At Indiana High School, Joey knows sports
Sophomore busy lettering in six different sports
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Back in the ‘80s, Nike rolled out an ad campaign highlighting Bo Jackson’s proficiency in a multitude of sports.
“Bo knows baseball,” the popular commercials proclaimed. “Bo knows football. ...” On and on they went. At Indiana High, sophomore Joey Bujdos can make similar claims as a six-sport athlete.
“He doesn’t just play six sports — he excels in them,” said athletic director Pat Snyder, in his 38th year at the school. “What he’s doing is amazing ... and it’s unique.”
Bujdos “knows” golf, swimming, cross country, tennis, outdoor and indoor track.
Baseball and basketball used to be on the list, but a young man needs a rest. Or, does he? “Sometimes I get a little tired,” Bujdos said, laughing. “But it’s all about time management. I got lucky this year because my homework balanced out with my sports schedule. I just enjoy being involved in a lot of things.”
Bujdos’ indefatigable nature can be traced to parents Joe and Mary Jean, a duo that has combined to run more than 225 marathons. Joe has run in every Pittsburgh Marathon since its inception in 1985, making him part of the elite “Sole Survivor” group.
He raced last Sunday with Mary Jean — who has won multiple marathons — and oldest daughters Jeannie and Veronica.
The third of the four children, Lucy, is a sophomore at Saint Vincent College, where she plays basketball and tennis. She and Joey offered support during the 26.2-mile run.
“I guess you can say there’s a lot of energy in my family,” Joey Bujdos said. “As an example, my dad was diagnosed with Lyme disease a few weeks ago. But there he was, still chugging through the marathon. We all push ourselves pretty hard.”
Joey Bujdos pushes himself in two sports per season at Indiana. There is golf and cross country in the fall and swimming and indoor track in the winter.
His current spring sports are tennis and outdoor track — each of which he performs at a high level.
In tennis, he capped off an undefeated regular season by beating freshman teammate Zach Palko for the individual section title. From there, he reached the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 2A championships. He entered Thursday vying for a WPIAL doubles title with Palko.
“I felt good about finishing in the top 8 at the WPIAL individuals, because five of the players were seniors,” Bujdos said. “One of my goals is to get back there and win it.”
In track, Bujdos helped the 3,200-meter relay team break a 37-year-old Indiana County meet record with a time of 8:06.3 two weeks ago. He has also run the 200, 400, 800 and 1,600 meters individually, while also running a leg on the 1,600-meter relay team.
The 3,200 relay team will vie for a WPIAL title at Baldwin High School next week.
“I know it seems a little crazy with me doing so many things, but it’s normal for me,” said Bujdos, whose oldest sisters, Veronica and Jeannie, ran in college at Gannon and Seton Hill, respectively. “There are times when I’ll forget my uniform or my shoes or something, but it usually works out. It’s hard to explain, but I’m able to juggle everything pretty well.”
Assured of a staggering six varsity letters, here’s a look what Bujdos has achieved this school year.
• Golf — As Indiana’s No. 2 player, Bujdos reached the WPIAL semifinals before a scheduling conflict forced him to withdraw early.
• Cross country — Bujdos helped Indiana win its firstever section championship. He finished 38th at the WPIAL championships.
• Swimming — In his first year competing, Bujdos was part of a 200 medley relay team that qualified for the WPIAL championships.
• Indoor track — He helped the 3,200 and 1,600 relay teams set school records.
“When he’s finished here, he could end up with 22 varsity letters — and maybe a WPIAL or PIAA championship,” Snyder said of Bujdos, who earned four letters as a freshman. “I don’t know how many kids can say they earned 22 letters in high school. To his credit, he handles it all exceptionally well.” Not that it’s always easy. Scheduling conflicts are inevitable when one runs from the track to the court to the pool and to the golf course as frequently as Bujdos does.
On one occasion, he was 14 holes into the WPIAL individual golf semifinals when he left abruptly for the cross country sectional championships. Dad feverishly drove from Cranberry to Freeport in time to watch Joey help Indiana win the title.
“We tried to obey all the laws while getting there,” the elder Bujdos said, laughing. “Joey didn’t want to withdraw from golf, but there was a lesson to be learned: It’s about priorities and it’s about team. He left an individual event to help his team win in cross country. I thought that was a pretty valuable lesson.”
In an era of sports specialization, Bujdos prefers to do it all. In a recent Post-Gazette article, it was pointed out that 87 percent of the 253 players taken in the NFL draft played multiple sports, according to Trackingfootball.com. This is not to suggest that Bujdos is assured of a professional career, but it supports the idea of diversifying one’s sports portfolio.
And for Bujdos, he wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I started playing tennis and golf when I was 5, and I was running in 5K races when I was about 7,” said Bujdos, who, despite his youth, is familiar with the old Bo Jackson ads.
“I’m used to running around and doing different things. People are a little surprised when they first hear I play six sports, for sure. But then, they’re kind of impressed by the whole thing.”