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Florida State and the National Football Foundation will jointly honor Buckley, a 2019 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, when the Seminoles host Clemson.
Florida State University and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2019 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Terrell Buckley with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Oct. 15, during the Seminoles’ home football game against Clemson. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Buckley was unable to be honored during the 2019 season due to his coaching obligations at Mississippi State. He was officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, 2019.
“Terrell Buckley was an absolute terror to opposing quarterbacks throughout his Florida State career,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “He cemented his name among the all-time greats when he took home the 1991 Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the nation. The On-Campus Salutes are a great tradition for College Football Hall of Fame inductees, and we are thrilled to finally be able to honor Terrell at Doak Campbell Stadium.”
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain one of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each inductee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
A unanimous First Team All-American in 1991, Buckley took home the Thorpe Award and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting after leading the nation with 12 interceptions and 238 interception return yards (both single-season school records).
The Pascagoula, Mississippi, native’s 501 career interception return yards remain an NCAA record while his 21 career interceptions remain atop the Florida State record books. A Second Team All-American in 1990, Buckley helped the Seminoles finish with a top four national ranking in each year of his career.
The two-time All-South Independent First Team selection guided the Seminoles to three consecutive bowl victories, including wins over Nebraska in the 1990 Fiesta Bowl and Texas A&M in the 1992 Cotton Bowl.
Leading the Seminoles to an overall record of 31-6 during his career (1989-91), Buckley is tied for many other Florida State records, including career punt returns for a touchdown (three), career interceptions returned for a touchdown (four) and consecutive games with an interception (five in 1991).
He played for College Football Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden and alongside Hall of Famers Derrick Brooks, Charlie Ward and 2022 Hall of Fame electee Marvin Jones during his remarkable career in Tallahassee. A member of the Florida State Hall of Fame, Buckley’s No. 27 jersey was retired by the Seminoles in 2011.
The fifth overall pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 1992 NFL Draft, Buckley played 14 years (1992-2005) in the NFL with the Packers, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, New York Jets and New York Giants. He won Super Bowl XXXVI with the Patriots following the 2001 season.
A multi-sport athlete, Buckley also played two seasons for Florida State’s baseball team and ran track for the Seminoles. Off the field, he has been active with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Feed the Children.
Following his NFL career, Buckley returned to Florida State to earn his bachelor’s degree in 2007 while starting his coaching career in various roles on the Seminoles’ staff from 2007-11. He went on to serve as the cornerbacks coach at Akron (2012-13), Louisville (2014-15), Mississippi State (2016-19) and Ole Miss (2020-21). In February, Buckley will begin his first season as the head coach of Orlando Guardians in the XFL.
Buckley is one of eight Seminole players to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Fred Biletnikoff (1962-64), Derrick Brooks (1991-94), Marvin Jones (1990-92), Deion Sanders (1985-88), Ron Sellers (1966-68), Ron Simmons (1977-80) and Charlie Ward (1989, 1991-93).
Two former Florida State coaches are also in the Hall: Bobby Bowden (1976-2009) and Darrell Mudra (1974-75).
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