Alfred Vincent “Vince” Budenholzer, 96, peacefully passed away on Feb. 13, 2026, in Phoenix. A living tribute was recently held, where Vince’s family and friends celebrated his life and legacy with a mass at St. Patrick Catholic Community Scottsdale, on Sept. 20, 2025, followed by a fiesta at Macayo’s Mexican Food in Scottsdale with one of his favorites, tacos, plus dancing to his favorite music by Pinetop musician James T.
Even at 96, the man danced the night away. His large family and 150 friends danced with him and toasted him as much more than a famous coach and teacher…speaker after speaker praised him as a community builder, a visionary, a mentor, a real estate investor, a civic leader, a deeply faithful servant of God, and as a loving family man. One young lady did a call-out to “throw it up for Vince Bud!” – and all hands went up and all joined him in laughter.
Humble Roots
Vincent Budenholzer was born on Aug. 14, 1929, in Belen, N.M. He was the ninth of 11 children, born to Joseph Peter Budenholzer and Mary “Mamie” Willey Budenholzer. Descendants of “Missouri dirt farmers,” Joe and Mamie homesteaded in Colorado before moving to Belen, N.M., where Joe worked as an electrician on the Santa Fe-Burlington Northern Railroad. They raised all their children at 1011 Didier Ave., in Belen, N.M., where Vince was born. There he saw his father toil for long, hard hours on the railroad, an exhausting job. His mother raised him and his eight remaining siblings. Their household placed strong emphasis on education, perhaps stemming from Vince’s grandfather, who built a school in Fredericksburg, Mo., that taught through the eighth grade. Vince often mentioned that “My father only had an eighth-grade education, ” — though that may have been quite the accomplishment at that time. The Budenholzer family built up a small agricultural farm with acreage that ultimately became part of the Belen Consolidated School District.
Over the decades, Vince was predeceased by all 10 of his brothers and sisters, and their spouses. Roland (Florence); Frank (died flying in WWII); Mary Helen and Richard (died in infancy); Mary Emily (Joe Didio); Joe (Mary Jo); Virginia (Bill Balmanno); Bob (Annette); Kathryn (Marvin Jacobs); and John (Betty).
Origins of an Athlete
Among childhood memories he shared, one was of Vince’s older brother, Roland and the lengths they went to construct a basketball hoop. They extracted an iron ring from a truck tire, then nailed it to a homemade wooden backboard on a telephone pole. So began Vince’s successful high school career as a multisport star for the Belen Eagles in New Mexico, just south of Albuquerque.
Upon graduation from high school, Vince, a devout Catholic, briefly entered a Roman Catholic seminary in Milwaukee, Wisc., to explore entering the priesthood of the Catholic Church. He ultimately decided his passion was to teach and to coach. On a basketball scholarship, he attended New Mexico State (formerly known as the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts) in Las Cruces, N.M. He played a support role on Aggie teams that won their Border Conference and went to Kansas City for March Madness.
The Three Pillars
And more importantly, it was at a campus dance class — Vince was an avid dancer — on campus that he met his future bride, Elizabeth “Libby” Blank, whom he married on June 6, 1952. She was the light of his life. He felt it was “the best decision I ever made.”
After his wedding to Libby, Vince served in the Air Force during the Korean War. From there, after a few quick stops in New Mexico, he and Libby landed in Holbrook, where he would teach world history and coach basketball and become the athletic director. With Libby, he raised their seven children, Jim, Richard, Joe, Theresa, Helen, Bill and Michael. As a father, Vince was a big part of his children’s lives. The family home at 524 E. Florida St., was a beehive of all types of coming and going.
Vince was very active in the Holbrook community, serving as a city council member. Vince took great pride in creating the Hidden Cove Golf and for the Catholic parish, the beautiful modern Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, and a magnificent community hall in Holbrook. Vince has always considered God, Country, and Family to be the three pillars of a life well-lived.
An Illustrious Career
Vince was especially passionate about coaching basketball. He would be elected to the Arizona High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame for his 20 years of dedication to coaching, both at Holbrook High School and Northland Pioneer Community College. “Coach Bud”, as he is still affectionately remembered, was an avid student of the game of basketball, working with many coaches. He especially benefited from going to clinics in California hosted by John Wooden, implementing many of the schemes he learned with his teams upon return to Arizona.
Vince ran meticulous practices with five-minute segments outlined on a stack of 3×5 cards that he carried over from year-to-year, with modifications for upcoming opponents. He was one of the first coaches to use film (Super 8) to improve his own teams’ strategies against specific opponents. He believed in scouting, and he or a member of his coaching staff went personally to see what competition was coming their way.
Bringing home 1971
State Championship
At Holbrook, he had a 323-161 win-loss record and dominated his conference. As the Coach of the Holbrook Roadrunners, he had State Champion Runner-Ups in 1968 and 1974, and, in 1971, he led the team down from the high plateau reservation town of Holbrook to the Coliseum in Phoenix in the Valley of the Sun to a State Championship. The floor of Holbrook High School’s Antonio Munoz Gym is named after the Budenholzer Family. Vince shared his knowledge widely, coaching in several All-Star games, and writing articles that appeared in books.
“I liked to press,” he’d say, “I told my players we start pressing them when we get off the bus.”
His commitment had another side, too; he was a fiery presence on the sideline of games and in practice. His temper was famous for when his players did not meet his satisfaction. His longtime assistant coach, Tony Munoz, was assigned the thankless job of grabbing him by the belt when Vince started to go after referees during hotly contested games, or after players at practices. Regarding Vince, Holbrook Superintendent Dr. Robbie Koerperich stated, “Vince Budenholzer was a shining example of the Roadrunner spirit. As a teacher, coach, athletic director and more importantly a human being, Vince was a model for all Roadrunners. As Libby would say, “bloom where you are planted” and that is exactly what Vince and Libby did in Holbrook, created blooms for generations to come! Once a Roadrunner, Always a Roadrunner, Coach Bud!”
“Hey, Coach!”
Despite his renowned temper Coach Bud was known for loving his players off the court. “Hey Coach” was a shout-out heard everywhere he went. Often, he had trouble placing a name with a face and after a few prompts from his wife, Libby, he and former players would be reliving the battles fought. He still had the sense of humor that made him popular with players, fans, coaches and their families, and he was always the life of the party.
After retirement in Show Low, he was a bright presence at coaches’ reunions for Mexican dinners at the El Rancho, where scores of coaches, former players, their families, and even referees, would all break bread (really, dip tortilla chips in the Chavez family secret salsa) and dance the day away to the Country Western music of his favorite musician, Jimmy Tuccio.
After the Buzzer
Vince believed strongly in teaching and coaching. That passion was passed on to all his children, especially to his youngest son, Michael, two-time NBA Coach of the Year, who led the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA Championship. Coach Vince Budenholzer, as a father, sat cheering — or really still coaching — in the stands.
After retiring, Vince and Libby spent their golden years between Holbrook, Queen Valley and Show Low in Arizona, as well as embarking on scores of cruises and trips abroad, traveling to all the continents, except Antarctica. He had a passion for the people of the world; he hugged them all.
He somewhat left basketball to perfect his golf game, but Libby kept him tuned in to all developments in the NBA. Vince’s phone was constantly ringing with old connections from his high school and junior college coaching years, asking for his thoughts and opinions. He and Libby moved to Solterra Senior Living in the White Mountains in Show Low, and after his wife of 71 years passed away, he moved to the Clarendale Arcadia Senior Residences in the Valley.
Wherever he was, he followed current events and shared memories. His was a sunny nature, a big smile, and a willingness to be a part of his children’s and grandchildren’s lives. During his son, Mike’s, tenure as head coach of the Phoenix Suns, Vince attended all 42 home games, escorted by family and friends.
Even in his 90s, Vince still took a seat on the bench at a high school basketball game. As a guest of the young coach, who also happened to be Vince’s caretaker, Vince was seen with his clipboard in hand, and was greeted, as usual, with his favorite, “Hey, Coach!”
Vince is survived by six of his seven children: Jim (New York); Richard (San Diego deceased 2023; survived by his wife Joni); Joe (Los Angeles, Calif., and his wife Terri); Theresa (Scottsdale, her husband Jim deceased 2025), Helen Vinson (Oracle, and her husband Karl Leavitt), Bill (and his wife Kyung Ae) and Michael (Austin, Texas); 19 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
The Final Chapter
In the final chapter, according to his wishes and those of his beloved wife of 71 years, who passed away in 2023, Vince will journey from the Valley to the White Mountains, from Phoenix to Pinetop, where he will join his partner of seven decades, Libby, where she awaits him in their niche at the gorgeous columbarium at St. Mary of the Angels.
Funeral Mass
A Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 10, at St. Patrick Catholic Community Scottsdale, located at 10815 N. 84th St. in Scottsdale, with internment later that day between 3:30 and 4 p.m. at St. Mary of the Angels, located at 1915 Penrod Lane in Pinetop.
