Don Buckey

#19 Don Buckey and #11 Dave Buckey, 1974 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl

Donald Charles Buckey (born November 9, 1953)^[1][2] is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL for the New York Jets.

Buckey was the seventh player taken in the twelfth round of the 1976 NFL Draft directly before his twin brother Dave Buckey. Don is the receiving half of NC State's Buckey Twins. Don was a member of the 1975 College Football All-America Team and the NC State Wolfpack football team.^[3]

Buckey played four years at North Carolina State University for head coach Lou Holtz, setting career receptions and receiving yardage records while playing with twin brother quarterback Dave. He led the team in receptions in 1973, ’74 and ’75 and his 102 career catches for 1,735 yards rank him fifth and fourth, respectively, on the all-time N.C. State list. He caught five touchdown passes in 1974, including two against Duke, and had a career high 34 receptions and gained 551 yards in 1975. Don’s 17 yards per catch and total 1735 receiving yards put him fourth on the school’s career rankings in both categories. He started on the 1974 Atlantic Coast Conference championship team and was named first team All-ACC and first team All-American by the Football Writers Association in 1975.

With his brother, Dave, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine (October 30, 1972), played in four post-season bowl games, including two Peach Bowls, a Bluebonnet Bowl and a Liberty Bowl. He also played in the Hula Bowl and the Japan All-Star games.

The New York Jets drafted him in the twelfth round and he played one year in the National Football League in Lou Holtz’s only year as a coach. At 6’0", Don gathered in five passes good for 36 yards in limited duty as a wide receiver in 1976.^[4]

Don and his twin Dave Buckey are both members of the Summit County, Ohio Hall of Fame, the Kenmore High School (Akron, OH) Wall of Fame, and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Legends class of 2013.

The Buckey twins played on two City Series championship teams for head coach Richard Fortner at Kenmore High School (Akron, OH) and played together in the Ohio-Pennsylvania Big 33 All-Star Game in 1972.

Don earned a Sport Pilot Certificate in 2006, currently owning and flying N293CT, a 2006 Flight Design CTsw light sport aircraft.^[5]

Father, Carroll. Mother, Jessie. Brothers, Jim, Dan, and twin Dave. Sister, Carolyn McDaniel.

Married to Elaine Hartofelis Buckey, May 22, 1976. No children.

Retired and living in The Villages, FL

References