| Number | 9, 12 |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Birth date | May 31, 1990 (age 36) |
| Birth place | Allen, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft |
| Height in | 4 |
| Weight lbs | 215 |
| High school | Allen (Allen, Texas) |
| College | Arizona, Texas |
| Undraftedyear | 2013 |
| Pastteams |
|
| Aflstatlabel 1 | Receptions |
| Aflstatvalue 1 | 27 |
| Aflstatlabel 2 | Receiving yards |
| Aflstatvalue 2 | 308 |
| Aflstatlabel 3 | Receiving touchdowns |
| Aflstatvalue 3 | 3 |
| Afl | 13387 |
| Cfl-archive | https://web.archive.org/web/20150924223520/http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/7551 |
Dan Buckner (born May 31, 1990) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football at the University of Arizona, and before that for the University of Texas at Austin where he played in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. Buckner was a member of the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ottawa Redblacks, Calgary Stampeders, Arizona Rattlers, and Los Angeles KISS.
Early life
Buckner was a five-star recruit out of Allen High School and received scholarship offers from Baylor, Nebraska, Texas, Notre Dame and Oklahoma, among others.[1]
College career
Buckner played college football at the University of Texas in 2008 and 2009.[2] In his freshman year, he saw limited playing time, catching only 5 passes for 2 touchdowns as Texas won a share of the Big 12 South and then the Fiesta Bowl. In 2009 he started the season as one of Colt McCoy's primary targets, catching 29 receptions for 4 touchdowns in the first 5 games, including a stretch of 3 consecutive games with a touchdown making him only the 6th player in school history to do that, but he had only seven catches over the final four games of the season as his flex end position was gradually phased out of the Longhorns' attack by offensive coordinator Greg Davis. He helped Texas to win the Big 12 Championship and attend the BCS championship game in which he caught just 1 pass for -3 yards.[3]
A few weeks after the BCS Championship game, Buckner was arrested in College Station, Texas, on charges of criminal trespassing and resisting arrest and less than one day later he transferred to Arizona.[4]
After sitting out the 2010 season as a redshirt for transferring, Buckner played two years at Arizona. In two seasons he had 103 receptions for 1,379 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was 2nd in receiving yards for the Wildcats in 2012 and 9th in the Pac-12 as he helped the team to an 8-5 record and a victory over Nevada in the 2012 New Mexico Bowl.
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals (first stint)
On April 27, 2013, Buckner signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent following the 2013 NFL draft and then released at the end of camp.[5] He was signed to the practice squad on September 17, 2013 and released a few days later on September 21.[6]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On September 24, 2013, Buckner was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad and then released on October 1st.[6]
Arizona Cardinals (second stint)
Buckner was signed to the Cardinals practice squad again on November 5th, 2013 and stayed with them through the season and signed with them again during the offseason. He was again cut at the end of camp in 2014.[6]
Ottawa Redblacks
Buckner signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on October 7, 2014.[7] Buckner dressed for two games with the RedBlacks, but did not catch any passes though he was thrown a pass.[8]
Calgary Stampeders
On January 15, 2015, the Ottawa RedBlacks traded LB Jasper Simmons and Dan Buckner to the Stampeders in exchange for WR Maurice Price.[9] He was released in camp that summer.[10]
Arizona Rattlers (first stint)
On July 8, 2015, two weeks after being cut by the Stampeders, Buckner was signed by the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.[10] He played 5 games with Arizona in the 2015 season catching 26 receptions for 304 yards and 3 TDS.
Los Angeles KISS
On April 14, 2016, Buckner was assigned to the Los Angeles KISS. On May 24, 2016, Buckner was placed on recallable reassignment. He had only 1 reception with the KISS.[11]
Arizona Rattlers (second stint)
On June 6, 2016, Buckner returned to the Rattlers where he played primarily on defense and helped them to make it to ArenaBowl XXIX.[12]
References
- ^ Rosenblatt, Zach (26 April 2013). "UA football star Buckner ready to ‘make somebody’s team’". Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ "Texas Football History and Honors". Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ "Texas Football Record Book". Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- ^ Griffin, Ted (22 January 2010). "Buckner will redshirt at Arizona in 2010". ESPN. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ "Cardinals release Adam Snyder, sign 16 undrafted free agents". nbcsports.com. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- ^ "Dan Buckner Transactions"
- ^ "2 RedBlacks named CFL players of the week". ottawasun.com. October 7, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- ^ "Dan Buckner Stats". Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ "Stampeders trade WR Price to Redblacks for LB Simmons, WR Buckner". TSN. TSN.ca Staff.
- ^ Richard Obert (July 8, 2015). "Ex-UA WR Dan Buckner expected to give Rattlers' receiving corps big boost". www.azcentral.com. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ^ "Dan Buckner Career". Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ "Ex-UA WR Dan Buckner making an impact on defense for Rattlers". 4 August 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2025.