We are really sorry to have to pass this on but former Blue Devil Jay Buckley died Wednesday morning.
The 6-11 Buckley was a key early part of the Bubas era and helped get Duke to its first two Final Fours, in 1963 and ‘64.
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He was one of the smartest guys to ever play basketball at Duke, graduating with a BS in physics and later from John Hopkins with a PhD in Nuclear Physics.
He worked for NASA for a time and later for GE.
We’re all talking about the Boozer twins following their dad to Duke but as far as we know, Buckley was the first dad to see his son play here as Clay played for Duke from 1998-1991, making him one of very few players in NCAA history to make four Final Fours. He was also part of Duke’s first championship team in 1991, coming 28 years after his dad helped Duke to its first Final Four.
We don’t talk enough about the Bubas era, but it was Duke’s first glimpse at greatness and Buckley was a big part of that. Our deepest condolences to his family, including his brother Bruce who was a Tar Heel, and all his loved ones.
