Tom Buckner

Buckner, Tom & Moore, Lou Franklin Pierce High School 7'1" high jumper

1967 Franklin Pierce HS Track Team Coaches (L-R) Tom Sawyer, Tom Buckner, Jon Herrington

Tom Buckner credits much of his life's success to his involvement in athletics, especially track and field. A retired former school teacher, Buckner was born on May 28, 1941 in Seattle.

He graduated from Hudson's Bay High School (Vancouver, WA) in 1959 and Central Washington University in 1966. He participated in track and football in both high school and college.

In 1959, Buckner tied the state record in the 200-yard dash when he ran a time of 21.2 seconds. Buckner won a state title in the 100-yard dash in 1958 and was second in 1959. He also was a state champion as part of the Hudson's Bay 4x220 relay team.

After graduating from CWU, Buckner began a coaching career at Franklin Pierce High and coached football and track for the Cardinals from 1966 to 1978 before moving across the state to Mead High from 1979 to 1986. While with the Cardinals of Franklin Pierce, Buckner and assistant Jerry Russell won four consecutive state track and field championships--in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. With a number of top 10 places earned while at Mead, Buckner was an overwhelming selection into the Washington State Coaches Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1998.

Buckner continued his coaching career at Gresham High in Oregon, and most recently in Colorado and in 2009 he serves as the boys and girls track coach at Montbello High in Thornton, Colo.

Buckner also found success on the ski slopes of Washington. He was a ski racer at Crystal Mountain and other places from 1968-88. Buckner also has been an advisor to the U.S. Development Ski Team in the area of mental performance skills.