Between varsity games of the 2023 Snack Bowl, the Monroe boys basketball program recognized Dale Buvid for his time as a coach. Although Buvid never mentored me in basketball, he was my softball coach for countless years. 

Between basketball and softball, Buvid has recorded 1,000 wins. He is also a member of both the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

While the numbers and accolades alone are something to be proud of, I believe it’s Buvid’s impact as a person that stands above it all.

Before Buvid was my coach, he was my neighbor. I’d see him across the street, shoveling the driveway or meticulously mowing and trimming the lawn. His daughter, Amy, babysat my brother and I. 

Although Buvid coached me in Lassie League — teaching me the fundamentals of how to throw and catch a ball and swing a bat, even if it was left-handed — I was more excited to have him mentor me in high school.

I had seen him coach the high school girls for years, as my aunt Noel was an assistant and I’d tag along on their homecoming floats and state parades. I saw his passion — heard it in his booming voice — saw the way he supported his athletes and was respected by opponents. I knew I wanted Buvid as my coach, without a doubt.

Throughout my softball career, I’ve had different types of coaches. Ones that were hard on you and yelled to make you better, ones that were goofy and used humor to get you to relax and others that used strategy and mechanics to win. While Buvid embodied a little bit of each, he stood out to me for a different reason. 

For all of my coaches prior, I was selfish. I wanted to win for me. But when it came to high school softball, I wanted to win for Buvid. If I missed a pitch down the middle and the girl hit it for a walk-off, I wasn’t mad because I lost the game. Well, I was. But more importantly, I was upset that I let Buvid down. 

The reason being all of the extra work he did to help make me better. In the summer, he gave me pitching CDs and tools to help me work on my riseball — a pitch that would become my go-to for a strikeout. During the season, when everyone else had left practice, he’d stay behind to catch me — even though his knees were well beyond their prime. As a sophomore pitcher on varsity, filling the shoes of one of the best pitchers in the program before me, I had Buvid’s trust and confidence. He pushed me to reach my highest potential and is a big reason why I was able to play softball in college. 

Entering my senior year, I knew Buvid was nearing 500 wins and would retire at the end of the season — career milestone achieved or not. When we beat Brodhead 10-0 in May to reach that mark, the entire team and I were happy for him. He’s quoted saying it’s a program award, but the program wouldn’t be where it was without him. My only regret was not getting to state that year to end his softball career at Goodman Diamond. 

Buvid, thank you for teaching me that Buvid time and real time are two completely different things, that scoring runs is fun, there will always be a deluge out in right field and until I make a million dollars in the pros, I better catch a fly ball with two hands.

— Natalie Dillon is the sports editor of the Monroe Times and can be reached at 608-324-3617 or ndillon@themonroetimes.com.