Peru State College Athletics

Longtime followers of Bobcat sports have insisted Peru native Walter “ Bitze” Buettgenbach was  the greatest athlete ever to grace the campus. A multi sport star during some of Peru’s best years, Bitze earned six college basketball letters- two while attending high school – before graduating 1926. As a senior basketball player, he personally scored just 17 points less than did Peru’s opponents. He went on to become an immensely successful teacher and coach, most notably in Idaho and in Oregon. Buttgenbach passed away in 1977.