MSU Athletics Remembers Coach Buddy Hewitt

The Murray State Athletics family lost a dear friend and hall of fame coach when Raymond "Buddy" Hewitt died at the age of 87 on Saturday, May 16, 2015 in Murray, Kentucky.

Coach Hewitt started the Racer men's golf program in 1961 and guided it with class and leadership for the next 41 years until his retirement in 2001.

Coach Hewitt was a respected teacher and coach and had a positive impact on the many student-athletes that passed through Murray State golf program.

"Buddy was respected by his peers and was inducted into the golf coaches' hall of fame," said current coach Eddie Hunt. "We've lost a great man with the passing of Coach Hewitt. Buddy was a true gentleman in every sense of the word and will be greatly missed."

Hewitt's history with Murray State actually started on the football field.

He played football at Murray State for three seasons (1947-49) and was part of the Racers' team that won the inaugural Ohio Valley Conference championship in 1948. Hewitt and his teammates are still the only team in MSU history to play in a holiday bowl game when they participated in the Tangerine Bowl.

When starting the Murray State golf program in 1961, Hewitt's teams won two OVC championships in 1971 and 1987. His team in 1967 placed second in the NCAA College Division Championship. Hewitt coached seven OVC Golfer of the Year winners and six that were named All-America.

The Murray State Hall of Fame inducted Hewitt as part of the class of 1990 for his success in football and golf. The Golf Coaches Association of America Hall inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2002.

Hewitt was also a long time teacher in the Murray State department of health and directed the intramural program.

A memorial service for Coach Hewitt will be held June 5 at First United Methodist Church in Murray. The church address is: 503 Maple St., Murray, KY 42071. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. when the memorial service begins.

Here is the obituary from the J.H. Churchill web page.

Former MSU golf coach Buddy Hewitt died peacefully at Hickory Woods Assisted Living on Friday, May 15, 2015.

Preceding him in death was the love of his life, Naomi Hewitt. Survivors include a son, John R. Hewitt, a daughter Lynn HewittDowdy and her husband Craig, and granddaughters Callie Elizabeth Dowdy and Abby Crittenden Dowdy.

As written in the 1949 Murray State Media Guide, "few people know that his real name is Raymond, but no one is unaware that Buddy was the best center for his size that Murray ever had. Tipping the scale at 155 pounds, he was the toughest, roughest little scrapper ever to spread his legs over a pigskin." He was a mainstay on the 1948 Tangerine Bowl team, played on January 1, 1949, which tied Sul Ross State. Under Hall of Fame coaches Jim Moore and Fred Faurot, Buddy played opposite Dan Blocker, later known as Hoss Cartwright on Bonanza, and handled him as well as anyone ever had.

Hewitt held both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Murray State University. His relationship with MSU spanned five decades, and most knew him as the MSU golf coach for 41 years and a true gentleman of the game. Hewitt created the MSU golf program in 1961 and oversaw it as it were a finely manicured green. He was the only golf coach Murray State had until his retirement in 2001.

He guided his team to two OVC championships, eight second place finishes, and five third place finishes. He directed 15 athletes to 11 different NCAA tournaments.

His 1967 team hosted the NCAA college national tournament and took national runners-up honors. Six of his players earned All – American honors.

"I've been very lucky," he stated, "Murray State is very special to me and has been a huge part of my life. It's kept me going through most of my adult life. I hope I have touched the lives of a few young men to make them better golfers and even better people. I think I have. I know they have touched my life."

He was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in 1990 for both football and golf, and in the National Golf Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001.

Fellow coach and dear friend Johnny Reagan once said, "I've known Buddy for a long time. We fought together in the trenches, enjoyed the tops of mountains and the low valleys, and his cause, Murray State, has always been the same."

Buddy, known to those who loved him most as "Big Bud," was so proud of his alma mater, his teams, and his family, and always said that his most prized possessions were his two beautiful granddaughters.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 5, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Murray, Kentucky. Visitation is scheduled prior to the memorial service on Friday, June 5, 2015 from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the "MSU Foundation for the Coach Buddy Hewitt Endowed Golf Scholarship," Murray State University Office of Development, 200 Heritage Hall, Murray, KY 42071.

Murray State University

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