Willie James Buchanon (born November 4, 1950) is an American former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for 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 ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

of the

National Football League 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 ...

(NFL). He was defensive rookie of the year in 1972 and a two-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

player. He finished his career with his hometown

, retiring with 28 career interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries.

Early years through college

Buchanon was born and raised in

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast (California), South Coast of California, located in San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is a popular ...

, where he was a graduate of Oceanside High School. He attended

Mira Costa College MiraCosta College is a public community college serving coastal North San Diego County in California with two campuses, one in eastern Oceanside and the other in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, and many satellite locations, including the Community Learnin ...

, where he was a Junior College All-American in 1969. Buchanon later played football and graduated from San Diego State University. He was voted the Most Valuable Player in the East-West Shrine Game of 1971. Sporting News named the San Diego State All-American to its All-Time collegiate team.

NFL career

Willie Buchanon was selected by Green Bay in the first-round of the

1972 NFL draft The 1972 NFL draft was held February 1–2, 1972, at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Player selections Round one Round two ...

, the 7th overall pick. He was the 1972 NFL ''AP'' Defensive Rookie of the Year and a one-time All-Pro. In 1978, the Packers defensive back led the NFC with 9 interceptions, including four on September 24, 1978 against the

that tied him for the still-standing NFL record for most interceptions in a game, first set by Sammy Baugh in 1943. Buchanon spent his last four pro years with the San Diego Chargers, where he tied the NFL all-time record for most recoveries in a game in 1981.

Awards and life after football

Buchanon was named to the Green Bay Packers All-Time team,

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combina ...

, San Diego State Hall of Fame, San Diego Hall of Champions, California State Junior College Hall of Fame and Oceanside High School Hall of Fame. He is now a

realtor A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

in San Diego.

Personal life

Buchanon and his wife, Gwen, have two children: a daughter, Jenae, and a son,

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

. His son was a member of the 2003 and 2004 national championship teams with the

University of Southern California Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...

, and later played in the NFL. Willie Buchanon lives in his hometown of Oceanside.

References

External links

Buchanon Realty official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanon, Willie 1950 births Living people American football cornerbacks Green Bay Packers players National Conference Pro Bowl players National Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winners Players of American football from San Diego San Diego Chargers players San Diego State Aztecs football players Players of American football from Oceanside, California