Hall of Fame
Position: Defensive Back
Years: 1989-91
Place of Birth: Pascagoula, Mississippi
Date of Birth: June 7, 1971
Jersey Number: 27
Height: 5-10
Weight: 175
High School: Pascagoula HS (Pascagoula, MS)
An absolute terror to opposing quarterbacks throughout his Florida State career, Terrell Buckley cemented his name among the all-time greats when he took home the 1991 Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the nation. He becomes the seventh Seminole player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
A unanimous First Team All-American in 1991, Buckley took home the Thorpe Award and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting after leading the nation with 12 interceptions and 238 interception return yards (both single-season school records). The Pascagoula, Mississippi, native’s 501 career interception return yards remain an NCAA record while his 21 career interceptions remain atop the Florida State record books. A Second Team All-American in 1990, Buckley helped the Seminoles finish with a top four national ranking in each year of his career. The two-time All-South Independent First Team selection guided the Seminoles to three consecutive bowl victories, including wins over Nebraska in the 1990 Fiesta Bowl and Texas A&M in the 1992 Cotton Bowl.
Leading the Seminoles to an overall record of 31-6 during his career, Buckley is tied for many other Florida State records, including career punt returns for a touchdown (three), career interceptions returned for a touchdown (four) and consecutive games with an interception (five in 1991). He played for College Football Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden and alongside Hall of Famers Derrick Brooks and Charlie Ward during his remarkable career in Tallahassee. A member of the Florida State Hall of Fame, Buckley’s No. 27 jersey was retired by the Seminoles in 2011.
The fifth overall pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 1992 NFL Draft, Buckley played 14 years (1992-2005) in the NFL with the Packers, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, New York Jets and New York Giants. He won Super Bowl XXXVI with the Patriots following the 2001 season.
A multi-sport athlete, Buckley also played two seasons for Florida State’s baseball team and ran track for the Seminoles. Off the field, he has been active with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Feed the Children. Following his NFL career, Buckley returned to Florida State to earn his bachelor’s degree in 2007 while starting his coaching career in various roles on the Seminoles’ staff from 2007-11. After stints as the cornerbacks coach at Akron (2012-13) and Louisville (2014-15), he has served in the same role at Mississippi State since 2016.
