Herbert H. Busch

Herbert H. Busch attended the Elizabeth facility for five years and enjoyed his last two years at the North Avenue facility. In the 147 year history of Pingry there was probably no athlete more synonymous with Pingry name than Herb “Twig” Busch.

During each of his sophomore, junior and senior years at Pingry, Herb was a selection on the roster of one the All-County and All-State teams of the Newark, News, Newark Star Ledger and Elizabeth Daily Journal in three sports, football, basketball and baseball.

Basketball was probably his forte as the 6’7 center scored 1,384 points during his four years at Pingry for an average of 23.3 points per game. Herb was an effective baseball pitcher at Pingry as his won-lost record attests. He was named as a selection to the All-County and All-State teams in the three years he pitched for Pingry. In the summer of 1953 Herb was also a contributing member of the Argonne Post #6 baseball team of Elizabeth, managed by Jim Devine and coached by Buzzy Fox. That team wont he County, State and Mid-Atlantic Championships.

Herb continued his athletic career at the University of Virginia, playing basketball and baseball.

At the end of his senior year, Herb was drafted in the fifth round of the NBA draft by the New York Knicks. However, instead of playing professional basketball he signed a contract to play professional baseball with the Cincinnati Reds.

Herb was referred by his friends as a gentle giant. He was a caring, rather shy individual, always careful about where he sat or stood for fear of breaking delicate furniture. One of the earliest inductees into the Pingry Athletic Hall of Fame, Herb will be remembered for his love of sport, his gentle demeanor and his good-hearted humor. Herb passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 10, 2004 after a brief illness.

<<Back