Eldra Clemond Buckley (born June 23, 1985) is former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

. He was signed by the

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 ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2007, after playing college football at the

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT-Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is one of four universities and two other affiliated institutions in the ...

. Buckley has also played for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

and the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

Early years

Buckley attended Charleston High School in

Charleston, Mississippi Charleston is a city in north central Mississippi and one of the two county seats of Tallahatchie County, which is located on both sides of the Tallahatchie River. This city is located east of the river and its population was 2,193 at the 2010 ...

and was a letterman in football and track. In football, he was a starter as a running back. In track, as a senior, he placed sixth at the Mississippi Outdoor State Class 3A Meet on the 110 meter high hurdles.

College career

Northwest Mississippi Community College Northwest Mississippi Community College is a public community college in Senatobia, Mississippi. It was founded in 1928. As of August 2008, Northwest's enrollment exceeds 7,100 students. There are approximately 3,000 students on the Senatobia ca ...

Senatobia, Mississippi Senatobia is a city in, and the county seat of, Tate County, Mississippi, United States, and is the 16th largest municipality in the Memphis Metropolitan Area. The population was 8,165 at the 2010 census. Senatobia is the home of Northwest Miss ...

, Buckley accounted for 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns on 160 carries for the Rangers in 2004. 140 yards per game on the ground for the Rangers and earned Junior College All-America honors as well as Most Valuable Player of the Mississippi Junior College North Division Ranked No. 23 among junior college players. Buckley finished at Northwest with 160 rushes for 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2004. Despite only playing two years for Chattanooga, Buckley is fourth on the Mocs’ all-time rushing list. He totaled 2,437 yards in two seasons and holds the No. 1 and No. 2 marks on UTC's single season rushing list. The 1,204 yards he amassed in his senior year is second only to the 1,233 yards he piled up in his junior campaign. He became the leader of the offense and was the 2006 recipient of the Woodrow Wolford Sr. Football Scholarship.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

San Diego Chargers

Buckley was not drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft, but was signed by the

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He was on the team's practice squad during the 2007 season and 2008 season. He was waived on February 26, 2009.

Philadelphia Eagles

Buckley was claimed off waivers by the

on March 9, 2009. Due to his performance in the preseason, the Eagles chose to keep him on the roster, cutting

Lorenzo Booker Lorenzo Adarryll Booker (born June 14, 1984) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Booker has also been a member ...

instead. He scored his first touchdown in a game against the Washington Redskins on November 29, 2009. He was given an exclusive-rights free agent tender and was re-signed to a one-year contract on July 30, 2011. He was released during final roster cuts on September 3.

Detroit Lions

The

signed Buckley following the placement of

Jerome Harrison Jerome Harrison (born February 26, 1983) is a former American football running back who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Washington State University, and was recognized as a consensus All ...

on the reserve/non-football injury list on October 21, 2011. He was released on November 7 in order to make room for free agent signings.

Personal life

Buckley's father, James, is the mayor of

Oakland, Mississippi Oakland is a town in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 527 at the time of the 2010 census. History Oakland was first settled around 1836, and was located east of its present location. The town moved when the Miss ...

References

External links

*
Philadelphia Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley, Eldra 1985 births Living people People from Charleston, Mississippi American football running backs Northwest Mississippi Rangers football players Chattanooga Mocs football players San Diego Chargers players Philadelphia Eagles players Detroit Lions players