Buck Buchanan
Junious "Buck" Buchanan, born on September 10, 1940, in Gainesville, Alabama, was a prominent American football player known for his remarkable impact on the game, particularly as a defensive tackle. He played college football at Grambling State University, where he excelled in both football and basketball, showcasing exceptional athleticism despite his size. Buchanan made history as the first player from an all-black college to be selected as the number-one pick in the 1963 American Football League (AFL) draft, joining the Dallas Texans, who later became the Kansas City Chiefs.
Over his 13-season career with the Chiefs, Buchanan participated in multiple AFL all-star games, two Super Bowls, and was recognized as the team’s most valuable player on several occasions. His innovative style of play set new standards for defensive tackles, influencing the strategies of opposing teams. After retiring in 1975, he transitioned to coaching and remained active in his community, contributing to initiatives like the Kansas Special Olympics. Recognized for his contributions to football, Buchanan was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 1995, the NCAA established the Buck Buchanan Award to honor the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision. Buck Buchanan passed away in 1992, leaving behind a legacy of excellence and influence in the sport.
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Buck Buchanan
Business Person
- Born: September 10, 1940
- Birthplace: Gainesville, Alabama
- Died: July 16, 1992
- Place of death: Kansas City, Missouri
Sport: Football
Early Life
Junious “Buck” Buchanan was born on September 10, 1940, in Gainesville, Alabama, to Fannie Mae and Wallace Buchanan. One of the greatest early influences on Buck’s life was his older brother, Wallace, whose determination and hard work were an inspiration to Buck. Wallace followed Buck’s career closely in college and in professional football. His interest meant a great deal to Buck. Wallace died at an early age, but Buck never forgot the lessons that Wallace taught him: Work hard and never accept anything less than your best.
The Road to Excellence
While a student at Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama, Buck played basketball and football. In 1960, Buck entered Grambling State University on a basketball scholarship. He earned a letter playing basketball on a team that included future National Basketball Association (NBA) hall of fame member Willis Reed and future Kansas City Chief teammate Ernie Ladd.
At 6 feet 7 inches and 212 pounds, Buck was already a “big man on campus.” While at Grambling State University, he grew to almost 275 pounds. Despite his size, Buck was a very fast man. He even ran for the university’s track team. In 1962, he ran the 440-yard dash in 49.2 seconds. Some feel that Buck was not only one of the best football players ever to play at a small college but also one of the best all-around athletes. Buck played both offensive and defensive end for the Tigers of Grambling State. He was on the all-conference team in 1960, 1961, and 1962. In 1963, he played in the college all-star game, which pitted the best college football players in the country against the NFL champions. In 1963, the college all-star team beat the Green Bay Packers 20-17. The next time Buck played the Packers was as a professional football player in the first Super Bowl, in 1967. This time the Packers beat Buck’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.
The Emerging Champion
After an outstanding college career in which he helped Grambling State become one of the best small-college football programs in the country, Buck was ready to play professional football. He was the first player selected in the 1963 American Football League (AFL) draft. Buck’s selection marked the first time a player from an all-black school was the number-one pick of any professional football league. While the AFL was neither as successful nor as well established as the better known NFL, Buck decided to play for the team that had picked him, the Dallas Texans. The Texans moved to Kansas City soon afterward and changed their name to the Chiefs. Buck was honored to be the first player ever to be a number-one pick from a small black college, and he wanted to prove that good football players could come from small schools as well as big schools.
Success did not come easily at first for Buck, however. He did not play much in his first AFL game and was very upset. He was determined to work even harder in practice, and soon he was one of the best players on the team. As a defensive tackle, Buck was more than just a good player. He had skills and qualities that changed the way people played defensive tackle. He was bigger, stronger, and faster than most other tackles. He was intelligent and was very quick to learn from his mistakes. He was an honest and fair player, often helping up an opponent he had just knocked down.
Continuing the Story
Buck played for the Kansas City Chiefs for 13 seasons, from 1963 through 1975. He played in a total of six AFL all-star games, two AFC-NFC Pro Bowl games, two AFL Championship games, and two Super Bowls: Kansas City’s Super Bowl I loss to the Green Bay Packers in 1967, and the team’s 23-7 Super Bowl IV victory over the Minnesota Vikings in 1970. Buck played in a total of 181 professional football games. He missed only one game, in 1974, as the result of a broken hand. His teammates voted him the Chiefs’ most valuable player in 1965 and 1967, and he was the team cocaptain in 1968.
Buck was so overwhelming as a player that the Oakland Raiders drafted a college player especially to play against Buck. That player, Gene Upshaw, went on to have an excellent NFL career and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Upshaw was a bigger, stronger, and faster offensive lineman than others. Upshaw had to be a different type of football player in order to play well against Buck, who not only influenced the way defensive tackles usually played but also made other football teams change the way they played against him.
Buck retired after the 1975 season. He was an assistant coach for the New Orleans Saints in 1976 and 1977, and the Cleveland Browns in 1978. Later, he settled in Kansas City with his wife and three children. He was involved in the Kansas Special Olympics and did charity work. He owned two businesses in the Kansas City area and was a highly respected person in the community. Buck’s accomplishments on the football field were honored in August of 1990, when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Louisiana, Alabama, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and Grambling sports halls of fame. Buck died in 1992.
Summary
Buck Buchanan dramatically changed the way that defensive tackles played football. He was so much bigger and stronger than other defensive tackles that teams tried to find players just like him, or tried to find bigger players to play against him. Size and strength were not his only assets, though. Buck’s ability to work hard helped to make him a success on and off the field. In 1995, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) established the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the top Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) (formerly Division I-AA) player of the year.
Bibliography
Barber, Phil. “NFL: Football’s One Hundred Greatest Players—The Hit Men.” The Sporting News 223 (November 1, 1999): 12-16.
Carroll, Bob. Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.
Miller, Jeff. Going Long: The Wild Ten-Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League in the Words of Those Who Lived It. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
Zimmerman, Paul. “Gangs of Four.” Sports Illustrated 83, no. 15 (October 6, 1995): 66-73.