Buck Buchanan

Junious "Buck" Buchanan (September 10, 1940 – July 16, 1992) was an American professional football player who played defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football League and the National Football League. He was the first African American taken as the first overall selection in an AFL or NFL draft.

Buchanan was born in Gainesville, Alabama, to steelworker Wallace Buchanan and Fannie Mae Buchanan, one of five children with two brothers and two sisters. The family left Gainesville in 1941 and moved to Birmingham, Alabama. Some sources, consistent with his grave headstone marked "1939 1992," give his birth year as 1939. He attended A. H. Parker High School in Birmingham, where he was team captain and a standout player.

Massive for his era at 6 ft 7 in and 270 pounds, Buchanan used his height to gain an advantage against opposing linemen in the trenches. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996, and was later selected to the NFL 100th Anniversary Team. He died on July 16, 1992.