Craig Buck

Craig Werner Buck (born August 24, 1958) is an American former volleyball player and two-time Olympic gold medalist. He was a member of the United States national team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.^[1][2]

Craig Buck
Personal information
Born	Craig Werner Buck August 24, 1958 (1958-08-24) (age 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
College / University	Pepperdine University
Volleyball information
Position	Middle blocker
Number	7
National team
1981–1990  United States
Medal record Men's volleyball Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles Team 1988 Seoul Team World Championship 1986 France Team FIVB World Cup 1985 Japan Pan American Games 1987 Indianapolis Team

Buck also helped the United States to gold medals at the 1985 FIVB World Cup and the 1986 FIVB World Championship, which, following the 1984 Olympic gold, constituted a "triple crown".^[3]

Buck is widely regarded as one of the best middle blockers of all time.^[3] He was also a very effective hitter.^[4] In 1990, the United States Olympic Committee selected him as their volleyball player of the year.^[5]

Buck was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1998.^[3]

High school

Buck played volleyball at William Howard Taft Charter High School in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, where he was selected as an All-City player in 1975 and 1976.^[5]

College

Buck was an All-American at Pepperdine University in 1980 and 1981 while playing under coach Marv Dunphy.^[3]

In 1985, Buck was inducted into the Pepperdine Hall of Fame.^[6]

Awards

• Two-time All-American — 1980, 1981
• Two-time Olympic gold medal — 1984, 1988
• FIVB World Cup gold medal — 1985
• FIVB World Championship gold medal — 1986
• Pepperdine Hall of Fame — 1985
• Pan American Games gold medal — 1987
• USOC volleyball player of the year — 1990
• International Volleyball Hall of Fame — 1998

See also

• USA Volleyball

References

1. "Craig Werner Buck". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
2. Vecsey, George (October 3, 1988). "Men's Volleyball; U.S. Repeats Gold-Medal Performance". The New York Times. p. C11. Retrieved September 6, 2024. (subscription required)
3. "Craig Buck". International Volleyball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
4. Lidz, Franz (September 14, 1988). "This Guy Has a License to Kill Steve Timmons, One of the Mainstays of the Favored U.S. Team, Has Gone from Slam-dunking to Slam-bang Spiking". Sports Illustrated. New York City: Time. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
5. Garcia, Irene (July 8, 1994). "Memories for a Buck : Two-Time Olympian Middle Blocker Looks Back". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 15, 2023. (subscription required)
6. "Craig Buck". Pepperdine University Athletics. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.

External links

• Craig Buck at Olympics.com
• Olympedia profile: Craig Buck
• Volleyball Hall of Fame profile
• Craig Buck at the Beach Volleyball Database
• Pepperdine Hall of Fame profile
• Volleybox.net profile
• Craig Buck at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)