Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Buchanon was the real deal for Packers
Chippewa Falls — Fortunately for the Green Bay Packers, Willie Buchanon found baseball to be boring.
Buchanon, 6-0 and 190 pounds, was the top cornerback of the 1972 NFL draft, a sought-after shut-down AllAmerican defender from San Diego State, the kind that instantly upgrades a team’s secondary.
Athletic, smart, and physical, Buchanon ran 9.4 in the 100-yard dash.
He was exactly what the Green Bay defense needed, after being gashed for 21 passing touchdown passes in a dismal 4-8-2 season in 1971 under rookie head coach Dan Devine.
Recently, Buchanon, along with John Brockington, were Packers alumni players featured at the Lambeau Field Live experience at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair in Chippewa Falls. The always energetic and congenial Buchanon enjoyed meeting and mingling with Packers fans and answering their questions in a Q&A session on July 11.
“I was drafted by the San Diego Padres my freshmen year (1969) of college, but baseball was a little too boring for me,” Buchanon said with a laugh. “I played a violent sport, and I knew how to turn it off after the game. I loved football. It was simple: I beat you or you beat me.”
Buchanon was asked about his signing bonus and contract as a first-round draft choice.
“Well, I’m not going to tell you what I got back then,” he said. “If I was drafted this year in the first round, the seventh player overall, I would have received a signing bonus of no less than $15 million — before I even stepped on the field. What I got in the NFL I could have had four years earlier with the Padres.”
Buchanon also answered questions on his coldest game (minus-59 in Cincinnati), bonding with teammates (“Not much to do in Green Bay so you get to know them well.”), who’s the best quarterback, Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers (“Can’t answer that, they’re both great players.”), and his thoughts on the Packers-Bears 2019 season opener (“The NFL did the right thing with all the tradition and rivalry—that will be a great game to kick off the season.”).
“Willie Buchanon was highly acclaimed when he came to the Packers in 1972,” said Lee Remmel, former team historian, in a 2007 interview. “He was considered the premier defensive back in the draft and one of the top players in the nation. He was a speedster, timed in 100-yard dash at 9.4. That’s spectacular. There’s no doubt Buchanon was one of the best draft choices in our history — one of the finest athletes we’ve ever had.”
Former Packers receiver Carrol Dale played his final season in Green Bay with Buchanon.
“Willie was a bump and run guy,” Dale said. “He was a strong, tough cornerback. A very dependable player and teammate with great character. We were fortunate to have him and Kenny Ellis at cornerbacks.”
Buchanon became an instant starter and led Green Bay along with Ellis with four interceptions, earning several prestigious post-season honors: NFC Rookie of the Year and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The ensuing years Buchanon experienced the pain of injury and of five consecutive losing seasons from 1973-’77 under Devine and Bart Starr.
In the sixth game of the 1973 season, he suffered a broken leg against the Los Angeles Rams. In the second game of the 1975 season at Denver, he fractured the same leg against the Broncos.
“Those were tough times,” he said. “When I first broke my leg the doctor said Willie Buchanon would never play football again. I told him that’s not going to happen. I worked hard in the offseason, came back and made Pro (Bowl).”
Buchanon proved the critics wrong and enjoyed productive seasons, but those injuries may have impacted a potential hall of fame career. His best season came in 1978, when he led a Green Bay secondary comprised of Mike C. McCoy, Steve Luke, and Johnnie Gray and finished with a team-high nine interceptions and one touchdown. Buchanon tied the NFL and Packers record for picks in a single game with four against the San Diego Chargers.
In 1979, he would be wearing a Chargers uniform. Green Bay dealt him to San Diego for a seventh-round draft pick in 1979 and a first-rounder in 1980.
“I was very happy in Green Bay and didn’t want to leave,” Buchanon said. “But it boiled down to a fair salary — we were only $25,000 apart — and I moved on to San Diego. I played with some great players: Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow, Charlie Joiner, John Jefferson, to name a few.”
In Buchanon’s four seasons as a Charger, San Diego won three consecutive AFC West Division titles, including the epic, 41-38, comeback playoff win over the Miami Dolphins in 1981.
“We were down by 24 points and came back to pull it out,” Buchanon said. “That was the greatest football game I’ve ever been a part of, one of the greatest games ever played.”
Buchanon had a simple rule concerning his NFL career.
“I always told myself that when the game ceased to be fun, I was going to retire and do something else,” he said. “And I’ve been busy ever since.”
The 68-year-old Buchanon is a Uniform Code Enforcement Officer for the NFL, a position he describes as a dream job.
“I’m on the sideline for home games and make sure the players are in compliance with what the league requires for uniforms, advertising — everything,” Buchanon said.
The Oceanside, California, native is co-owner of Stonemark Properties, a commercial and residential real estate company. The son of a minister and from a musical family, Buchanon’s faith and family are his top priorities. An ordained minister, he plays the trumpet and is involved in church activities. He supports numerous charitable organizations, including the John Brockington Foundation, which focuses on kidney donation, and an annual golf tournament in Appleton, Wisconsin, that benefits Children’s Hospital.
“After the NFL, I taught school and then got my real estate broker’s license and have been doing that for 35 years,” Buchanon said. “It was an easy transition for me after football and I’ve been enjoying life ever since. I love getting together with my teammates at Packers alumni events and still talk to three or four guys every week. It’s great to relive the memories and the stories get bigger and better every year.”
Willie Buchanon Playbook
College: San Diego State
Packers years: 1972-’78
Packers highlights: Team’s firstround draft choice (7th overall) in 1972. NFC Rookie of the Year and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, 1972. Key contributor on 1972 Central Division Championship team. Tied NFL and team record with four interceptions in one game against San Diego in 1978. Pro Bowl selection, 1973-’74 and 1978. Named All Pro in 1978. Member of Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame, 1993.
Other teams: San Diego Chargers, Jersey No.: 28
Residence: Oceanside, California Send emails to martinwhendricks@yahoo.com