As a Duke student, Amy E. Unell sat in the front row of her History and Issues of Sports class, enthralled by the anecdotes shared by the course's instructor, Blue Devils track and field coach Al Buehler.
A member of the Duke Sports Hall of Fame, Buehler coached more than 55 years at the local, national and international levels of track and field, including tours of duty as team manager for the U.S. Olympic track and field teams in 1972, 1984 and 1988.
Now, Unell, a 2003 Duke graduate who works as a producer for NBC's "Today" show, has turned to another Blue Devils sports hero to help her produce the documentary film she is directing about Buehler's career.
Former Duke basketball player Grant Hill, a 1994 graduate and member of two Blue Devils national championship teams, signed on as an executive producer for "Starting at the Finish Line: The Coach Buehler Story." Another Duke athlete, former Blue Devils football player and New York Giants signee Ayanga Okpokowuruk designed the documentary's website at www. coach buehler.com .
Unell plans hold a rough-cut screening of the documentary at Duke on Sept. 24. She said Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who was interviewed for the film, told her he would be there to show his support along with members of his 2010 national championship team. She hopes to debut the film at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham next spring.
"He became a mentor to me," Unell said of Buehler. "I didn't run track, but I had a real appreciation for his love of all sports and his appreciation of sports."
'Something nice'
It started as a simpler project.
Unell decided to take a sabbatical from her "Today" job to put together "something nice" for Buehler's family and her alma mater. It soon became clear, though, that the project was going to take more than the two months she budgeted.
"What he's done, the people he's inspired and what they've gone on to do, it was an amazing story that had to be told," Unell said.
Buehler, who will turn 80 in October, coached six ACC championship cross-country teams and five Olympians. In addition to his time spent as a U.S. Olympic team manager, he also managed two U.S. World Indoor Track Championships teams. That's a lot of medals, and a lot of hardware, to keep track of.
But Buehler can remember even the most minute details from his coaching career, such as how many people were in attendance for a particular meet or how visiting track stars from the Soviet Union were so enamored with the Blue Bell Jeans they received as presents.
Buehler tried his best to avoid Unell's proposed spotlight, to no avail.
"It was a somewhat embarrassing, awkward situation," Buehler said of being approached about the documentary. "It wasn't that big of a deal - I don't need this. I've done it, and I'm going to keep on doing it."
The film's production hasn't been completely smooth. Many of the archived Olympic broadcasts that Unell was seeking have been lost or damaged over time, she said. The entire archive of broadcast footage from the 1960 Olympic Games is missing, she said, along with other iconic moments in track history.
Unell, however, remains hopeful that some crucial clips may still be recovered.
"We're hoping we get lucky and people have [the clips] somewhere, in their basements or attics," Unell said.
Dream team
Unell convinced Hill to join the project after driving to Atlanta to interview him. A forward with the Phoenix Suns, Hill was in Atlanta with his NBA team to face the Hawks, and after hearing Unell's pitch, he was in. Hill also took Buehler's History and Issues of Sports class as a Duke student and said he felt compelled to get involved.
"She and I met and talked about Coach Buehler, and there was so much about him that I didn't know," Hill said. "After we talked about him and his life and career, we realized that there was some chemistry, and it would be neat to bring me onboard to be part of the creative process."
Hill joined Unell's "dream team," which is scattered across the country working on the film. Lisa Berglund, the first female National Press Photographer of the Year award winner, is cutting the film in Seattle. John Larson, a friend of Unell's from the "Today" show who has won 20 Emmys - and who was nominated for another for a piece he did with Unell - is writing the script in San Diego.
Bonded in admiration
Larson said he has sifted through more than 120 tapes of film on the coach, and though he hasn't met Buehler, he said he feels the same pull that several decades' worth of Duke students experienced.
"As I look through these interviews and realize what Coach Buehler has done, it's become very clear that the country needs to know about this man," Larson said. "He's done some historic, wonderful things in such a quiet, dignified fashion. He never stood up and said, 'Look at me.' It's really a treat to be able to bring his story to the screen."
Unell also returned to Duke this spring to teach a class called Advanced Film Production: The Coach Buehler Story and put her students to work creating marketing strategies and assisting with film production.
Beuhler may not grasp what all the fuss is about, but Hill said his modesty is part of what makes him such a worthy subject for a documentary.
"[Buehler] an example of how to do things the right way," Hill said. "In this day and age, I think it's important to talk about that, to profile that, and to honor that."
