Douglas Terrell Buckley (born June 7, 1971) is an American college

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

who is the

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

at Mississippi Valley State University. He previously served as the head coach of the Orlando Guardians in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

. Buckley played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

from

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

and in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for 14 seasons from 1992 to 2005, with his longest tenure (1995–1999) as a player with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. Buckley was born in

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...

. After graduation from high school in 1989, Buckley enrolled at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

and played cornerback for the Seminoles, starting for three seasons. As a junior in

, he led Florida State to the 1992 Cotton Bowl Classic and was a unanimous All-American. He also played professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

for the Mobile Baysharks in the Texas–Louisiana League.

College career

Buckley was a two-year starter and three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

(1989–91), and left as the school's all-time leader in interceptions (21) and interception return yards (501). His career interception yardage total of 501 is an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

record. Buckley also tied school records for touchdowns off interception returns (four) and punt returns (three). He was named first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and won Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to nation's top

, as a junior. Buckley led the nation with 12 interceptions for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He was named second-team All-American by

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'' and ''The Football News'' as a junior. Buckley had six interceptions, with two returned for touchdowns. He finished seventh in the Heisman voting in 1991. Buckley played two years of varsity

and was a sprinter on the outdoor track team for one year. He was drafted by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

in the first round of the

1992 NFL draft The 1992 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1992, at the Marriott M ...

with the fifth overall pick.

Professional career

Buckley is one of only two players (the other being

Ken Riley Kenneth Jerome Riley (August 6, 1947 – June 7, 2020) was an American professional football cornerback who spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals, first in the American Football League (AFL) in 1969 and then the National Foot ...

) with 50+ interceptions to never make a

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

. Lewis first few games off his career he was a reserve to Lewis Billups. In a game against

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

in 1992, his rookie season, Buckley set what remains a current record as the youngest player to return a punt for a touchdown in NFL history (). That was his only punt return for a touchdown of his career. He responded to criticism of his tackling by giving himself the nickname “the Vaccinator.” The nickname would stay with him over the years if only in an ironic sense. On April 3, 1995, the Packers traded Buckley to the Miami Dolphins for "past considerations." In 1996, he led the league in interception return yards with 164. He had at least one interception in 13 consecutive seasons. While playing for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, in the 2001 AFC Championship Game against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, Buckley had an interception in the 24–17 win. He won a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

ring two weeks later in the win over the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Coaching career

Florida State

Buckley got his coaching start after earning his undergraduate degree from

in 2007. From 2008 to 2011, he served in various assistant roles on Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher’s staffs.

Akron

Finally getting his first on-the-field coaching position, Buckley was hired by his collegiate head coach's son, Terry Bowden, at the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...

in January 2012 to coach cornerbacks. This reunited him with Coach Chuck Amato and with Coach Todd Stroud—who he played for, and coached with at FSU.

Louisville

After two seasons at Akron, he was hired as the cornerbacks coach at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

in January 2014.

Mississippi State

On January 7, 2016, Buckley was hired as the safeties coach at

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

Ole Miss

On January 18, 2020, Buckley was hired as cornerbacks coach at Ole Miss by

Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is the head coach at Ole Miss Rebels football, Ole Miss. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC Trojans football, USC from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the National Foo ...

, the new head coach. Buckley was hired for his success in both recruiting and developing elite talent both on and off the field, and for grooming NFL talent.

XFL

On April 6, 2022, it was reported that Buckley had accepted a job with the XFL to become the head coach of an upcoming Orlando franchise (the former Tampa Bay Vipers). The league confirmed Buckley's hiring, but not the existence of a team in Orlando, on April 14. On July 25, 2022, the XFL confirmed a franchise in Orlando, Florida with Buckley announced as head coach. On October 31, 2022, the team was branded the Orlando Guardians. On January 1, 2024, it was announced the Guardians would not be a part of the UFL merger.

Mississippi Valley State

Buckley was hired as the head football coach at Mississippi Valley State University, a

historically black college Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

, on January 21, 2025.

Head coaching record

XFL

College

Personal life

Buckley has three daughters, Sherrell, Brianna, and Britney. He is the son of Eddie Buckley Sr. of Columbia, MS and Laura Buckley of Pascagoula, MS. He is a distant cousin of the late

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

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 American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American professional American football, ...

. Buckley majored in theater with a minor in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

in college, and played baseball in the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

organization prior to reporting to Green Bay's training camp in July 1994. His hobbies include baseball, basketball and golf. Buckley has participated in events benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure cystic fibrosis (CF) and ensure that those living with CF live long and productive lives. The Foundation pro ...

. He has worked on behalf of the national Feed the Children campaign. He assisted in building a house in Little Haiti for

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a U.S. non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing. The international ...

during the 1999 offseason.

Sports Talk Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sport, sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-low comed ...

radio host

Jim Rome James Phillip Rome (born October 14, 1964) is an American sports radio host. His talk show, '' The Jim Rome Show'', is syndicated by Westwood One. Broadcasting from a studio near Los Angeles, California, Rome hosts ''The Jim Rome Show'' on r ...

refers to Buckley as "T-Buck" and credits him as one of

The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a novel by American author and muckraking-journalist Upton Sinclair, known for his efforts to expose corruption in government and business in the early 20th century. In 1904, Sinclair spent seven weeks gathering information ...

's first guests who appeared consistently on the program. Rome, inaccurately, credits Buckley as the inventor of the Lambeau Leap, based on an interview that Buckley gave.

References

External links

*
Mississippi State Bulldogs profile

Ole Miss Rebels profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley, Terrell 1971 births Living people Akron Zips football coaches All-American college football players Baseball players from Mississippi American football cornerbacks Denver Broncos players Florida State Seminoles baseball players Florida State Seminoles football players Green Bay Packers players Louisville Cardinals football coaches Miami Dolphins players Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football coaches New England Patriots players New York Giants players New York Jets players Ole Miss Rebels football coaches Orlando Guardians head coaches Players of American football from Pascagoula, Mississippi Macon Braves players Mobile BayBears players College Football Hall of Fame inductees