IUP Athletic Hall of Fame
A total of nine IUP players have been selected in the annual Major League Baseball amateur draft. Ben Bruns was the first.
A center fielder for coach Owen Dougherty’s outstanding 1966 team, Bruns was picked in the 15th round, No. 284 overall, by the Boston Red Sox in the June free-agent draft and spent two seasons in the organization’s farm system. Bruns played for Covington (Va.) of the Appalachian League (Rookie classification) and Oneonta (N.Y.) of the Class A New York-Pennsylvania League in 1966 and for Greenville (S.C.) of the Class A Western Carolinas League in 1967.
Bruns came to IUP after having excelled on the diamond in his hometown of Altoona. He played high school and American Legion baseball, and participated in the annual Pennsylvania East-West American Legion All-Star Game—a showcase for professional scouts—in 1964.
Bruns played an integral role in IUP’s success on the diamond in 1966. A sophomore, he started the season 0-for-22 but then caught fire and hit at a torrid .450 clip the rest of the way. Dougherty’s crew reeled off 14 consecutive victories at one point and advanced to the NAIA District 18 championship game against California, which pulled out a 3-2 victory in an epic 13-inning duel. IUP finished 16-5, at that time the winningest season in school history.
He also played freshman football for a season under Dougherty.
After earning an economics degree from IUP in 1968, Bruns served two years in the Navy. He returned to campus in 1970 and briefly attended graduate school before deciding to go into business in his adopted hometown. He operated a women’s clothing store for a time, opened Subs and Suds and Culpeppers eating establishments and owned Benjamin’s restaurant from 1996 to 2019. He still helps out son Kristopher, who runs Subs and Suds and Brunzies bar and grill.
Bruns and his wife, Peggy, reside in Indiana. They have two children—Heidi and Kristopher—and three grandchildren.
