Buck Buchanan

Bio

Junious (Buck) Buchanan was a giant who was fast and agile. He stood 6-7 in height, weighed 270 pounds, and had all-around athletic ability. At Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama, Buchanan captained the basketball and football teams. He was timed at 10.2 seconds in the 100-yard dash. He played only one year of basketball at Grambling. He was on the football team four years, playing tackle on both offense and defense, and was named NAIA and Black College All-America in 1962. He began the 1963 season with the College All-Stars, who beat the Green Bay Packers 20-17 in the annual Chicago game. This was the last time the college stars beat the pro team in the annual game which was discontinued after the 1976 season. Buchanan was drafted by two pro teams, the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League and the New York Giants of the National Football League. He chose the Chiefs, because "they picked me in the first round, and this was the first time a player from a black college had been named in the first round of a pro draft." Hank Stram, the Chiefs coach, said, "We picked Buck because of his size, speed, and a great, great attitude." Buchanan played 13 years for the Chiefs, 1963-75, was all-pro six times and was his team's co-captain. He served as assistant coach with the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns 1976-78, then started a construction company called All-Pro. He founded the Black Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City and served as its president 1986-89.

Career Highlights

• 1962 First Team All-America (College Div., NAIA, HBCU)
• 1961 All-Conference
• 1960 All-Conference