Alfred Vincent Budenholzer

Vince Budenholzer, 96, Legendary Holbrook Coach Dies

August 8, 1929 - February 13, 2026

Phoenix, AZ

Alfred Vincent Budenholzer, “Vince”, 96, peacefully passed away on February 13, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona.

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 September 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 August 14, 1929 in Belen, New Mexico. He was the ninth of eleven 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, New Mexico, where Joe worked as an electrician on the Santa Fe-Burlington Northern Railroad. They raised all their children at 1011 Didier Avenue in Belen, New Mexico, 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, Missouri, that taught through the 8th grade. Vince often mentioned that, “My father only had an 8th 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 ten 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.

Photo from Budenholzer Family

Vince as a Belen Eagle

Upon graduation from high school, Vince, a devout Catholic, briefly entered a Roman Catholic seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 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, New Mexico. He played a support role on Aggie teams that won their Border Conference and went to Kansas City for March Madness.

Photo courtesy of New Mexico Aggies yearbook

Vince, Number 13, as an Aggie, 2nd from left

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.”

Budenholzer family archive

From left to right: Joseph Peter and Mary “Mamie” Budenholzer, Vince and Elizabeth “Libby” (Blank) Budenholzer, Helen Louise (McNaught) Blank and Lester Marion Blank

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, Arizona, 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 East Florida Street 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 Course (https://holbrookaz.gov/things-to-do/hidden-cove-golf-course/); and for the Catholic parish, the beautiful modern Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church (https://ladyofguadalupeholbrook.org/), and a magnificent community hall in Holbrook, Arizona. 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 3x5 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.”

Photo courtesy Thad Simmons.

Coach Bud coached all sizes. Dave Taylor, 5’1”, Dennis Peterson 6’2”, Steve Taylor, 5’2”, from the 1968 team that went to the State finals.

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.

“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, 2-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, scorted by family and friends.

Even in his nineties, 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!”

Family photo in Milwaukee, 2021, at NBA Championship after-party, Vince seated with Libby, his seven children from left to right: Jim, Theresa, Joe, Richard, Bill, Helen and Mike.

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, CA, and his wife Terri); Theresa (Scottsdale, AZ, her husband Jim deceased 2025), Helen Vinson (Oracle, AZ, and her husband Karl Leavitt), Bill (and his wife Kyung Ae) and Michael (Austin, TX); 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, Arizona, 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

Friday, April 10th, 2026 10:00am

Chapel

St Patrick Catholic Community Scottsdale

10815 N. 84th St.

Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Please note that because of large Living Tribute Mass, attended by extended family and many friends on September 20th, this funeral mass is expected to be much smaller. Family members and friends who attended the Living Tribute may elect not to come. Those who missed that event, and the public at large who would like to pay respects, are welcome to attend; however this mass will not have prayer cards, flowers or a reception. This will be a public mass in the Chapel, said by Father Eric Tellez.

Rite of Committal

Friday, April 10, 2026

Approximately 3:30PM

Columbarium

St Mary of the Angels

1915 Penrod Lane

Pinetop, AZ 85935

The cremated remains of Alfred Vincent Budenholzer (b. August 14, 1929; d. February 13, 2026) will be placed in a niche with the cremated remains of his wife, Elizabeth Blank Budenholzer (b. January 28, 1932; d. August 8, 2023). Vince and Libby were married for 71 years and it was their wish to be united in eternity at the Columbarium at St. Mary of the Angels. The public is welcome, the Rite of Committal will be done by Father Peter Short.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Budenholzer Family Scholarship Fund with the Arizona Community Foundation. Gifts go to an endowment that funds the Libby and Vince Budenholzer Civic Service and the Mike Budenholzer Student-Athlete Scholarships for graduates of Holbrook High School. It is a great way to honor Vince and continue the work that Vince and Libby championed.

https://www.azfoundation.org/ways-to-give/other-ways-to-give/scholarship-funds/budenholzer-family-scholarship-fund/

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