Home run king

GRAMBLING — Grambling State University has never been short on historic athletes and coaches. Robinson, Williams, Buchanan, Reed, Joiner, and Ellis are household names and make up some of the iconic careers leaving a mark at GSU.

While each of those legends hasn’t donned the GSU black and gold in decades, their legacies ring strong to this day between their names etched into building iconography, the championships they won, the standards they set, and the records they achieved.

There’s a new name to add to the list.

GSU senior infielder Cameron Bufford cemented his name in the school record books Saturday with his 38th career home run – the most in program history – after sending a 3-2 pitch deep to left center field in a 3-2 win over Florida A&M.

Bufford broke the previous record of 37 home runs set by Chris Cottonham (1997- 2000) and is well on track to give himself a cushion to make the record last.

The senior may not have started his life in Louisiana like other GSU legends that came before, but his impact on Grambling has allowed him and the iconic HBCU program to be inseperable forever.

“That wasn’t my goal,” Bufford joked about the record. “ I didn’t come here to try and break it, but it was crazy when I heard I was close and it just made me understand that I could break it.”

Bufford, hailing from South Holland, Illinois, always wanted to go down the HBCU route for his college path. But admittedly, he didn’t know much about the culture and experience involved. After a productive high school career, and Grambling as his only offer – an offer coming from head coach Davin Pierre – Bufford took his journey 13 hours south to Lincoln Parish.

Pierre, who raised his right hand in celebration as Bufford’s record- breaking blast crossed over the outfield fence on Saturday, still remembers the young kid who took a chance on Grambling.

“I think the maturation process for Cam Bufford for me, being somebody that recruited him and saw him as a little, skinny 6-3 kid from Chicago, has been the essence of what it’s supposed to be like for a college athlete,” Pierre said. “ When he first got here, I called him ‘Simba,’ as in the ‘Lion King.’ He’s Mufasa now for us. That’s been a huge deal for me to watch that kid develop and grow up and mature into what we would call a G-Man.”

Pierre fell in love with Bufford’s bat and natural leadership skills in recruiting, and both qualities carried over on the long move to Grambling according to Pierre.

Bufford is hitting .353 on the season with 2 home runs, and 8 RBIs, while maintaining a .463 on-base percentage.

Pierre and Bufford’s relationship can boil down to father- son – sharing high points and laughs while equally serving as sources of support and guidance. Bufford said without Pierre’s guidance, his record wouldn’t have been possible.

“He’s more than a coach. He’s like a father, like a brother, a friend,” Bufford said of Pierre. “You can just talk to him about anything, and I dealt with that in travel ball so it was easy to get accustomed to that and trust him.”

Bufford’s bat is what has him atop the GSU baseball record books, but his fielding versatility shouldn’t go unnoticed if you ask Pierre.

Whether its at short, third, or first base, Bufford’s ability to field multiple positions has helped the Tigers’ lineup construction unlock depth that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.

Pierre said that’s a legacy on its own, one that shoots Bufford up into the conversation for best GSU baseball player ever.

“He can help us out in a lot of different facets. But I think for him how well can he be offensively for us is always the key,” Pierre said of Bufford. “There’s going to be some debate; From a pro perspective, we’ve had a lot of guys from the Ralph Garr’s, the Gerald Williams, Lenny Webster, those guys that played in the big leagues. There’s no debate about who’s better at that. But from a collegiate career, he can arguably go down as one of the greats to ever play the game at Grambling State University.”

Legacy can sometimes seem lofty, a burden sometimes too big for one player to carry – especially if they’re not even thinking about making history like Bufford was with the home run chase.

And while hitting 38 home runs wasn’t on his mind, the Tigers’ senior infielder admits he thinks about what he wants his time at Grambling to represent.

“I do care about it,” Bufford said. “ I want my jersey retired here. I do want to leave a good legacy behind. We brought everyone back besides our first baseman from last year, so I think we have the same ability as last season to make it far.”

Pierre said Bufford’s story has and will continue to help GSU recruit with a wider lens, showing kids the trust Bufford had in the HBCU process and the production he created. Want to develop to get to the next level? Pierre believes all you have to do is look at Bufford to realize GSU can make it possible.

“I think we all play this game and compete to be the best,” Pierre said. “He’s put a lot of work in. It’s a chance to show every little kid, every Black kid for sure, that I can live the dream at an HBCU and accomplish everything I want to accomplish. I think Cam is showing that across the country to every kid that wants to play at an HBCU.”