Hugh Buchanan: Parkview High School
Buchanan was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in 2000.
Hugh Buchanan was the first head baseball coach at Parkview and is credited for helping develop the school into a state baseball power. Before taking over the Parkview program, Buchanan was an assistant baseball coach at Berkmar and a graduate assistant coach at Georgia Southern.
Buchanan led the Parkview program from 1976 until he retired in 2004. He finished with a career record of 546-245 and won three state titles in 1996, 2001 and 2002. He won 12 region titles.
He also was an assistant coach on Parkview’s first football team, the head football coach for the Panthers from 1983-1985 and head softball coach from 1987-1994.
After retiring, Buchanan spent time as a professional scout. He is a member of four Hall of Fames – the Georgia Dugout Club, the Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
“Anytime something like this occurs, it’s very special,” Buchanan told the Gwinnett Daily Post when he was inducted into the Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
“It’s humbling because a lot of people have been responsible for this — my own family, my Parkview family, the players, the (assistant) coaches, the program, the community. One person gets the reward, but it’s a group thing.”
Buchanan’s legacy goes beyond the state. He served as Team Georgia Director for 12 years and he coached with USA Baseball for the Pan-American games and the Youth World Championships.
He has served on the Baseball Coaches Association All-American Committee, was District 3 Chair for six years and was an initial member of the BCA Hall of Fame Committee, helping to set the criteria for a candidate to be nominated to the Hall of Fame.
He sent countless players to college and a handful into the majors including Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Keppinger and Clint Sammons.
Parkview named its baseball field “Hugh Buchanan Field,” and the coach’s No. 20 jersey is one of three retired on the outfield fence.
Some information in this article was used from the Gwinnett Daily Post.