If you read my post this week about Curtis Buckley, a retired client of mine and special teams kamikaze, here’s a follow up.
Although this story has been told a few times, it’s worth telling again. Those who witnessed it firsthand have said it’s one of the most amazing things they’ve seen, and heard.
In Week 14 of the 1994 season, the Redskins were visiting the Buccaneers. During pregame warm-ups, Darrell Green, considered the NFL’s fastest man, began joking with Buckley at midfield, saying, “Hey, Buckley, I’m the real No. 28 around here.”
APCurtis Buckley
Darrell, my old college teammate, liked to read the program before every game to see where player were from. I’m sure he singled out Buckley because he was a Lone Star Conference alum like himself. Darrell is a social guy, not a troublemaker.
Next, special teams return ace Brian Mitchell got in on the jawing with Curtis. Next thing you know, Curtis blows his top and goes after Mitchell. Other players get involved restraining Buckley from going after Mitchell. Then Mitchell and the others start laughing at Buckley.
Big mistake.
Buckley points at Mitchell and says (word for word as witnessed by several players and coaches): “I am going to knock you out.” Not once but several times.
Mitchell calmly replies, “Bring it.”
Sure enough, on the opening kickoff, Curtis runs the Redskins gauntlet, trips, gets up and finds Mitchell – then launches his 200-pound body into the heavier projectile going in the opposite direction with the ball. Their collision sounds more like an explosion. The ball is jarred loose, and Mitchell is knocked out cold on his feet. A nearby Redskins player – I believe it was Martin Bayless – stops in his tracks at the sound, fearing that Mitchell was dead. Later, he said he heard the breath leave Brian’s body and felt the vibration of the hit.
Buckley gets up with the ball, turns to an unconscious Mitchell and says, “I told you I would knock you out.”
There have been a lot of great hits on NFL special teams, but Curtis did this routinely. More impressively, he called the shot!
Buckley was not penalized for the hit but was later fined $7,500 for launching his body. Bucs coach Sam Wyche and others, including Mitchell, called it a clean hit.
When Mitchell woke up from the hit, he was told to sit the rest of the game. He later found his helmet and literally snuck back in. He didn’t want Curtis to get the best of him.
Special teams are often overlooked by fans and announcers. I still hate it when the TV camera follows the ball on kickoffs and punts and not the action that takes place between the warriors who reside at the bottom half of rosters.
This week’s preseason games are the most important, most critical, auditions that players 30 through 80 will play.
Follow me on Twitter: jackbechta
What an awesome vignette. Thanks for sharing that.
Jack,
Thanks for sharing the video. I have heard the story a number of times from Ian Beckles (offensive lineman on the '94 Bucs) and I never saw the video. Good stuff. Does this happen to be coaches film from the game?
be sure to trail Buckley, the 4th Buc from the bottom of the screen. he actually trips and rolls on the ground, gets up and locates Mitchell who probably thought he was gone.
Also, did you notice pro Bowl safety John Lynch on the kick off team? Little known fact but Lynch struggled to make the Bucs in 1993 and his special team play bought him time.
I love every part of Buckley's performance here - the little dance as he lines up, the somersault that happens about 20 yards away from all the action, and the hit. All priceless.
Jack awesome articles on Buckley and great call on Lynch. I totally missed him the first 5 times I watched the clip.
Great Story! I've always been a fan of players with that hard hitting, assassin mentality.
Great article.
Thanks for sharing the video...
Where's the video? Would love to see this hit!!!
Jack -
Thanks for saying that about the camera following the ball. Agree 100%. Camera work for NFL games is pretty lousy in general I think. Way too much filler, "arty" shots, etc. taking up screen time that could be devoted to showing real action. I really don't know where the networks get their directors, but it's certainly not from any group of football fans that I know. Between the poor camera work and the ignorant, irrelevant chatter from the guys in the booth (which I now simply mute all the time), it's really killing the viewing experience for me.
I was at that game and the story doesn't end there.
Monte Coleman had Brian Mitchell's back.
After a Heath Shuler to Alvin Harper TD, I noticed the Redskins kick-off team huddling along the sidelines. Coleman seemed especially animated as he discussed what should have a routine kick-off with a teammate.
Curtis Buckley was on Tampa Bay's return team.
It was the hottest December 6th in Tampa history and things were about to get a little hotter for him.
The Redskins lined up in their regular formation, but once the ball was kicked, Coleman switched to an inside lane and made a bee-line for Buckley. He didn't block Buckley so much as pick him up deliver him to the ground along the Reskins sideline. The next thing I saw was Coleman's fist going up/down, up/down, up/down on Buckley.
I ran into the team at the airport lounge after the game and found Coleman in the lower level boarding area. I asked him about the hit on Buckley. He just smiled and gave me the "Hang Loose" wave.
Sometimes, what the TV camera doesn't focus on is the most interesting part of a play.
someone needs to write a book or a movie script about this guy. i wish had video of him playing. email me if you are interested jack.
can you repost the link to the video clip?
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Aug 27, 2009
10:15 AM
Thanks for the two great reads about Buckley. We love these guys as players, and I still do, but I worry about the consequences. Where is he today? I hope his health, mentally and physically, is OK. Andre Waters was an assassin-type player as well and we know how tragically things ended for him.