Bucky Curtis
 Curtis at Vanderbilt | |
| No. 85 | |
|---|---|
| Position | End/Defensive back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 3, 1929 Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | October 24, 2019 (aged 90) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Riverside Military Academy |
| College | Vanderbilt (1947–1950) |
| NFL draft | 1951: 2nd round, 26th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 1951 | Cleveland Browns |
| 1955–1956 | Toronto Argonauts |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Ernest Jackson "Bucky" Curtis, Jr. (March 3, 1929 − October 24, 2019) was an American football player for the Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University. He led the nation in several receiving categories in 1950 including a 29.3 yard average per reception,[1] and was selected as an All-American. The team's quarterback was Bill Wade. Curtis was then drafted in the second round of the 1951 NFL draft by the defending NFL champion Cleveland Browns.[2] Curtis made the Browns for the 1951 season, but was drafted for service in the Korean War before the season started.[3] Curtis served his four years in the Navy, expecting to be signed by the Browns for the upcoming 1955 season. When he and the Browns had trouble reaching a contract, he signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was elected to the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.[1]
Early life
[edit]Curtis attended Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia from 1943 to 1947, where his father was a teacher. His father gave later Vanderbilt coach Red Sanders his first coaching job.[4] Bucky is a member of the school's sports Hall of Fame.[5]
On why the nickname "Bucky", Curtis explained "When I was a youngster, I asked for it as a nickname because there was a football player at Notre Dame named Bucky O'Connor. He played for the Irish in the mid-1940s and was kind of my hero. And I never outgrew the nickname."[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Ernest "Bucky" Curtis". Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ↑ "1951 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Bucky Curtis".
- 1 2 Bill Traughber (September 28, 2011). "Bucky Curtis was an All-American". Archived from the original on June 6, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ↑ "RMA Sports Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- 1929 births
- 2019 deaths
- Players of American football from Gainesville, Georgia
- Players of American football from Virginia
- American football ends
- American football defensive backs
- Vanderbilt Commodores football players
- All-American college football players
- Cleveland Browns players
- Players of Canadian football from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Canadian football ends
- Toronto Argonauts players
- Riverside Military Academy alumni
- 20th-century American sportsmen
