Joseph “Joe” Buggs, whose exploits as an athlete and coach landed him in six area halls of fame, died on Friday after a lengthy illness. He was 88.
Buggs was a star in the 1950s in football, basketball, baseball and track and field at Huntington High of Newport News and then Elizabeth City State University. He was all-state in all of those sports at Huntington and All-CIAA in all of them at Elizabeth City. He was also twice a Black All-American in football.
Following graduation from college in 1960, he chose a tryout as a running back with the Pittsburgh Steelers over a chance to play baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He hurt his knee trying out for the Steelers and moved quickly into coaching.
Buggs was an assistant football coach on the collegiate level at North Carolina A&T, Norfolk State and Hampton University. He also assisted in basketball at Hampton, serving as the interim head coach in that sport for five games to finish the 1974-75 season.
After four years as head coach of the famed track and field program at North Carolina A&T, Buggs returned to Smithfield High as head football coach — for 10 seasons — and head track coach. He also coached track as an assistant at his alma mater, Huntington, at Menchville and, for more than a decade, at Hampton University.
Buggs was an assistant coach on the 1999 Surry County High team that won the Class 1 football state championship with his son, Kermit Buggs, as head coach. Among six halls of fame to honor Buggs are the Athletic Hall of Fame of the Lower Virginia Peninsula and the Hampton Roads African-American Sports Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, with whom he was married 60 years, and son Kermit. Funeral arrangements will be announced soon.
