.jpg) Buchanon atMCB Camp Pendleton in 2011 | |||||||||
| No. 28 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1950-11-04)November 4, 1950 (age 74) Oceanside, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Oceanside | ||||||||
| College: | San Diego State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1972: 1st round, 7th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Willie James Buchanon (born November 4, 1950) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acornerback for theGreen Bay Packers andSan Diego Chargers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theSan Diego State Aztecs and was selected in the first round of the1972 NFL draft with the seventh overall pick. He wasDefensive Rookie of the Year in 1972 and a two-timePro Bowl player.[1] He finished his career with his hometown Chargers, retiring with 28 careerinterceptions and 15fumble recoveries.
Buchanon was born and raised inOceanside, California, where he was a graduate ofOceanside High School. He attendedMira Costa College,[2] where he was a Junior College All-American in 1969. Buchanon later played football and graduated fromSan Diego State University. He was voted the Most Valuable Player in theEast-West Shrine Game of 1971. Sporting News named the San Diego State All-American to its All-Time collegiate team.
Willie Buchanon was selected by Green Bay in the first-round of the1972 NFL draft, the 7th overall pick.[2] He was the 1972 NFLAP Defensive Rookie of the Year and a one-time All-Pro. In 1978, the Packers defensive back led the NFC with 9 interceptions,[1] including four on September 24, 1978, against theSan Diego Chargers[3] that tied him for the still-standing NFL record for most interceptions in a game, first set bySammy Baugh in 1943. Buchanon spent his last four pro years with the San Diego Chargers,[2] where he tied the NFL all-time record for most recoveries in a game in 1981.
Buchanon was named to the Green Bay Packers All-Time team,Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame,[4][5] San Diego State Hall of Fame,San Diego Hall of Champions,[3] California State Junior College Hall of Fame and Oceanside High School Hall of Fame. He is now arealtor in San Diego.
Buchanon and his wife, Gwen, have two children: a daughter, Jenae, and a son,Will.[6] His son was a member of the 2003 and 2004 national championship teams with theUniversity of Southern California Trojans, and later played in the NFL. Willie Buchanon lives in his hometown of Oceanside.[5]
Media related toWillie Buchanon at Wikimedia Commons