Craig Buck

{{short description|American volleyball player (born 1958)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}

{{Infobox volleyball biography

| name = Craig Buck

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_name = Craig Werner Buck

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|August 24, 1958}}

| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| height = 6 ft 9 in

| college = Pepperdine University

| position = Middle blocker

| teamnumber = 7

| nationalyears = 1981–1990

| nationalteam = {{vb|USA}}

| medaltemplates-title = Medal record

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport | Men's volleyball}}

{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}

File:Olympic rings.svg

{{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}}

{{MedalGold | 1984 Los Angeles | Team}}

{{MedalGold | 1988 Seoul | Team}}

{{MedalCompetition|World Championship}}

{{MedalGold | 1986 France|Team}}

{{MedalCompetition|FIVB World Cup}}

{{MedalGold|1985 Japan|}}

{{MedalCompetition|Pan American Games|Pan American Games}}

{{MedalGold | 1987 Indianapolis | Team}}

}}

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.{{Cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/craig-werner-buck |website=Olympics.com |title=Craig Werner Buck |access-date=August 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804224437/https://olympics.com/en/athletes/craig-werner-buck |archive-date=August 4, 2023 |url-status=live }}{{Cite newspaper |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/03/sports/men-s-volleyball-us-repeats-gold-medal-performance.html |date=October 3, 1988 |last=Vecsey |first=George |page=C11 |title=Men's Volleyball; U.S. Repeats Gold-Medal Performance |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=September 6, 2024 }} {{subscription required}}{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Craig Buck |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bu/craig-buck-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203205514/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bu/craig-buck-1.html |archive-date=3 December 2016}}

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".

Buck is widely regarded as one of the best middle blockers of all time. He was also a very effective hitter.{{Cite magazine |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1988/09/14/this-guy-has-a-license-to-kill-steve-timmons-one-of-the-mainstays-of-the-favored-us-team-has-gone-from-slam-dunking-to-slam-bang-spiking |last=Lidz |first=Franz |title=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 |date=September 14, 1988 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |location=New York City |publisher=Time |access-date=September 25, 2024 }} In 1990, the United States Olympic Committee selected him as their volleyball player of the year.{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-08-sp-13329-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |title=Memories for a Buck : Two-Time Olympian Middle Blocker Looks Back |last=Garcia |first=Irene |date=July 8, 1994 |access-date=August 15, 2023 }} {{subscription required}}

Buck was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1998.