Buntin was born on May 5, 1942 to William and Rosa Buntin. He graduated from, Northern High School in Detroit, Michigan in 1961, playing under Coach Eddie Powers. He attended Michigan, playing from 1962–1965 for Coach Dave Strack. In three seasons playing center for Michigan, the 6' 7" Buntin had 1,037 rebounds, ranking second in school history. He averaged 15.7 rebounds a game in 1963 and recorded 58 double-doubles in 79 games, still a school record. His 1,725 points ranks 9th in school history. Playing with Cazzie Russell in the 1963-1964 season, Buntin helped Michigan win its first Big Ten title in 16 seasons and advance to the Final Four. In 1962-1963, Buntin made his varsity debut, averaging 22.3 points and 15.7 rebounds for Michigan and Coach Strack. The team finished 16-8. Michigan improved to 23-5 in 1963-1964, finishing first in the Big Ten Conference. Buntin averaged 23.2 points and 12.5 rebounds, teaming with Cazzie Russell to lead the Wolveines to the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in program history. In the 1964 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Buntin scored 26 points with 15 rebounds in the 84-80 win against Loyola and 15 points and 10 rebounds in the 69-57 victory over Ohio. Buntin had 19 points and 10 bounds in the NCAA Final Four 91-80 loss to Duke. He then had 33 points and 14 rebounds in the 3rd place 100-90 victory over Kansas State. As a Senior, Michigan finished 24-4 1964-1965, winning the Big Ten title for a second consecutive season. Buntin averaged 20.1 points and 11.5 rebounds alongside Russell. In the 1965 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Buntin had 26 points and 11 rebounds as Michigan won 98-71 Dayton; he had 26 points and 14 rebounds in the 87-85 over Vanderbilt. In the Final Four 93-76 victory over Bill Bradley and Princeton, Buntin had 22 points and 14 rebounds. In the NCAA Championship Final loss to UCLA, he fouled out with 14 points and 6 rebounds. In his senior year, the Wolverines advanced to the 1965 NCAA title game, where they lost, 91-80, to John Wooden's UCLA team with Gail Goodrich. He was named an All-American in both 1964 and 1965. Overall, Buntin averaged 21.8 points and 13.1 rebounds in 79 games at Michigan. Before Buntin embarked on his NBA career, he played for Team USA in the 1965 Fifth World Games in Budapest, Hungary. He helped the United States to a gold medal.
During a pick-up basketball game on May 9, 1968, Buntin suffered a fatal heart attack. He was survived by his parents William and Rosa, sister Beverly and three children. Former teammate George Pomey said, " was a very easy going, jovial guy who could keep his calm during the toughest games. He accepted everything as it was, never letting things bother him. This was his problem in the pros.
Honors
Buntin has received numerous posthumous honors for his accomplishments in basketball, including:
In 2006, Buntin's jersey was honored and hung from the rafters at Crisler Arena. Buntin's jersey became the fifth to be honored in Crisler Arena. Only Cazzie Russell's jersey is retired.
