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EAST BUCHANAN Football
Connecting the past, Present, and future of Bulldogs football
legendary coaches of the past
DANNY BROWN AND STAFF
Coach Bryan
BUHMAN
DANNY BROWN AND STAFF
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COACH KEVIN BRYAN 2008-2019
COACH BRYAN IS A LEGEND. IN HIS 12 YEARS AT THE HELM OF THE EAST BUCHANAN BULLDOGS. HE LED THE BULLDOGS TO 4 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS ('11, '14, '15, '17). HE LED THE BULLDOGS TO THE MISSOURI STATE PLAYOFFS 6 TIMES IN 12 YEARS ('08, '10, '11, '13, '14, '17) AND HE LEAD THE BULLDOGS TO THE STATE PLAYOFFS TWICE (2011, 2017). BUT, EVEN BEFORE HE WAS HEAD COACH AT EAST BUCHANAN, COACH BRYAN WAS DOING WORK. COACH BRYAN WAS A BIG PART OF A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BACK IN 2001, AND EVEN HAD A SHORT STINT OF PLAYOFF SUCESS AS AN ASSISTANT HERE AT EAST BUCHANAN BACK FROM 1988-1991. HIS ACCOLADES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. HE WAS A WINNER. HE HAD OVER 100 WINS IN THAT SHORT WINDOW AS HEAD COACH HERE AT EAST BUCHANAN, AVERAGING ALMOST 9 WINS PER SEASON. HOWEVER, SOME OF COACH BRYAN'S GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS CAME OFF THE FOOTBALL FIELD. HUNDREDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE TAUGHT HOW TO BE RESPONSIBLE, CARING YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WAS POSSIBLY COACH BRYAN'S GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT. THE LEGACY OF COACH BRYAN AT EAST BUCHANAN RUNS WAY DEEPER THAN JUST FOOTBALL AND WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN.
COACH BRYAN 2019
COACH BRYAN 1988
COACH RON MUSSER 1991-2007, '20-'21
COACH MUSSER IS A LIVING LEGEND! COACH RONNIE MUSSER BEGAN HIS FOOTBALL CAREER RIGHT HERE AT EAST BUCHANAN (CLASS OF '71). IN 1970, WHILE WEARING THE #83, RONNIE LEAD THE BULLDOGS TO THE CONFERENCE TITLE AS AN ALL-STATE PLAYER. AFTER AN HISTORIC COLLEGE CAREER IN BOTH FOOTBALL AND TRACK & FIELD, SCHOOL RECORD IN PUNT RETURN YARDS, LONG JUMPING OVER 24') RONNIE THEN BEGAN HIS COACHING CAREER RIGHT BACK HERE AT EAST BUCHANAN AS AN ASSISTANT COACH. HE HELPED LEAD THE BULLDOGS TO MANY PLAYFF APPEARANCES DURING THAT TIME AS WELL AS A SEMI-FINAL APPEARANCE IN 1978. AFTER A SHORT HEAD COACHING STINT AT LATHROP, WHERE HE TURNED THEIR PROGRAM AROUND, COACH MUSSER BEGAN HIS EAST BUCHANAN HEAD COACHING CAREER IN 1991. FROM 1991-2007 COACH MUSSER AMASSED OVER 100 WINS, MULTIPLE PLAYOFF APPEARANCES AND ONE AMAZING SEASON WHICH TOOK THE BULLDOGS ALL THE WAY TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2004. EVEN AFTER COACH MUSSER'S RETIREMENT IN 2008, COACH MUSSER COULDN'T STAY AWAY, TURNING AROUND 2 OTHER PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE 2010's. FINALLY, COACH MUSSER CAME BACK TO EAST BUCHANAN FOR ONE LAST HOORAH FROM 2020-2021. WHERE HE FINALLY "GOT A GOLD ONE", HOISTING UP THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY IN 2021, LIKE THE TRUE HALL OF FAMER HE IS! DON'T BE SURPRISED IF YOU SEE COACH MUSSER STILL COACHING IN SOME FASHION IN THE AREA, AS HE IS STILL RESIDING ON "WINNER AVENUE" RIGHT HERE IN GOWER, MISSOURI WITH HIS CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS AND LOVELY WIFE RITA (CLASS OF '71). TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT COACH RON MUSSER. LONG LIVE THE KING!
COACH MUSSER 2021
COACH MUSSER 1992
COACH VIRGIL FREEMAN 1975-1990
COACH FREEMAN BEGAN HIS CAREER AT EAST BUCHANAN IN THE FALL OF 1970 AS AN ASSISTANT COACH AND BECAME THE PROGRAM'S HEAD COACH IN THE FALL OF 1976. HE CONTINUED TO COACH FOR THE BULLDOGS UNTIL THE SPRING OF 1991. UNDER HIS GUIDANCE, THE BULLDOGS BECAME ONE OF THE LEADING RUSHING OFFENSES AND ONE OF THE STINGIEST DEFENSES IN THE STATE OF MISSOURI. MOST OF THE BULLDOG'S OFFENSIVE SUCCESS DURING THIS TIME WAS BASED OFF OF A HANDFUL OF RUNNING PLAYS AND JUST A FEW PASS PLAYS. COACH FREEMAN HAD A QUOTE THAT WENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS, "WHEN YOU THROW THE BALL, 3 THINGS CAN HAPPEN, AND TWO OF THEM ARE BAD"
THE DEFENSE KNOWN AS "THE MADDOG DEFENSE " WAS PRIMARILY A 5 FRONT WITH SAM AND WILL LINEBACKERS. (SEE THE "1978 PLAYBOOK" ON HOMEPAGE) IF AN OPPONENT HAD ANY THOUGHTS OF RUNNING OR THROWING THE BALL, THOSE PLANS WERE SOON PUT ASIDE BY CRASHING DEFENSIVE ENDS, AN IMMOVABLE DEFENSIVE LINE AND A NOSE GUARD WHO WAS IN THE QUARTERBACKS FACE BEFORE HE COULD EVEN THINK! IF ANYONE GOT THROUGH THE BULLDOGS INITIAL SURGE, THE LINEBACKERS WOULD MEET THEM AT THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE. THE CORNERS AND SAFETIES WERE JUST AS TOUGH AND FAST AS ANY WIDE RECEIVER, SO THAT WASNT AN OPTION EITHER.
THE BASIC GAME PLAN WAS SIMPLE: CONTROL THE BALL AND CONTROL THE CLOCK,. IF YOU CAN DO THAT, YOU CAN CONTROL THE OPPONENT AND THE GAME. DO JUST A FEW THINGS, AND DO THEM PERFECTLY.
WHILE COACH FREEMAN RESIDED IN GOWER AS THE COACH OF THE BULLDOGS, HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HIS WIFE SHARON, AND THEIR DAUGHTER SHELLY. AFTER HIS TIME AT EAST BUCHANAN, COACH FREEMAN SPENT SEVERAL YEARS SERVING A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATION ROLES BEFORE HIS RETIREMENT. DURING HIS RETIREMENT, COACH FREEMAN BECAME PROFESSOR FREEMAN AT NWMSU IN THEIR EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. ALSO, DURING THAT TIME, COACH FREEMAN MADE MANY RETURN VISITS TO GOWER TO VISIT HIS GRANDSONS COREY AND COLBY. COACH WOULD WEEKLY RETURN TO THE SAME FIELD HE BEGAN HIS COACHIG CAREER ON BACK IN 1970 TO WATCH HIS GRANDSONS PLAY FOOTBALL. FAITH FAMILY AND FOOTBALL WERE THE 3 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO COACH FREEMAN DURING HIS TIME HERE ON EARTH. HE SERVED OTHER PEOPLE THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE LIFE, AND ALWAYS PRIORITIZED OTHERS BEFORE HIMSELF. COACH FREEMAN PASSED AWAY IN DECEMBER 2020 BUT HIS LEGACY REMAINS STRONG IN THE BULLDOG FOOTBALL FAMILY AS HIS GRANDSON CURRENTLY SERVES AS A VARSITY FOOTBALL COACH AND IS WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH THE BULLDOGS TODAY!
COACH FREEMAN 1979
COACH FREEMAN 1988
COACH DANNY BROWN 1972-1974
COACH BROWN WAS A YOUNG UP AND COMING COACH DURING HIS TIME HERE AT EAST BUCHANAN. HE ONLY COACHED FOR 3 YEARS AT EAST BUCHANAN BEFORE GOING ON TO HAVE A HALL OF FAME CAREER. DURING HIS TIME HERE THOUGH, HE TRANSITIONED EAST BUCHANAN INTO THE CHAMPIONSHIP ERA. AFTER THE 1970 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON, EAST BUCHANAN BEGAN A REBUILD. COACH BROWN CAME IN WITH HIS NEW, INNOVATIVE OFFENSE, AND UTILIZED THE SPEED THAT EAST BUCHANAN HAD. THIS MADE FOR ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE OFFENSES IN THE STATE. BY 1975, COACH BROWN AND HIS LEGENDARY ASSISTANTS, SUCH AS COACH BURGESS, COACH WORKMAN, AND OF COURSE COACH FREEMAN, TOOK THE BULLDOGS ALL THE WAY TO THE STATE SEMI-FINALS. THAT TEAM WAS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST ALL AROUND TEAMS TO EVERY WEAR THE GOLD AND BLUE. COACH BROWN LEFT A LASTING LEGACY HERE AT EAST BUCHANAN BEFORE GOING ON TO A HALL OF FAME CAREER IN COACHING. HE IS MOST REMEMBERED AT EAST BUCHANAN FOR HIS INNOVATIVE STYLE AND DEEP ENJOYMENT FOR INVESTING IN YOUNG MEN.
COACH PRIDDY 1968-1971
COACH PRIDDY WAS A GREAT COACH WHO KNEW HOW TO CARRY HIMSELF. EVERY GAME. WHILE COACHING FOR EAST BUCHANAN, HE WOULD WEAR A SUIT AND A BLUE COWBOY HAT. ON ALL ACCOUNTS, COACH PRIDDY WAS AN EXTREMELY NICE MAN. HE DID KNOW HOW AND WHEN TO BE TOUGH THOUGH. HE ALSO KNEW HOW TO HAVE FUN BY ABSOLUTELY DESTROYING PLAYERS IN THE GAME OF SLAUGHTER BALL (DODGEBALL). HE ALSO KNEW HOW TO MAKE A TEAM BUY IN AND WIN. IN 1970, COACH PRIDDY LEAD THE NEW EAST BUCHANAN BULLDOGS TO BECOME UNDEFEATED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS. THOUGH COACH PRIDDY LEFT FOR KANSAS CITY IN 1971 AND WENT ON TO DO GREAT THINGS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL THE 2000S, HE LEFT HIS MARK HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND BUILT GREAT TEAMS DURING HIS TENURE.
COACH CLARK 1965-1967
COACH ELMER CLARK WAS AN INSPIRING COACH WHO WAS THE HEAD COACH THE FIRST YEAR EAST BUCHANAN BECAME A SCHOOL IN 1967. THE MERGER BETWEEN EASTON AND GOWER HIGH SCHOOL WAS A BIG TRANSITION FOR STUDENT ATHLETES. COACH CLARK, ALONG WITH THE HELP OF GORDON DRYER, DID A FANTASTIC JOB BRINGING THOSE YOUNG MEN TOGETHER. COACH CLARK BROUGHT SPLIT BACKS AND THE I FORMATION TO EAST BUCHANAN AND THEY HAD A POWERFUL RUN GAME. THEY WERE RUNNING A 6-2 DEFENSE IN THOSE DAYS AND WITH HIS TALENT AS A FORMER GOWER ALL-STATE PLAYER, HELPED LEAD EAST BUCHANAN TO MORE WINS THAN LOSSES.
COACH COWDREY 1964
COACH COWDREY WAS ONLY COACH AT GOWER HIGH FOR ONE YEAR BUT HELPED DEVELOP GREAT PLAYERS AND HELPED CONTINUE THE WINNING TRADITION SET BEFORE HIM. GOWER HIGH GRADUATED THE MAJORITY OF THEIR STAR PLAYERS AFTER AN UNDEFEATED SEASON IN 1963. THEREFORE, IT WAS HIS JOB TO DEVELOP THE NEXT GROUP TO COME IN. ON ALL ACCOUNTS, HE DID THAT WELL.
COACH REESE 1957-63
COACH DON REECE IS A LEGEND. IN 1957, AFTER PLAYING BIG TIME COLLEGE FOOTBALL, COACH REECE CAME TO GOWER HIGH AND BEGAN HIS TENURE HERE. EVERYONE KNEW THAT YOU DON'T MESS WITH COACH REECE. HE WAS TOUGH, DEMANDED RESPECT, AND COULD BACK IT UP WITH HIS STATUE AND COACHING ABILITY AS WELL. COACH REECE SHOWED THESE YOUNG MEN HOW TO WIN. IN 1957, WHEN HE TOOK OVER, THE BULLDOGS STARTED THEIR WINNING WAYS RIGHT AWAY. IN 1958, THE BULLDOGS COMPLETED THEIR 4TH UNDEFEATED SEASON UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF COACH REECE. THEN THE NEXT YEAR, THEY REPEATED AS CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS YET AGAIN. IN 1963, IN HIS 7TH AND FINAL YEAR AS HEAD COACH, COACH REECE YET AGAIN LED THE BULLDOGS TO ANOTHER UNDEFEATED SEASON! THOUGH HIS TENURE AT GOWER HIGH SCHOOL WAS ONLY 7 YEARS, HE ACCUMULATED OVER 50 WINS, TWO UNDEFEATED SEASONS AND 3 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS! COACH REECE IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST COACHES IN SCHOOL HISTORY, AND WITH ALL THE GREATS WE HAVE HAD OVER THE YEARS, THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING!
COACH MORRISON 1955-56
COACH MORRISON LED GOWER HIGH DURING A TRANSITION PERIOD. AFTER DIVISION I CALIBER PLAYERS GRADUATED, COACH MORRISION TOOK OVER, DEVELOPED, AND GROOMED THE NEXT GROUP OF PHENOMENAL PLAYERS. THAT GROUP WOULD LATER GO ON TO BE 2X UNDEFEATED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS. WE HOLD A DEBT OF GRATITUDE FOR HIS SERVICE.
COACH GRUNWALD 1953-1954
COACH GRUNWALD IS A WINNER BY DEFINITION. MAINLY BECAUSE HE NEVER LOST! AS A YOUNG COACH HE FINISHED HIS 2 YEAR TENURE HERE IN GOWER WITH 18 WINS AND ZERO LOSSES! 2 UNDEFEATED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS! WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK! COACH GRUNWALD DEMANDED EXCELLENCE FROM HIS PLAYERS. HE WAS MOST KNOW FOR HIS ABILITY TO DISCIPLINE, AND BUILD ACCOUNTABILITY IN YOUNG PEOPLE. HE WOULD LATER USE THOSE ABILITIES TO BECOME COACH AT ST. JOSEPH CENTRAL WHERE HE HAD HUGE SUCCESS IN THE 1960s. COACH GRUNWALD SURELY LEFT HIS MARK ON OUR COMMUNITY AND MANY ALUMNI AND FANS STILL TALK AND REMINISCE ABOUT THOSE GREAT TEAMS OF 1953 AND 1954.
COACH JOHNSON 1948-52
COACH JOHNSON IS WIDELY ACCREDITED WITH MAKING GOWER HIGH AND LATER EAST BUCHANAN (A FOOTBALL SCHOOL) COACH JOHNSON TURNED GOWER HIGH FROM A REALLY GOOD FOOTBALL TEAM INTO ARGUABLY THE BEST TEAM IN THE AREA. IN 1949 COACH JOHNSON LED THE BULLDOGS TO A CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT HE WAS FAR FROM DONE. THE 1950 SEASON WAS ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS. NOT ONLY WAS THAT TEAM UNDEFEATED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS. THEY ALSO DIDN'T ALLOW A SINGLE POINT THE ENTIRE YEAR! THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY UNHEARD OF, EVEN FOR THE TIME. THAT 1950 TEAM IS THE GREATEST TEAM TO GOWER/EASTON TEAM TO EVER PUT ON A UNIFORM. THE 1950 TEAM EVEN GOT A CHANCE TO PLAY IN THE BETHANY FAIR BOWL (EQUIVALENT TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TODAY) AGAINST THE OTHER TOP TEAM IN THE STATE, AND WON HANDILY. SPECIAL THANK YOU TO COACH JOHNSON FOR MAKING EAST BUCHANAN FOOTBALL WHAT IT IS TODAY. OUR FOOTBALL BOYS WILL ALWAYS HAVE A COACH AND TEAM TO ASPIRE TO FOR FUTURE GREATNESS.
COACH HIXON 1945-1947
COACH HIXON WAS COACH IN THE SUBSEQUENT YEARS FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II. COACH HIXON SERVED IN WWII AS WELL BEFORE COMING TO GOWER TO SERVE AS A TEACHER AND COACH. HE UNDERSTOOD THE CHAIN OF COMMAND AND KNEW HOW TO INFLUENCE AND TRAIN YOUNG MEN TO BE THEIR VERY BEST. COACH HIXON DID A GOOD JOB IN PREPARING AND SHAPING YOUNG MEN DURING HIS SHORT STINT AT GOWER HIGH.
COACH FARLEY (EASTON HIGH) EARLY 1940S
COACH FARLEY IS THE FIRST FOOTBALL COACH OF EASTON HIGH. EASTON WAS A SMALLER SCHOOL AND THEY PLAYED 6 MAN FOOTBALL THROUGHOUT THE 1950S AND 60S UNTIL THE MERGER BETWEEN GOWER AND EASTON. COACH FARLEY DID AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB ESTABLISHING FOOTBALL IN EASTON IN THE 1940S AND WAS A PART OF MANY SUCCESSFUL SEASONS.
COACH GIBSON 1930S-EARLY 40S
COACH GIBSON WAS AN UP AND COMING COACH DURING HIS TIME AT GOWER HIGH. HE LEAD THE BULLDOGS TO AT LEAST ONE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP DURING THE 1938 SEASON AND POSSIBLY OTHERS. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT COACH GIBSON IS THAT BY 1949 HE BEGAN HIS COACHING CAREER AT ST. JOSEPH CENTRAL WHERE HE BECAME THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COACH IN THEIR SCHOOL'S HISTORY. TO THIS DAY, THERE ARE SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS NAMED IN HIS HONOR AT CHS. THOUGH COACH GIBSON MADE HIS MARK ELSEWHERE IN THE 1950S AND 60S, HE ALSO LEFT A LASTING EFFECT ON GOWER HIGH, AS HE WAS PART OF THE EARLY SUCCESS IN OUR PROGRAM.
COACH GRIFFON 1920s-UNKNOWN
COACH GRIFFON IS THE EARLIEST KNOWN COACH OF GOWER HIGH. HIS STINT AS THE BULLDOGS HEAD COACH DATES BACK TO AT LEAST 1924, POSSIBLY EARLIER. THOUGH FOOTBALL IN GOWER DATES BACK TO AT LEAST 1917, COACH GRIFFON HAD A BIG ROLE IN MOLDING YOUNG MEN AND SHAPING BULLDOG FOOTBALL FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
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