
Former Super Bowl Champ, Terrell Buckley Hired As Football Head Coach At Mississippi Valley State University
Another former professional football player has been hired to take over the football program of another HBCU.
Mississippi Valley State University has announced that Terrell Buckley, a former NFL Pro Bowl cornerback, has been hired as the Delta Devils’ 19th head football coach. He is the latest former NFL player (Deion Sanders and Michael Vick come to mind) to be given the reins of a university’s football program.
“Why Valley for me? I am Mississippi Made! I have dreamed of being a head coach in the state of Mississippi!” said Buckley in a written statement. “This is a family thing. We are stronger together. Embracing change and hard work never ever fails.”
This is a homecoming for Buckley who grew up in Mississippi, drawing parallels to Virginia’s Michael Vick going back to his hometown to coach Norfolk State University.
The former Miami Dolphin player grew up in Pascagoula, Miss., and played his collegiate career at Florida State University. In 1991, he was awarded the Jim Thorpe Award to acknowledge being the nation’s top defensive back. By the time he left FSU, he had 21 interceptions proving his athletic abilities as a defensive player on the field.
After leaving Florida State, he was selected at the No. 5 spot by the Green Bay Packers in the 1992 NFL Draft. The Mississippi man earned a Super Bowl title while playing for the New England Patriots in 2001. During his 14-year NFL career, he not only played for the Dolphins and Patriots, but he was a journeyman who also played with the Denver Broncos, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and the New York Giants.
“It is a beautiful day to be at Mississippi Valley State University,” said MVSU President Dr. Jerryl Briggs, Sr. “We are here to support our new football coach and his family 1000 percent. I am just excited to be here today as we look forward to an outstanding season. On behalf of our entire University family, we are going to stay in MOTION!”