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Advice From a Pro Athlete
By Dan Tudor
03/06/2002

Not too long ago, Jeff Buckey was watching Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins play in the Super Bowl.

Today, Jeff Buckey is one of the guys the Dolphins count on to protect Dan Marino when he drops back for a pass.

Buckey, a football and track star at Bakersfield High School, has turned his dream into reality. Hard work on the football field lead to three seasons as a varsity starter. Hard work in the classroom helped him earn a full-ride scholarship to Stanford University, one of the most academically challenging colleges in the country. Just before graduation, Buckey was named the 1991-92 Dial Corporation High School Student-Athlete of the Year. He went on to earn his B.A. in Economics from Stanford in four years. Impressive, since he was also an All-Pac 10 offensive lineman for Stanford's football team, as well as a track and field star.

His childhood dream of a professional sports career was realized in 1996, when he was drafted in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins. One year later, Jeff Buckey had earned the starting tackle job.

"After my sophomore year in high school, when I had been a starter and made the All-League team, it really started to motivate me to try and earn a college scholarship," says Buckey. "I had always had the kind of size for an offensive lineman, so I knew if I just kept growing and working that I had a good shot at a scholarship."

It didn't take too long for more than a few schools to start noticing Buckey's talent. He began to hear from colleges after that first season as a starter. "It wasn't much at first, just a few schools. It kind of trickled-in at first. Then I was named All-State Underclassman, and after that things really picked-up."

Once colleges began showing an interest, Buckey notes that he made sure one area of his life didn't suffer: His school work. In his mind, that was just as important as his athletic development.

"To me, I look at it (academics) as another form of competition. My mom always told me that if I wanted to go to a good school, I would need good grades. It really put a focus on studying. And, I think that it all carries over into athletic competition. I always just looked at a test in class as another challenge or competition. I just always wanted to do my best in both."

After his junior season in high school, the interest from coaches intensified. "I think that coaches feel if they aren't calling you every other night, you might lose interest in their program," says Jeff. "One of the toughest things about being heavily recruited is the phone calls and all the mail. We actually had to install a second line in our house to handle all the calls coming in. When the whole process was over, I literally had a whole trash can full of letters from colleges."

Now, to the average high school athlete, that kind of attention sounds great. However, Buckey points out the potential down-sides to the constant attention. "It really made it tough to concentrate on school. Fortunately, I had a mom and dad who helped filter some of that out. Otherwise, I don't know how I would have been able to perform well in the classroom and on the field."

Another thing in Jeff Buckey's corner was the talent on his team. Bakersfield High School's football team was consistently one of the best in California, so there was plenty of attention given to Buckey and his teammates. USC, Washington, Notre Dame, Colorado and others made inquiries and visits to the school. Despite the attention and access to college coaches, Buckey warns today's high school athletes not to be lazy when it comes to searching for a college sports scholarship.

"You have to be pro-active. You can't just sit around and wait. There are so many athletes out there, and so much territory to cover, that a college coach might overlook you," says Buckey. "The thing that helped me out a lot is that I had a mother who helped fill out applications and questionnaires to every school that showed interest. We wanted to keep all of our options open and not overlook any opportunity. That's one thing I would encourage every high school athlete to do, is keep their options open."

Ironically, he almost didn't follow his own advice when Stanford University expressed an interest in him. The reason? Stanford was the only school recruiting Jeff that asked him to fill out an academic application.

"I was so busy, I just didn't want to do it. Most of the other schools recruiting me said, 'Don't worry, we'll get you in.' Stanford wanted me to fill out everything, write essays…these are the coaches telling me this. I didn't want to do the work. But, my mom said that I had better do it just in case I changed my mind. And, what do you know, thats where I ended up going. And, I really enjoyed it."

Where to go to school, and at what level to play, was on Jeff's mind when he was recruited. His advice to high school athletes today is to be open to every opportunity, no matter what level it might be.

"You have to ask yourself the question: Do I want to go to a school like USC and possibly ride the bench for four years? Or, do I want to go to a school where I can make an impact and have a shot at the next level," says Buckey. "There's a lot of athletes in the NFL and NBA that didn't go to a big name school. You really have to determine what is best for you, both academically and athletically. You don't want to get lost in the shuffle."

And, Buckey says, when you begin to get recruited by a school, make it your responsibility to find out everything you can about the school, the coach and the program as soon as possible. "Have the coach help you get in touch with an academic advisor of the school. Find out what kind of programs they offer. Find out what will be expected of you at that particular school as a student-athlete. And, be honest with the coach as to what you are looking for in a school. You want it all to be a good match. Be up-front with the coach who is recruiting you."

Other suggestions from Jeff include sending your transcript to a coach before they ask for it. And, think about making a basic video so that a coach can evaluate you without making the trip to wherever you live.

By the time Jeff was a senior in high school, he was one of the most highly recruited lineman in California. The list of coaches calling and visiting his home in Bakersfield was a virtual who's who of college athletics.

"I had trips scheduled to Washington, UCLA, Stanford, Notre Dame, Michigan and Penn State," recalls Jeff. "But on my trip to Notre Dame, it snowed. It was freezing cold. I decided I didn't want to deal with that so I cancelled my trips to Michigan and Penn State."

"When it was down to four schools, the coaches made visits. I had Lou Holtz (Notre Dame), Bill Walsh (Stanford), Don James (Washington) and Terry Donahue (UCLA) all come to my house to make official visits. The visits were important, but they weren't the deciding factor. The visits to the campus' were the most important aspect of my final decision."

In the end, Jeff chose Stanford University as his home for the next four years. It's important to note that at the time, the Cardinal football team was not as prestigious as the other three schools on Jeff's list. Their academic program, however, was number one.

"I knew that even if I didn't have the opportunity to play football after college, I would come away with a degree," says Buckey. I couldn't pass-up that opportunity. Plus, Stanford has a real family environment to it. I just felt comfortable there, and I felt like the program was headed in the right direction."

Just like regular students who leave home for college, athletes face some anxious moments the first time they leave home. It's something that high school student-athletes need to be prepared for as they choose a school.

"When you're in college, you're on your own. Mom can't wash your clothes for you anymore," Jeff says smiling. "And, it's a time where you start to develop responsibility for yourself. It's up to you to go to class and do your homework. You don't have mom and dad checking to see if you did it or not."

On the field, college athletics is tougher as well. Many athletes have difficulty adjusting to an environment where they aren't the 'star' anymore. Competition is fierce, and there can be constant pressure to be better than you were the day before.

"Everyone is a star. Everyone might be an All-American. You don't get to that point by taking it easy," says Jeff. "Everyone is fighting for a starting position. Everyone is bigger, stronger and faster. You have to be ready to compete against that."

One of the hardest areas to succeed in is academics, says Jeff. His day would usually end around 8 p.m. after a full day of classes and practice. Then, it would be time to study. That, says Buckey, is a big challenge.

"You're not taking Advanced Basket Weaving," says Buckey with a smile. "These are tough classes and you have to study."

His career at Stanford was marked by both academic and athletic success. He graduated with his degree in Economics, and had several years as a star on the offensive line. Buckey agrees that he was extremely fortunate to have a positive recruiting experience in high school. As far as advice for today's student-athlete hoping to be recruited, he says to be persistent and to take it all seriously.

"Keep all your options open. Don't burn any bridges. You might end up having a coach who you treated poorly turn out to be your coach on another team someday."

"One thing that I think should be stressed is that these people (college coaches and recruiters) have a job. Treat them like you would want to be treated."

And, says Buckey, in today's highly competitive world of college recruiting, you had better be promoting your abilities to college coaches whenever you have the opportunity.

"Be pro-active. Promote yourself. Make sure college coaches know who you are. But, while you're doing that, make sure your academics don't slip."

Next season, Jeff Buckey will return as a starter to the Miami Dolphin offensive line. It was, he says, a tough season full of ups and downs. He and his agent are beginning to negotiate Jeff's contract, which ran through 1997. Word has it that the Dolphins are looking at signing Jeff to a three year deal. "They're happy with the job I'm doing," says Jeff. As far as his post-NFL career? Well, he's not sure. He has considered the construction business (his father runs a construction company), but now is having second thoughts. Hopefully, he says, that decision is still years away.

He is one of those rare professional athletes who is level-headed in his approach not only to the game, but to life. Jeff has both a quiet confidence and a genuine soft-spoken approach to those he talks with, refreshing in today's world of negative headlines and "show me the money" priorities.

Not surprisingly, Jeff sums-up his success on the field with modesty and sincerity.

"I just worked as hard as I could, and was lucky to be given the chance to perform. I'm lucky that it's all worked out that way that it has."

Jeff has just signed a contract with the expansion Cleveland Browns for the '99 season.