The first men's athletics trainer for SIUE, Bud Buddell spent 16 years at SIUE, playing a role in the conditioning and care of national champions. The list of national champions included four in men's tennis (1978-1981) and two in men's soccer (1972 and 1979). He received the Olympic Excellence Award in 1973 following his international work as one of 12 athletic trainers to serve the United States during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.