Hall of Fame
Position: Tackle
Years: 1959-1962
Place of Birth: Gainesville, AL
Date of Birth: Sep 10, 1940
Place of Death: Kansas City, MO
Date of Death: Jul 16, 1992
Height: 6-7
Weight: 270
High School: Birmingham, AL (A. H. Parker HS)
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 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 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. Buchanan was born Sept. 10, 1940, in Gainesville, Alabama. He died July 16, 1992, after suffering from lung cancer.
