Updating his friends via Facebook earlier this week, it was fitting that Lon Buckler, a Georgia football player from 1978-1981, remained “inspired to keep up the faith/fight”—all the while having to be fed and medicated through a nasal feeding tube. Battling hard palate cancer, and on the eve of his second surgery, which followed an initial surgery in September lasting 11-plus hours, Buckler continued to exhibit a fighting spirit familiar to those who have remained close with the former Bulldog receiver for decades.
“Playing for Georgia, Lon demonstrated a fighting spirit and great strength—a resiliency,” said Vince Dooley, the Bulldogs’ head coach from 1964-1988. “You could always count on him. He was consistently good and dependable. He was steady and had a stay-with-it-type of attitude, no matter how the situation presented itself.”
“Lon’s a fighter—always has been,” said Buck Belue, Georgia’s starting quarterback from 1979-1981. “A lot of receivers don’t like to block, but Lon didn’t hesitate to block at all when we played together at Georgia. He’d get in there, taking out a linebacker or at least getting in his way. And, I think that hard-working, fighting attitude of his eventually rubbed off on the entire receiver group.”
Still, as a walk-on player out of Avondale High School, it certainly took some time before Buckler made much of an impact upon anything closely related to Georgia football. In his third year—the Bulldogs’ 1980 national title season—he was still on the junior varsity squad, though he did see action in a few varsity games, lettering for the championship season. In fact, a week after Buckler intercepted a pass as a defensive back in the Bullpups’ 24-6 win over Georgia Tech’s junior varsity in 1980, he played wide receiver for the varsity Bulldogs in their 38-20 victory over Georgia Tech. Buckler, who is said to wear his 1980 national championship ring perhaps more proudly than anyone else, made a single reception for nine yards during Georgia’s title campaign.
Yet, it was a reception nearly not made, and a ring almost not worn, as Buckler came close to quitting the team when he was not awarded a scholarship in 1980 after he was named “most outstanding walk-on” following spring drills. But, “I’ve never been a quitter,” Buckler said in an interview in 1981.
Because of his hard work and determination, coupled with a teammate’s demotion to second string, Buckler started his first game at Georgia against South Carolina in late September of 1981.
“Lon finally got a chance,” Belue said. “And, it was so satisfying for all of us to see a guy who really put in the work, was tough, and got through the adversity, come out at the end with playing time his senior year.”
Following Georgia’s fifth game of the year at Ole Miss, when Buckler made a 20-yard reception, the senior wideout was finally granted a scholarship. At Vanderbilt the next week, the former walk-on made a career-high three receptions against the Commodores. Buckler, whose seven catches in 1981 were the second-most among Bulldog wide receivers, finished the season as Georgia’s starting split end.
“At the time, if there was anyone who deserved a scholarship, it was Lon,” Dooley said. “Here, he had walked on and had played only junior varsity for a while. But, he persevered, and was well respected by teammates and coaches.”
Belue recalled a specific play involving Buckler against Florida in 1981. In a 14-14 tied game in the fourth quarter, and facing second down and long, Belue found Buckler for a key completion near the Gators’ goal line. On the next play, Herschel Walker swept to his left, scoring a touchdown, giving Georgia its first lead in an eventual 26-21 victory over the Gators en route to the Bulldogs’ winning their second consecutive SEC title:
“What’s funny is, all that season, Lon would always come back to the huddle after a play and say to me something like, ‘I was open there,’ or, ‘you missed me on that play’—and here I got Lindsay Scott (42 receptions in 1981; NFL first-round draft pick) running open down the middle of the field,” Belue said while laughing. “But, I guess I finally found Lon open against Florida. That was a big catch by him.”
When asked about Buckler’s time at Georgia, his one-time head coach spoke from a general perspective instead of a specific play.
“If you say he caught seven passes as a senior, I’m willing to say Lon was only thrown seven passes as a senior,” Dooley said. “If Lon got open and the ball was there, he was going to catch the football—no doubt.”
After approximately two weeks following Buckler’s upcoming surgery, he’ll start a radiation/chemo program which will last roughly two months. After that, Buckler is expected to need a couple of weeks of recovery.
“Although it looks like Lon might be in for a pretty good go at it,” Dooley started, “he’s undergone a pretty good go at other things in his life, including football—and, based on his resiliency and his fighting spirit, he’s always come out fine.”
Belue said that he’s currently part of a group message consisting of around 30 individuals who provide updates on Buckler. Via Facebook, Buckler updated that he hoped to be his “regular self” by Christmas.
“We’re all here to help Lon get through what he’s got going on right now,” Belue said. “Regardless, Lon is the same guy as before—as when he played at Georgia—and he’s a fighter. He’ll fight through with determination and toughness.”
