Charles “Buzz” Ridl
Charles “Buzz” Ridl (1920-1995)
Teams coached: Westminster College Titans, Pittsburgh Panthers
Westminster College record: 216-91 (.704)
Pittsburgh record: 97-83 (.539)
Overall record: 313-174 (.643)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1974)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (1974)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1975)
- NAIA National Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 1960, 1962)
- NAIA Tournament Appearances: 6 (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1968)
- NAIA Tournament Final Four: 4 (1960, 1961, 1962, 1968)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
1968-1975 | Pittsburgh |
1956-1968 | Westminster College |
Buzz Ridl Facts
- Charles G. Ridl
- Born June 27, 1920
- Died April 28, 1995
- Hometown: Irwin, Pennslyvania
- Alma Mater: Westminster College (BA, 1942)
- A native of the Pittsburgh area, Ridl attended Westminster College (PA) where he played basketball
- Started coaching at his alma mater in 1956, leading the then-NAIA Titans for 12 seasons
- Went 216-91 overall, reaching the NAIA Tournament six times
- Advanced to the Final Four on four occasions and twice finished as NAIA Runner-up
- Hired away to Pittsburgh in 1968, coaching the (then-NCAA Independent) Panthers for seven seasons
- Developed and popularized the “Amoeba Defense” during his time at the helm
- Went 97-83 overall, improving the downtrodden program for 4 wins in his first year to 25 wins and a NCAA Tournament berth by 1973-74 (a season that included a 22-game winning streak)
- Inducted into the Westminster Titans HOF (c/o 1964), NAIA HOF (c/o 1969), Western Pennsylvania Coaches HOF (c/o 1980), Pennsylvania Sports HOF (c/o 1992) and the Pittsburgh Basketball Club HOF (c/o 2019)
- Passed away in 1995 at the age of 74 in Pittsburgh
- Ridl had been undergoing cancer treatment but suffered a fall at home that led to serious head injuries
Buzz Ridl Coaching Tree
- Jim Bolla (Hawaii women’s, UNLV women’s)
- Tim Grgurich (UNLV, Pittsburgh)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels