Junious “Buck” Buchanan was the first small-college player ever taken from a professional football draft, and nobody was more intimidating in the trenches than Big Buck. Standing a towering 6-foot-7-inches and 270-pounds, Buchanan revolutionized the defensive tackle position with his athletic ability to eat up offenses and easily disrupt plays.
Born on September 10, 1940, Buchanan grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where he attended A.H. Parker High School and was a football standout. In college, he attended Grambling State and was a Football letterman and an NAIA All-American.
In 1963, he was the first overall selection in the American Football League Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, with whom he spent his entire 13-year career. Many were excited to see what the big guy from Grambling could do in the pros, coming from a small school, and Buchanan didn’t disappoint. To go along with his incredible size, Buchanan featured all the intangibles that made him successful at being an unstoppable force on the field. While at Grambling, Buchanan clocked a 4.9 40-time and a 10.2 in the 100-meter, which gave him an insane advantage to range sideline to sideline to make tackles. His large frame, humongous wing span, and power made him the most feared defensive player. He was a stout run-stopper and equally effective at rushing the passer.
From 1964 thru 1969, Buchanan earned six consecutive First Team All-AFL honors and AFL All-Star games. In 1970 and ‘71, he made the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl.
In 1966, Buchanan helped carry the Chiefs to the club’s second AFL Championship and first-ever Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl 1. Three seasons later, he led the Kansas City defense’s stifling of the Minnesota Vikings for a 23-7 victory in Super Bowl 4.
Buchanan retired from football following the 1975 season. His 70.5 career sacks rank sixth in Chiefs franchise history. In 1981, Kansas City enshrined him into its Hall of Honor and retired his number 86 jersey. In 1987, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Two seasons later, he became an inductee at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Buchanan was diagnosed with lung cancer a week before his induction at Canton, Ohio. He passed away two years later in his Kansas City home on July 16, 1992.
