Albert Buehler was a graduate of Hagerstown High School, where he was a member of the first cross country team. Hagerstown won the state championship in 1948, and Al won the individual title.

A graduate of the University of Maryland, Al ran cross country, the 880-yard run and on relay teams all four years in college. If not winning, he placed always in the top three runners.

Buehler entered the Air Force for four years after graduation. After his discharge in 1954, he was heading back to Maryland when he decided to stop at Duke University to see an old cross country coach. He was offered a job as the track coach, which he held for several decades.

When people talk of the nation’s great track and cross country coaches, Buehler’s name is bound to come up. One reason is his devout commitment to excellence. He has earned an array of honors in track and field. In addition to producing numerous All-Americans, the Maryland native has fielded 10 state championship and six ACC championship cross country teams. He was chairman of the NCAA track and field rules committee for several years and is a past president of the NCAA Track Coaches Association.

Al was in charge of the track events at Duke for the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1987. USA Today wrote that “the ’87 festival set new records, was a wonderful smash hit, and in the black (financially).” Al was a big part of this event.

Buehler served as a U.S. Track team manager at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.