Hall of Fame
For four seasons on the mat for the Lions, Ron Bussey garnered numerous individual honors while sharing in the success of the team as the College captured a pair of NCAA Division III National Championships (1981 and 1984) while placing second the other two seasons.
Individually, Bussey finished his career as a four-time All-American as he placed third at the 1981 championship event before finishing second in each of the next three years.
Bussey competed at 142 pounds during his first three seasons at the College and then moved up to 150 pounds in his final season. He wrapped his career with a record of 118-18 and served as a team captain his junior and senior campaigns.
The list of tournaments Bussey won is an impressive one as he was a four-time East Regional Champion along with being a three-time Metropolitan Conference champion. His accomplishments weren’t limited to Division III as he placed third at the East Stroudsburg Open on three occasions and in his senior season took fifth at the prestigious Midlands Tournament.
In dual meet competition during Bussey’s tenure with the Lions, the team went an impressive 61-6 during those four years. Those teams were also perfect against New Jersey Athletic Conference going 15-0 in dual meets and claiming four conference championships.
This will be the second hall of fame which he will be inducted into as he is also a member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association Hall Fame. Bussey, who was inducted in 2008, is the only member of that half of fame that did not win an individual national championship.
Once his career with the Lions on the mat ended, Bussey moved to the sidelines as an assistant coach at South River High School for 14 years. He has since retired from the high school ranks, and has been coaching members of the Monroe Recreation Wrestling Club.
In addition to all of his work with the sport of wrestling, the former Lion has successfully owned and operated a home-flooring business for more than 20 years.
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