Buck Buchanan

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Buchanan was born in Gainesville, Alabama, on September 10, 1940, to steelworker Wallace Buchanan and Fannie Mae Buchanan. He had two brothers and two sisters. The family moved to Birmingham, Alabama, in 1941. It has also been stated he was born in 1939, consistent with a photograph of the headstone at his grave which says "1939 1992". He attended A. H. Parker High School in Birmingham, where he was captain and a standout in football and basketball, graduating in January 1959. He was originally better known for basketball, averaging nearly 20 points per game at center, and only began playing football as a junior. He was All-State in basketball in 1957 and 1958 and All-Conference in football. He was 6 ft 5 in and 210 lb as a senior. His older brother, Wallace III, inspired him; Wallace had a congenital heart defect that limited him from playing sports and led to his early death in 1968. Buchanan vowed to play for his brother.

In Their Own Story

The Dallas Texans made their move on December 1, 1962, selecting Buchanan first overall, just days before the New York Giants picked him 265th in the NFL draft. He signed without waiting, valuing the honor of being the first player chosen by a league and wanting to prove players from small black schools could compete at the highest level. Scout Don Klosterman had dubbed him 'Buck' to distinguish him from his father, 'Big Buck,' and praised him as the best lineman he'd ever seen. In 1964, Coach Stram moved him to right defensive tackle, where he started all 14 games and recorded seven unofficial sacks. By 1967, Buchanan was named first-team All-AFL by the AP, NEA, UPI, and The Sporting News after batted down 16 passes at or behind the line of scrimmage. In Super Bowl I against the Green Bay Packers, he delivered a historic sack on Hall of Famer Bart Starr, while also stopping Jim Taylor four times for three-yard gains. He served as team co-captain in 1968 and earned Chiefs MVP honors in both 1965 and 1967.

Reader's Guide

Buchanan played college football at Grambling State University under head coach Eddie Robinson. He was a letterman in football, named an Academic All-American as a junior in 1961, and as a senior in 1962 was an NAIA All-America selection and a Black College All-American. He was selected three times to the All-SWAC Team at defensive tackle from 1960 to 1962. He also played offensive tackle at Grambling. He played defensive tackle in the 1963 Chicago College All Star Game, where the college All-Stars defeated the 1962 NFL champion Green Bay Packers. He also played on Grambling's basketball team and was a sprinter and distance runner on the track team. Buchanan was selected in both the 1962 AFL draft and the 1963 NFL draft. The Dallas Texans (who became the Kansas City Chiefs before the 1963 season) selected him with the first overall pick in the 1962 AFL draft, held on December 1, 1962. He signed a two-year contract the same day. The Texans had won the 1962 AFL championship but obtained the first draft pick via an early season trade with the Oakland Raiders. Buchanan was both the first player from an historically black college and the first black player selected as a number one draft choice in AFL or NFL history. A few days after the AFL draft, the New York Giants took him 265th overall in the 19th round of the 1963 NFL draft. He began his career under head coach Hank Stram, who was his head coach for all but one season (1975). He started 11 games at left defensive tackle as a rookie in 1963. In 1964, Stram moved him to right tackle where he started all 14 games and played the rest of his career. He was selected to the AFL Western Division All-Star Team in 1964. Quarterback sacks did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982; Buchanan has been unofficially credited with seven sacks in 1964. In 1965, he again started every game at right defensive tackle, had seven sacks, was selected to the AFL All-Star Game, and was chosen as the team's Most Valuable Player. The Chiefs were 11–2–1 in 1966 and won the AFL championship, defeating the Buffalo Bills 31–7. Buchanan had a quarterback sack of Jack Kemp in the championship game. He started all 14 games at right tackle with 2.5 sacks, was an All-Star, and was selected first-team All-AFL by the AP and UPI. In January 1967, he played in the first Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers, losing 35–10. Buchanan reco

Did You Know?

• Buchanan was the first player from an historically black college selected as a number one draft choice in AFL or NFL history.
• He was timed at 10.6 seconds in the 100-yard dash and 4.9 seconds in the 40-yard dash at Grambling.
• His older brother Wallace III inspired him to play; Wallace had a congenital heart defect and died in 1968.
• Buchanan played on Grambling's basketball team with future Hall of Famer Willis Reed.