David Buffamoyer made the most of the opportunity given to him by Anderson College. Buffamoyer, a native of Greenville, wanted to play baseball after finishing his career at Berea High School but there were few offers.
“I wanted to go somewhere and AC gave me the opportunity,” Buffamoyer said. “AC was smaller and we knew everybody who came to the games. Everybody else said I was too small, But AC gave me an opportunity and I will always be thankful for that.”
At AC, Buffamoyer was the 1977 Region X Player of the Year and was named the Trojans’ Most Valuable Player. While playing at AC, Buffamoyer caught the eye of legendary Clemson coach Bill Wilhelm.
“I always wanted to play at Clemson,” Buffamoyer said. “We went to a tournament at DeKalb and I hit three home runs. The next day Coach Wilhelm gave me a call. He said, ‘I want you to come play for me, but I don’t think you’ll ever be a college graduate.’ Our personalities were a lot alike. I asked him to give me a shot at it and everything worked out for the best.”
In two seasons at Clemson, Buffamoyer batted .317 with 13 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs and 52 RBI. In his two seasons, the Tigers were 79-29 and won two Atlantic Coast Conference titles. In 1979 he was drafted in the 10th round by the New York Yankees. He played in the Yankees’ minor league organization for four years. During his stint with New York, he had the chance to go to the big league camp and work with some of the greatest players to ever play the game.
“I roomed with Don Mattingly, I played with Reggie Jackson and Dave Winfield and I caught Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage and Dave Righetti. It was a great honor to be in the Yankees organization. I would not have had that opportunity if AC had not given me a shot.”
After baseball, Buffamoyer enter the business world. At the time of his induction, he owned a Nationwide Insurance Agency.
