Emporia State University Athletics

William "Buck" Astle lettered in football, basketball, and baseball while attending Emporia State University in the mid-1920s--beginning a long career in athletics.  He played professional baseball for a short time and later coached before beginning a long and distinguished career as an official.  Astle began his officiating career during the Depression and once refereed 646 basketball games in a single year.  He became a Big Eight Conference referee in 1934, when the league was known as the Big Six.  During the 1960s, Astle reached the pinnacle of intercollegiate officiating when he refereed in the Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Bluegrass Bowl.  Because of his many contributions to high school athletics as a coach and official, Astle was elected to the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame in 1977.