SPECIAL CALVIN SPORTS REPORT: A LOOK AT THE LIFE OF CHUCK BULT

SPECIAL CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR JULY 1, 2006

(Editor's Note: On June 21, a key member of Calvin's athletic's history was lost when Chuck Bult passed away at the age of 87. The following historical narrative is a look at Chuck Bult's life as well as his impact at Calvin College. The Calvin Sports Information Office would like to extend its thanks to former Calvin athletics director Dave Tuuk for his contribution to this narrative as several sections were taken from his book: Maroon and Gold Will Bind Our Hearts: A History of Calvin Athletics 1915-1953.

A LOOK AT THE LIFE OF CHUCK BULT

When NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw wrote his acclaimed book: The Greatest Generation a few years back, he could have easily written a chapter on Chuck Bult.

Born in 1919, Bult grew up in the heart of the Great Depression, later served as a tank commander under General George C. Patton in World War II and then returned to his alma mater of Calvin College to serve as its basketball coach.

On June 21, Bult passed away at the age of 87.

Bult was born and raised in Grand Rapids and later graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School where he sparkled on the school's basketball team. He was later named one of the top 50 players in Grand Rapids City League history in a poll taken in subsequent years.

Bult honed his basketball skills playing on back alley courts, often playing with the Broene Brothers * Everett and Gene. All three would go on to play basketball at Calvin College, leaving lasting imprints at the institution.

Growing up as a young basketball player during the depression era had its challenges.

"Money was tight in those days," said Bult in a 2002 interview with the Calvin Sports Information office. "Most of us only had one pair of socks and when we would go out and play (basketball), our socks would be drenched in sweat. Then we would be forced to either wear sweat-soaked socks for the rest of the day or go without. It created some foot problems to say the least."

Bult began his collegiate basketball career at Calvin during the 1937-38 season where he would play for the next four years under legendary coach Albert Muyskens. Although still in the final stages of the Great Depression, Muyskens made sure his basketball players were treated well.

"Calvin had a treasurer at the time named Mr. (Henry) Voss who watched every penny that the school spent," said Bult with a chuckle. "He was like Horatio at the Thermopylaen pass. You couldn't get by him. But when we had to go on the road for a game, (Coach) Muyskens would make sure that we were treated well. That meant getting money for our trip and it was always entertaining to see how red in the face Mr. Voss would get when Muyskens asked for the money. Muyskens always got that money and he would take us out for a nice pre-game breakfast where we would have bacon and eggs. Meanwhile, Muyskens would treat himself to a big thick steak."

As a player, Bult was a stellar playmaking guard who was referred to as the "floor general" because of his accurate passing and exceptional two-handed set shot.

Bult graduated from Calvin in 1941. During his senior year, he was a mainstay on a Calvin basketball team that won the Michigan Ontario Collegiate Conference (MOCC) title, finishing with an overall record of 16-3. During the spring, Bult was not only a member of the men's track and field team but also its head coach. He specialized in the throwing events. He also played two years on the Calvin baseball team while a student. Combined, Bult earned 10 varsity letters at Calvin.

After graduating, Bult was inducted into the U.S. Armed Forces where he later served as a tank commander under General Patton during World War II. During the war, Bult's 2nd Armored Division was known as "Hell on Wheels" and the division would see action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany.

When asked about his days under Patton, Bult simply said: "We didn't know if we would always make it (survive) but somehow we always made it through even when it didn't look good."

Bult later earned his Captain bars under fire and received numerous medals and commendations. He was present when the allied troops met the Russian army in Germany toward the war's end.

In 1945, shortly before the end of World War II, Captain Bult received a summons from his alma mater to take over the athletics program from his mentor Albert Muyskens who was close to retirement. After his formal military discharge, Bult returned to Grand Rapids just as the 1945-46 basketball season was about to begin.

At the beginning of his career at Calvin, Bult was a one-man Physical Education Department. Not only was he Athletics Director; he also coached the men's varsity basketball team and the women's basketball team. In addition, he taught and organized the men's physical education classes and the professional courses in the P.E. minor, and organized and administered the men's intraumural sports program. He also saw to it almost immediately that spring sports, including baseball, tennis, golf and track, were put back in place. While performing all of these tasks, he also completed his M.A. degree in Physical Education at the University of Michigan.

"Chuck came back to Calvin at a crucial point of the school's history," said long-time Calvin coach and athletics director Dave Tuuk who delivered a eulogy at Bult's memorial service on June 26. "With World War II veterans returning from service, the student body was rapidly growing and the demands for a strong athletic and physical education program were high. Chuck traded in his military clothes for civilian clothes and made a seamless transition. In many ways, he was the man of the hour for Calvin College."

Beginning during the 1945-46 academic year, Bult began a seven-year run as men's basketball coach at Calvin, compiling a won-loss record of 69-46 including a 38-11 mark over his final three years as coach.

One of Bult's key adjustments according to Tuuk was to get Hope back on the Calvin men's basketball schedule on a regular basis beginning with a pair of games during the 1945-46 season. Over the previous nine years, the two rivals had played just twice.

"Chuck was a good friend of the Hope (basketball) coaching staff and he knew the importance of scheduling games between the two schools on a regular basis," said Tuuk. "In my opinion, that friendship played a crucial role in Calvin's acceptance into the MIAA in 1953 when Hope was a major advocate for our school's admission to the league."

Bult's tenure as the Calvin women's basketball coach was also eventful. At the conclusion of the 1945-46 season, Bult asked one of his players * Agnes DeLeeuw * to marry him and she accepted. The two were wed on June 14 later that year and went on to celebrate 60 years of marriage together. The Bult family later grew to three sons and three daughters.

Bult left Calvin in 1953 to enter private industry, working at Hekman Biscuit Co, Keebler and the Amway Corporation. During that time he also served as a successful high school and collegiate basketball official.

In his later years, Bult and his wife Agnes were regulars at Calvin men's basketball games, sitting in one of the front two rows of the north bleachers at the Calvin Fieldhouse and followed the 1999-2000 team all the way through its national championship run to Salem, Virginia.

"The fan support at Calvin basketball games has always been a constant," said Bult in his 2002 interview. "The size and quality of the arenas have changed but the passion of the fans has not. It's part of what makes Calvin basketball special."

Having been around the Calvin basketball family for nearly 60 years during the time of that interview, Bult summed up what the Calvin basketball had meant to the institution. "I grew up watching the first successful Calvin teams in the 1920's and early 1930's and I don't think there's any question that the basketball team played a major role in putting the college on the map," said Bult. "Before Calvin had a basketball team, we were known as a quiet little school that not many people paid attention to. When the basketball team started growing and winning games, people started paying attention to the school and that opened up a direct window to all that the school had to offer. It was like that back then and I see the same thing continuing today."

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Jul 1 16:34:57 2006