Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1986
- Class:
- 1978
When Dr. Dorothy Hicks had her first opportunity to award a Marshall athletic scholarship to a promising female athlete in 1975, she recruited someone who had already proven herself to be a champion in golfer in Nancy Bunton. The Huntington native had won the 1973 and 1974 West Virginia Women’s Amateur championships while a student at Vinson High School. Bunton proved herself more than worthy of her scholarship as she qualified to participate in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national tournament all four years of her Thundering Herd career. As a senior, Bunton was the medalist at both the Marshall Invitational at the Riviera Country Club and the AIAW Regional Tournament hosted by Marshall at the Spring Valley Country Club.
Bunton then became Marshall’s assistant coach in 1980 and the team’s head coach in 1981 and 1982, and with Hall of Famer Tammie Green on the team, led Marshall to its only team berth in the AIAW national tournament in 1982. Bunton also won West Virginia Amateur crowns in 1978, 1979 and 1980, giving her five state titles before turning pro. Throughout her professional career Bunton played a leading role in developing junior golf programs and in 1994 was named the LPGA teaching and club division Golf Professional of the Year. She oversaw the installation of four Jack Nicklaus-designed courses in Tennessee and later became the general manager at the Rio Colorado Golf Course in Bay City, Texas, and the director of golf for the city of Fort Worth, Texas. Bunton was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.
