Frank Buckley "Bucky" Pope (born March 23, 1941 in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former professional
American football wide receiver in the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
for the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
and the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. He is mostly known for his 1964 season and nickname,"The Catawba Claw." The 31.44 yards he gained per reception that year is the second-highest for a season in NFL history. After his stellar rookie season his career was derailed due to injuries. He missed all of the 1965 season then played only 3 more years.
Catawba College
Bucky was recruited to play basketball at Duke University but did not persist there due to grades. After that experience he became a two sport star at nearby
Catawba College (1962-1963), originally recruited for basketball he also made his mark on the football field. In basketball, he averaged 19.4 points in 61 games and in two seasons playing football caught 66 passes for nearly 1,200 yards.
References
1941 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Pennsylvania
American football wide receivers
Catawba Indians football players
Catawba Indians men's basketball players
Los Angeles Rams players
Green Bay Packers players
American men's basketball players
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