George Buksar The Greatest Athlete of the Calumet Region?

Anthony Borgo December 2025

Have you ever noticed strange behavior in men during the months of September through February?  The symptoms may include the following:  the angrily pulling of their hair, excessive yelling and, even an occasional conversation, possibly with a few curse words peppered in for good measure, with the television screen.  The diagnosis is quite simple, it must be football season.  Growing up I witnessed these symptoms in my father, and I am sad to say that now I may even be guilty of a few.

Recently a library patron told me about an exchange she had with another woman at Fitness Pointe in Munster.  The woman noticed the patron’s Whiting T-Shirt and commented that her husband was from Whiting.  As the two ladies shared a friendly conversation our Library patron discovered that this woman’s husband, George Buksar, had been a great athlete in his youth. I am a sucker for an interesting bit of Whiting lore even more so when the story involves my favorite sport: football.

George Buksar was born on August 12, 1926, in St. Joseph, Michigan.  Sometime later his Buksar relocated to Whiting, Indiana with his seven siblings.  He lived in the Robertsdale side of Whiting so unfortunately he had to attend George Rogers Clark High School.  While in high school Buksar had terrific success excelling in football, basketball, baseball and track.  Local historian Archibald McKinlay even went as far to say in a June 12, 2005 Times article that, “George was the greatest athlete ever to pass through the Calumet Region!”  McKinlay goes on to state that with Norb Adams, Buksar formed the most devastating backfield duo in Region history.

After graduating from high school in 1945, Buksar took his talents to Purdue University where he became a Boilermaker.  Unfortunately, his time in West Lafayette, Indiana was short lived because there was a war raging oversees.  After briefly serving in the Navy toward the waning days of World War II, Buksar returned to Purdue, which awarded him a full scholarship.  He played halfback for the Boilermakers in 1946 before transferring to the University of San Francisco.  He chose to travel to the west coast because the college allowed him to play both football and basketball.

During his collegiate career, Buksar was a four-year starter on both offense and defense.  At the University of San Francisco he held records for rushing yards, touchdowns scored, and punting average.  He even set the school’s punting record: 74 yards in the air.  In addition, in an era when 20 points in a basketball game was considered outstanding, Buksar once score 45 points, breaking a school record in the process.  Prior to graduating from college in 1948, George Buksar was named to several All-American Teams.

Buksar was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 10th round of the 1949 NFL Draft.  He was the 94th overall pick, an interesting side note; he was drafted ahead of NFL great and future Hall of Famer, George Blanda, who was the 119th selection.  That same year, Buksar was also drafted by the Chicago Hornets of the All-America Football conference. 

George Buksar started selling office machines for IBM (International Business Machines) in 1949, while at the same time starting his professional football career with the Chicago Hornets who were also known as the Rockets.  According to the Robert W. Peterson’s book Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football, “Buksar spent weekday mornings at football practice and afternoons learning how to operate IBM products.  Before the season ended, he was selling office machines in the Chicago area.”

The All-America Football Conference existed for four years, culminating with the Cleveland Browns taking home the championship trophy.  After the AAFC folded in 1949, the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts joined the National Football League.  Along for the ride, was George Buksar who became a Colt in 1950.   The 6-foot-tall 206-pound linebacker and fullback led Baltimore with nine interceptions and set an NFL record with a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown. 

Buksar played the 1951 and 1952 seasons with the Washington Redskins.  While in the nation’s capital, he added punt and kick returning duties.  In addition, in 1952, Buksar became the Redskins’ place-kicker.  He had a good point-after percentage of 83.3% successfully making 15 of the 18 post touchdown attempts he tried.  However, his field goal percentage was less impressive making only 3 out of 7 kicks attempted.

After the 1952 season, Buksar retired from professional football. During Buksar’s professional career he was also signed to pitch for the Brooklyn Dodgers and he even played professional basketball for the Baltimore Bullets.  He continued working for IBM for some time.  He later worked for Reliance Electric.  In 1987, he moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Solon, Ohio.  During this time, he worked as a sales manager for Industrial Valves located in Cleveland, Ohio.

George Buksar was inducted in the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.  During his time with the Pioneer Athletic Department, Buksar was selected 1st Team All-State Junior and Senior years; broke punting and touchdown records; and was selected All-Area and All-County in four sports: football, basketball, baseball and track.  On May 21, 2000 George Buksar was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.

George Buksar passed away on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 in Solon, Ohio.  He was 84 years old.