Ray Buchanan

Ray Buchanan
No. 34
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1971-09-29) September 29, 1971
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Proviso East (Maywood, Illinois)
College:Louisville
NFL draft:1993: 3rd round, 65th pick
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:819
Interceptions:47
Touchdowns:4
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Raymond Louis Buchanan, aka "Big Play Ray" (born September 29, 1971), is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts with the 65th overall pick. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Oakland Raiders.[1]

Early life

At Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, Ray Buchanan was a four-year letterman in football as a running back and safety. Buchanan was a state champion in two track and field events, the long jump and the triple jump.

Professional career

NFL draft analysts projected Buchanan to be a late first to early to mid second-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.[2]

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts selected Buchanan in the third round (65th overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft. The Colts traded their third (73rd overall) and fifth round picks (127th overall) in the 1993 NFL Draft to the Los Angeles Rams in return for the third round pick (65th overall) they used to immediately select Buchanan. He was the eighth cornerback drafted in 1993.[3]

1993

On July 26, 1993, the Indianapolis Colts signed Buchanan to a three–year, $660,000 rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $285,000.[4]

On September 5, 1993, Buchanan made his professional regular season debut in the Indianapolis Colts' home-opener against the Miami Dolphins and recorded one solo tackle as they lost 20–24. On October 31, 1993, Buchanan made one solo tackle, a pass deflection, and had his first career interception off a pass thrown by Scott Secules as they defeated the New England Patriots 6–9.[5] Head coach Ted Marchibroda named Buchanan the starting free safety entering Week 14, replacing John Baylor.[6][7] On December 5, 1993, Buchanan earned his first career start and recorded five combined tackles (four solo), set a season-high with two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass attempt by Boomer Esiason during a 9–6 win at the New York Jets.[8] In Week 16, he set a season-high with 13 combined tackles (10 solo), had one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Bubby Brister during a 20–10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.[9] He finished his rookie season with 59 combined tackles (45 solo), seven pass deflections, and four interceptions in 16 games and five starts.[10]

1994

On January 8, 1994, the Indianapolis Colts hired Bill Tobin as general manager. Defensive coordinator Rick Venturi would be fired three days later and replaced by Vince Tobin.[11] Head coach Ted Marchibroda planned to move Buchanan back to cornerback after he transitioned to free safety to replace starter John Baylor, but opted to cancel the plan after starting strong safety Jason Belser exercised a holdout and refused to attend training camp until his contract was resolved.[12] He subsequently retained Buchanan as the starting free safety to begin the season and paired him with Jason Belser.

On September 4, 1994, Buchanan started in the Colts' home-opener against the Houston Oilers and recorded three combined tackles (two solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Cody Carlson as they won 21–45.[13] In Week 3, Buchanan set a season-high with 13 combined tackles (seven solo) and made two pass deflections during a 21–31 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers. On November 6, 1994, Buchanan recorded eight combined tackles (seven solo), a pass deflection, and returned an interception for the first touchdown of his career during a 21–22 upset loss at the Miami Dolphins. With 7:41 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Colts led 14–12, Buchanan intercepted a pass Dan Marino attempted to throw to wide receiver Mark Ingram and returned it 28–yards for a touchdown to lead 21–12 after the PAT. Marino would lead a 10 point fourth quarter comeback to lead the Dolphins to a 21–22 win against the Colts.[14]

1995–1997

On February 26, 1997, the Indianapolis Colts offered a one–year, $2.78 million transition tag to Buchanan. As a unrestricted free agent, other teams would acquire Buchanan if they made a larger offer.[4]

Atlanta Falcons

On March 2, 1997, the Atlanta Falcons signed Buchanan after the Colts designated him their transition tag and did not match the one–year, $3.25 million contract offer made by the Falcons.[15]

On March 3, 1997, the Atlanta Falcons signed Buchanan to a four–year, $13 million contract that includes a $4 million signing bonus.[4] Their contract added restructured their one–year contract signed the previous day, while adding a three–year extension.[16][17]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
1993 IND 16 5 65 — — 0.0 4 45 11.3 28 0 0 0 0 0
1994 IND 16 16 100 76 24 1.0 8 221 27.6 90 3 0 1 0 0
1995 IND 16 16 83 68 15 1.0 2 60 30.0 60 0 0 2 0 0
1996 IND 13 13 62 53 9 0.5 2 32 16.0 32 0 1 0 0 0
1997 ATL 16 16 52 48 4 0.0 5 49 9.8 31 0 0 0 0 0
1998 ATL 16 16 61 54 7 0.0 7 102 14.6 34 0 1 0 0 0
1999 ATL 16 16 63 57 6 1.0 4 81 20.3 52 1 0 0 0 0
2000 ATL 16 16 80 69 11 0.0 6 114 19.0 60 0 0 2 1 0
2001 ATL 16 16 71 63 8 0.0 5 85 17.0 33 0 1 1 0 0
2002 ATL 12 11 47 42 5 0.0 2 9 4.5 9 0 0 0 0 0
2003 ATL 15 8 47 42 5 0.0 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 0
2004 OAK 16 16 92 66 26 0.0 1 27 27.0 27 0 1 0 0 0
Career 184 165 823 638 120 3.5 47 827 17.6 90 4 4 6 1 0
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+1⁄4 in
(1.76 m) 		193 lb
(88 kg) 		32+7⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		8+5⁄8 in
(0.22 m)		 4.50 s 1.59 s 2.64 s 4.00 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)		 10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)		 10 reps

Post-NFL career

Buchanan made a rap music album in 2002.

He works for Fox Sports Radio on the weekend and co-hosts alongside Bruce Jacobs.[18]

Buchanan was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

References

  1. ^ "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  2. ^ Sullivan, Paul (April 20, 1993). "NFL DRAFT WILL BE BITTERSWEET FOR THESE BROTHERS". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  3. ^ "1993 NFL Draft Day 1". Oklahoman. April 26, 1993. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Spotrac.com: Ray Buchanan contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  5. ^ "New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts — October 31st, 1993". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  6. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 6, 1993). "PRO FOOTBALL; A Goat Becomes a Hero". New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  7. ^ Freeman, Mike (December 13, 1993). "PRO FOOTBALL; To the Playoff-Bound Giants, 1990 No Longer Seems So Long Ago". New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  8. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets — December 5th, 1993". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  9. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Indianapolis Colts — December 19th, 1993". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  10. ^ "NFL.com: Player Profile; Ray Buchanan Game Logs (1993)". NFL.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  11. ^ Sullivan, Paul (April 24, 1994). "COLTS TOBIN CONTROLS DESTINY OF DRAFT WITH TWO HIGH PICKS". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  12. ^ "VIKINGS NOT GUILTY OF COSTLY CHEAP SHOT, KELLY SAYS". Chicago Tribune. December 13, 1994. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  13. ^ "Houston Oilers at Indianapolis Colts — September 4th, 1994". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  14. ^ "Miami, 22-21 : AFC: Dolphins score 10". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  15. ^ King, Peter (March 3, 1997). "LUCRATIVE OFFERS AL'S WELL AGAIN IN OAKLAND HOLMGREN'S COSTLY DECISION". vault.si.com. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  16. ^ "Falcons sign Buchanan". New York Times. March 4, 1997. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  17. ^ Sullivan, Paul (March 4, 1997). "COLTS LET BUCHANAN GO TO FALCONS". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  18. ^ "Former Falcons CB Ray Buchanan Arrested - washingtonpost.com". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014.
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