fame in 1982. He was also inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "honorary letter winner" in 1996.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
coach. Bishop was best known for leading the Florida Gators men's golf team of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
to National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Division I championships in 1968 and 1973.
Early life and education
Bishop was born in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
. He attended Gainesville High School
Gainesville High School
Gainesville High School is the name of several high schools in towns or cities named Gainesville in the United States of America:*Gainesville High School *Gainesville High School *Gainesville High School...
, graduating in 1939. He then enrolled in the University of Florida, where he earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in education in 1944, and his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in physical education in 1955.
Coaching career
After graduating from the University of Florida, Bishop became the head of the physical education program at Buchholz Junior High School in Gainesville. He later became the head football coach and athletic director at Gainesville High School, before accepting an appointment as a professor of physical education at the University of Florida.Bishop became the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Florida Gators golf team of the University of Florida in 1964. Under his tutelage, the Gators won the 1968 NCAA national championship; it was the first national championship in any sport for the university's intercollegiate athletics program. Five years later, the Gators won a second NCAA national championship in 1973. The Gators were also the runners-up at the NCAA national championship tournament in 1967 and 1974.
During Bishop's tenure as head coach, the Gators won four SEC team championships (1968, 1973, 1974, 1975), and only finished worse than third in the ten-team SEC once in his fifteen seasons leading the team. His fellow SEC coaches recognized him three consecutive seasons as the conference's Coach of the Year (1973, 1974, 1975). Starting in 1970, eight of his Gators received sixteen first-team All-SEC honors.
Individually, his Gators golfers won three U.S. Amateurs: Bob Murphy
Bob Murphy (golfer)
Robert Joseph Murphy, Jr. is an American professional golfer who was formerly a member of the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. Murphy has won 21 tournaments as a professional.-Early years:...
(1965), Steve Melnyk (1969), and Fred Ridley (1975). Murphy also won the NCAA individual title (1966). Six of his student-athletes won eight individual Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) titles: Steve Melnyk (1968), Jimmy McQuillan (1971), Gary Koch
Gary Koch
Gary D. Koch is an American professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer, who formerly played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour.- Early years :...
(1973, 1974), Phil Hancock
Phil Hancock
Phillip Ranson Hancock is an American professional golfer who formerly played on the PGA Tour.- Early life :Hancock and his older brother "Bunky" learned the game of golf growing up in Greenville, Alabama from their father, a local dentist. Hancock and his friends would often play 45 or 54 holes...
(1975, 1976), Sam Trahan (1977) and Larry Rinker (1978). Fifteen of Bishop's golfers earned a total of twenty-five All-American honors between 1964 and 1978.
Strangely, Bishop had never played golf before becoming the head coach of the Gators golf team. When he started to play following his appointment as coach, he went from novice to breaking 80 on the University of Florida Golf Course within a month. His players remembered him as a "master motivator."
The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) inducted him into its Coaches Hall of Fame in 1982. He was also inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "honorary letter winner" in 1996.
Death and legacy
Bishop died in Gainesville in 2004; he was 84 years old. He was survived by his wife of forty-eight years, JoAnn O'Donnell Bishop, and their three daughters and son. Following his death, former Gators golfers and fans established an endowed University of Florida athletic scholarship fund in his name.See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- List of Florida Gators golfers
- List of University of Florida alumni
- Mimi RyanMimi RyanMimi Ryan is a former American college golf coach. Ryan was the founder and long-time head coach of the Florida Gators women's golf program at the University of Florida...
- University Athletic AssociationUniversity of Florida Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...
External links
- GatorSports.com – Gators sports page of The Gainesville Sun.
- GatorZone.com – Official website of the Florida Gators.
- SECSports.com – Official website of the Southeastern Conference.
- University Athletic Association – Official website of University Athletic Association.
- University of Florida – Official website of the University of Florida.