Danny Buggs
Encyclopedia
Daniel "Danny" Buggs is a former American football
wide receiver
for the New York Giants
and Washington Redskins
of the National Football League
, the Edmonton Eskimos
of the Canadian Football League
, and the Tampa Bay Bandits
and San Antonio Gunslingers
of the United States Football League
.
, and rejecting offers from Arizona State
, Clemson
and Florida State
, Buggs made an immediate impact in 1972. He scored a whopping 84 points, including punt returns, and also averaged a touchdown every five times he touched the ball.
Buggs was a 1973 Kodak first team All-America
n from West Virginia University
, who owns the longest catch from scrimmage in West Virginia school history against Penn State
in 1973 for 96 yards and a touchdown. He was also the first Mountaineer to post back-to-back 100 yard receiving games.
In 1974 he was selected to play in the Hula Bowl
and the Senior Bowl
, helping the East top the West with a touchdown in the Hula Bowl.
He ranks fourth in career receiving yards with 1,796 and touchdowns receptions with 15 and holds the West Virginia record for most career yards per reception with a 20.9 average. He is often considered one of the greatest receivers in West Virginia University football history, along with greats such as Reggie Rembert
, Jerry Porter, and Chris Henry.
by the New York Giants
in the third round of the 1975 NFL Draft
. He played two seasons in New York, 1975 and 1976, but never saw time during the regular season.
Buggs was then cut by the Giants, to only then be signed by the Washington Redskins
late in 1976. On the final six games of the 1976 season
, Buggs saw his first professional action. He only totaled two receptions for 25 yards, but then increased it the next season
to 26 receptions for 341 yards and a touchdown.
Buggs broke out in 1978 with 36 receptions for 575 yards and two touchdowns. In Buggs' final NFL season, 1979, Buggs totaled 46 receptions for 631 yards and a touchdown while playing all 16 games for the first time in his career.
win the Grey Cup
, which is the CFL's championship game.
Buggs played for the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits
in 1983, and the San Antonio Gunslingers
in 1984 and 1985.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, and the Tampa Bay Bandits
Tampa Bay Bandits
The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League . They were a charter member of the USFL and folded along with the league after the 1985 season....
and San Antonio Gunslingers
San Antonio Gunslingers
The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas that played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback and only recognizable name. The team played in Alamo Stadium...
of the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
.
College career
After sitting out a year in 1971, forced to for academic reasons by coach Bobby BowdenBobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
, and rejecting offers from Arizona State
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, Clemson
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
and Florida State
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, Buggs made an immediate impact in 1972. He scored a whopping 84 points, including punt returns, and also averaged a touchdown every five times he touched the ball.
Buggs was a 1973 Kodak first team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n from West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, who owns the longest catch from scrimmage in West Virginia school history against Penn State
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in 1973 for 96 yards and a touchdown. He was also the first Mountaineer to post back-to-back 100 yard receiving games.
In 1974 he was selected to play in the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
and the Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
, helping the East top the West with a touchdown in the Hula Bowl.
He ranks fourth in career receiving yards with 1,796 and touchdowns receptions with 15 and holds the West Virginia record for most career yards per reception with a 20.9 average. He is often considered one of the greatest receivers in West Virginia University football history, along with greats such as Reggie Rembert
Reggie Rembert
Reginald Bernard "Reggie" Rembert is a retired American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played college football at West Virginia.Rembert played only three of four seasons in the NFL...
, Jerry Porter, and Chris Henry.
NFL
Buggs was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the third round of the 1975 NFL Draft
1975 NFL Draft
The 1975 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1975.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
. He played two seasons in New York, 1975 and 1976, but never saw time during the regular season.
Buggs was then cut by the Giants, to only then be signed by the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
late in 1976. On the final six games of the 1976 season
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
, Buggs saw his first professional action. He only totaled two receptions for 25 yards, but then increased it the next season
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
to 26 receptions for 341 yards and a touchdown.
Buggs broke out in 1978 with 36 receptions for 575 yards and two touchdowns. In Buggs' final NFL season, 1979, Buggs totaled 46 receptions for 631 yards and a touchdown while playing all 16 games for the first time in his career.
CFL and USFL
Buggs played in the CFL from 1980 to 1982. In 1980, he helped the Edmonton EskimosEdmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
win the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
, which is the CFL's championship game.
Buggs played for the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits
Tampa Bay Bandits
The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League . They were a charter member of the USFL and folded along with the league after the 1985 season....
in 1983, and the San Antonio Gunslingers
San Antonio Gunslingers
The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas that played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback and only recognizable name. The team played in Alamo Stadium...
in 1984 and 1985.