Ranking the KC Chiefs Pro Football Hall of Fame members
#6 – Junious “Buck” Buchanan, Defensive Tackle – Class of 1990
An NAIA All American, Junious “Buck” Buchanan was the first African-American to be drafted first overall in either the NFL or the AFL. Like many great players in the early days of the AFL, before the AFL-NFL merger, he was also drafted in the NFL by the New York Giants.
Luckily for Chiefs Kingdom, the 6’7″ 270 pound freak decided to play for the Chiefs and the rest is history. With a reported 4.9 second forty time and 10.2 second 100-meter time, Buchanan’s rare size and speed for the era translated incredibly well on the field.
Beginning in his second season he’d receive eight-straight All Star nods, six AFL All Star games and two NFL Pro Bowls. He was also named to six All Pro teams, with four straight on the First Team from 1966 through 1969.
Buchanan was a sack machine at the defensive tackle spot. Thanks to Pro Football Reference, we now know exactly how many he had. Through 12 seasons he generated 70.5 which unofficially places him sixth all time for a Chiefs player, just trailing Art Still by 3.5 sacks and Justin Houston by eight.
At defensive tackle, Buchanan was an incredible force for the Chiefs during the 1960s. He was brilliant in both Super Bowls, playing a pivotal role in stifling the Vikings rushing attach in Super Bowl IV. He’s sixth on this list, but there’s an easy argument to be made he could be much higher.
“The only thing I ever tried to do as a football player was be consistent. I never did a lot of spectacular kinds of things. But when we graded out year in and year out, week in and week out, my grades were right there, and that’s what I prided myself on.” – Junious “Buck” Buchanan