Junious "Buck" Buchanan (September 10, 1940 – July 16, 1992) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Buchanan was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He was selected to the NFL 100th Anniversary Team. His was the first African American taken as the first selection in an AFL or NFL draft. Buchanan was massive for his era, standing at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), and weighing 270 lbs. (122 kg). His height gave him an advantage against linemen in the trenches.
Early life
It has been reported in multiple sources that Buchanan was born in Gainesville, Alabama, on September 10, 1940. He graduated 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; in part to stay in shape for the basketball season. He was All-State in basketball in 1957 and 1958 and All-Conference in football. offered Buchanan a scholarship, after being contacted by Buchanan's uncle, Glennon Threat. Threatt was determined Buchanan should go to college and wrote to Robinson about Buchanan's athletic merits. Buchanan had decided to start working, rather than going to college, before Threatt (who coached football in Birmingham) told Buchanan that Grambling was interested in him. It was Buchanan's mother who was the decisive factor in sending Buchanan to Grambling, after his uncle's efforts opened the door. Buchanan was also approached by Alabama State University, but chose Grambling, located in Louisiana, as Grambling was better known and offered a more substantial scholarship. By the time he reached Grambling, his weight had grown to 285 lb (129.3 kg).
Buchanan was a letterman in football. As a junior, he was named an Academic All-American after the 1961 season, the only Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) player selected. As a senior in 1962, Buchanan was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-America selection, as well as a Black College All-American. From 1960 to 1962, he was selected three times to the All-SWAC Team at defensive tackle. He also played offensive tackle at Grambling.
Buchanan also played on Grambling's basketball team. Among his teammates were future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player Willis Reed, and future AFL player and Chiefs' teammate Ernie Ladd. Buchanan left the team after one year to focus on football. He ran the 40-yard dash in less than five seconds. He also reportedly ran 4.9 in the 40-yard dash and 10.2 in the 100-yard dash at Grambling. or 270 lb (122.5 kg) selected Buchanan with the first overall pick in the 1963 AFL draft, held on December 1, 1962. Buchanan signed a two-year contract with the Texans the same day he was drafted, receiving a five-figure signing bonus, and becoming one of the nation's highest paid players. The Texans had won the 1962 AFL championship, but obtained the first draft pick via an early season trade with the Oakland Raiders, sending quarterback Cotton Davidson to the Raiders for the rights to Fred Miller and the Raiders first draft choice in the 1963 draft.
After the trade with Oakland, the Texans sent Don Klosterman to scout Buchanan regularly at Grambling during the 1962 college football season. Klosterman started calling him Junious Buck (to distinguish Buchanan from his father "Big Buck"), which eventually became just Buck. In 1964, Stram moved Buchanan to right tackle where he started all 14 games for the Chiefs, and would play the rest of his career. He was named second-team All-AFL by the Associated Press (AP), Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and United Press International (UPI). Quarterback sacks did not become an official statistic in the NFL until 1982. Buchanan has been unofficially credited with seven sacks in 1964.
In 1965, Buchanan again started every Chiefs' game at right defensive tackle, and once more had seven sacks. He was selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game, and was once again named second-team All-AFL by the AP, NEA and UPI. He was chosen as the team's Most Valuable Player in 1965. in the championship game. During the regular season, Buchanan started all 14 games at right tackle, with 2.5 sacks. He was again an All-Star, and for the first time was selected first-team All-AFL by the AP and UPI, as well as The Sporting News; with the NEA naming him second-team All-AFL. In January 1967, he played in the first Super Bowl, against the Green Bay Packers, the Chiefs losing 35–10. Buchanan recorded the first quarterback sack in Super Bowl history, against Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr. He had five solo tackles in the Super Bowl, including four tackles stopping future Hall of Fame fullback Jim Taylor for three-yard gains on four different running plays.
Buchanan had 8.5 sacks in 1967, again starting all 14 regular season games. Although the Chiefs were 9–5, they missed the playoffs. Buchanan was again named an All-Star, and was selected first-team All-AFL by the AP, NEA, UPI and The Sporting News. As stated by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Buchanan "was particularly effective at intimidating the passer". In 1967 alone, "he batted down 16 opposition passes at or behind the line of scrimmage". It has also been reported he batted down 16 passes in 1964. He was again chosen as the Chiefs' Most Valuable Player in 1967. He was an All-Star for the fifth consecutive season, and AP first team All-AFL for the third consecutive season. He was once again named an All-Star and selected first team All-AFL by the Associated Press. He teamed with future Hall of Fame left tackle Curley Culp, Aaron Brown (right end) and Jerry Mays (left end) to form one of the best defensive lines in AFL or NFL history. (left linebacker), Willie Lanier (middle linebacker), Emmitt Thomas (right cornerback) and Johnny Robinson (free safety).
The Chiefs defeated the New York Jets in the divisional round of the 1969 playoffs, 13–6; with Buchanan recording .5 sacks. They next defeated the Oakland Raiders in the 1969 AFL Championship Game, 17–7. The Chiefs then defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23–7 in Super Bowl IV; Buchanan recording a sack of Vikings' quarterback Joe Kapp for an eight-yard loss, and five solo tackles.
The Chiefs’ defense allowed Viking runners only 67 yards rushing in 19 carries, 172 net passing yards, and only two rushing first downs, to go along with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Buchanan and Culp in particular dominated the opposing center, Mick Tingelhoff, a five-time AP first-team All-Pro selection up to that 1969 season, and Buchanan did the same to the left guard playing opposite him on the line of scrimmage, Jim Vellone. Buchanan later said that he did not find the Vikings as tough to play against as the Oakland Raiders.
Super Bowl IV was the final game played by an AFL team. The AFL and NFL fully merged before the 1970 season into one 26-team league (the NFL). The Chiefs missed the playoffs in 1970, with a 7–5–2 record. In 1970, Buchanan once again started all 14 games at right tackle. He had seven sacks, and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl for the new American Football Conference (AFC); but was not the equivalent of All-Pro for the first time since 1964. He was named first-team All-AFC by the Associated Press and second-team All-AFC by UPI.
The Chiefs reached the AFC playoffs in 1971, but lost in the divisional round in sudden death double overtime to the Miami Dolphins, 27–24. This is the longest game in NFL history. Buchanan started all 14 games again that season, with five sacks and one interception.
The Chiefs steadily declined after 1971, winning eight games in 1972, seven in 1973, and only five in both 1974 and 1975. Buchanan started every Chiefs game in 1972 and 1973, finishing with 6.5 sacks and 7.5 sacks and one interception respectively in those years. In January 1970, he was selected to the second team of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's AFL All-Time Team. In 1981, the Chiefs inducted Buchanan into their Hall of Honor and retired his uniform No. 86. In 1986, Buchanan was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. In 1987, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. He is one of four Grambling State players, along with Willie Brown, Willie Davis, and Charlie Joiner, who were coached by Eddie Robinson that have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Coming out of college and into professional football Robinson called him "the finest lineman I have seen"; a view broadly held. He was inducted into the Grambling University Hall of Fame in 1987, and in 2009, he was in the inaugural class of the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame.
The FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) presents the Buck Buchanan Award annually to the FCS's best defensive player. The Buck Buchanan Award is presented annually as part of the Thomas A. Simone Annual Memorial Football Awards to a high school player in the greater Kansas City, Missouri area as the outstanding big class defensive lineman/linebacker.
Hall of Fame guard Gene Upshaw of the Chiefs' archrival Oakland Raiders said playing against Buchanan was like trying to block a ghost, and while he enjoyed most challenges he could not sleep the night before games against Buchanan. Upshaw's coach, Hall of Famer John Madden, said Buchanan revolutionized football. Raiders owner Al Davis had specifically drafted Upshaw to combat Buchanan. Buchanan's defensive line coach Tom Pratt observed the importance of Buchanan's leadership among his teammates, "'Buck was always a leader. A lot of times, as a coach, you have to rely on the players to be leaders. And Buck was always there'". In 2021, The Athletic ranked him 86th on its list of all-time greatest football players.
He was named to his first AFL All-Star Game after his second season and played in six AFL All-Star games and two AFC-NFC Pro Bowls. He was first-team All-AFL from 1966 through 1969, and All-AFC in 1970 and 1971. The Chiefs had fired Stram at the end of the 1974 season, after coaching the franchise for 15 years since its AFL inception. Chiefs' owner Lamar Hunt convinced Saints owner John Mecom Jr. to hire Stram as head coach in early 1976. Stram coached two years for the Saints, and was fired after the 1977 season. After two years as Stram's defensive line coach in New Orleans, He later explained that he thought the chances for there being a black head football coach remained slim, and he missed being with his family who remained in Kansas City while he was in Cleveland.
After leaving football, Buchanan moved back to Kansas City and became a highly respected businessman and civic leader. Among other things, he ran a construction and advertising business, operated a restaurant, became president of the Black Chamber of Commerce (1986-1989), and was appointed to the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners in 1989 by Governor John Ashcroft. In 1990, he received the Golden Torch award from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. In 1991, Mayor Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City appointed Buchanan to the Kansas City Downtown Minority Development Corporation. In 1992, he received the Kansas City Spirit Award.
Buchanan was diagnosed with lung cancer a week before his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1990, and died two years later at age 52 in his Kansas City home, on July 16, 1992. Buchanan never mentioned his cancer diagnosis during his Hall of Fame induction speech or earlier, because he did not want to spoil the day for the other inductees. He was survived by his wife and three children.