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Buck Buchanan, Football Player born

Buck Buchanan

*Buck Buchanan was born on this date in 1940. He was a Black Football Player.

Junious (Buck) Buchanan, a native of Gainesville, Alabama, was a football and basketball star at A. H. Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama.  In the late 1950s, Eddie Robinson, football coach at Grambling College in Louisiana, offered him one of the few scholarships available to Black students.  Buchanan played both offense and defense at Grambling.

In 1963, Buchanan was the first player chosen in the first American Football League draft by the Dallas Texans, who later became the Kansas City Chiefs. The six-foot-seven-inch, 280-pound Buchanan was known not only for his great size but also for his tremendous speed. He became the prototype defensive lineman in the NFL. He was also durable, missing only one regular-season game in 13 years. He was crucial to the Chiefs' two Super Bowl appearances in 1966 and 1969.

Following the 1975 season, he retired as a player. Buchanan spent three years as an assistant coach in the NFL, two with the New Orleans Saints and one with the Cleveland Browns, before returning to Kansas City.

A dominant lineman in his day, for eight straight seasons (1965-72), he was chosen either as an AFL All-Star or for the NFL Pro Bowl game. He was named the Chief's Most Valuable Player in 1965 and 1967 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He was one of the greatest defensive linemen to play professional football and a foundation during the glory years of the Kansas City Chiefs. After his playing career, Buchanan became a successful businessman and an outstanding civic leader.

He started two businesses in Kansas City, All-Pro Construction Co. and All-Pro Advertising. His numerous civic activities included founding the Black Chamber of Commerce, where he served as president from 1986 to 1989. Buchanan died of lung cancer in 1992.

To become a Professional Athlete