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| Lebanon Valley athletics photo by Vincent Pecora |
Lebanon Valley head football coach Joe Buehler is retiring after seven years leading the program and 19 years on staff.
Buehler guided the Dutchmen to a 5-3 conference record last fall, qualifying for the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series for the first time since the event began in 2015. The Dutchmen earned the program's second consecutive victory over Albright with a 41-24 win on Senior Day, leading the team to continue a decades-long tradition of marching to the president's house to request the day off before Thanksgiving break as a "thank you" for defeating their more than a century-long rival. Buehler amassed a 24-37 career record, with one All-American, one all-conference/Football Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, three All-Regions, and 34 all-conference selections.
"Joe has been a vital part of Dutchmen football — as an all-conference player, assistant coach, and head coach — for nearly a quarter century," said athletic director Rick Beard. Beard, who was teammates with Buehler when they were LVC undergraduates, added, "As a lifelong friend and professional colleague, I am thrilled that he's retiring after posting the program's best conference record since 2017 last fall. He's leaving his alma mater with a lot of talent and laid the foundation for us to build to future success."
Before being named head coach, Buehler helped lead the LVC football program to new heights as the team's offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. His lines were consistently among the best in the MAC, turning in some of the conference's top-rated rushing offenses and sack protection numbers.
"I would not be the man I am today without LVC and LVC athletics," said Buehler. "I'm so appreciative of the leadership of Rick Beard and Stacey Hollinger [associate athletic director and senior woman administrator]. We, as LVC coaches, are fortunate to have such an impact on the lives of our young student-athletes. Winning is a lot of fun, but positively influencing and guiding them toward fulfilling, ethical, and successful lives is far more important."
Buehler launched his coaching career in the high school ranks. He spent 15 seasons guiding high school student-athletes at Palmyra High School, Cedar Cliff High School, Milton Hershey, and Lebanon High School.
As a player at LVC, Buehler was a four-year letterwinner and a Second Team All-MAC selection as an offensive lineman. He played under long-time LVC head coach Jim Monos, who first brought Buehler to the coaching staff for the 2004 season.