North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame
As a four-year starter during the Mean Green’s run of four-straight Sun Belt championships, Jonas Buckles was and the leader of a secondary that rated as one of the top units against the pass in the nation.
Buckles teamed with Jeremy Pearl, Don McGee, Markeith Knowlton, Craig Jones, and Walter Priestly to form a defensive backfield that was one of the toughest in the country to throw against. In 2002, when North Texas captured its second Sun Belt title and defeated Cincinnati, 24-19, in the New Orleans Bowl, the Mean Green secondary was the 13th best in the country against the pass, allowing just two opponents to throw for over 200 yards.
As the safety in those defenses, Buckles had 11 career interceptions, tying for fifth all-time at North Texas. As a redshirt freshman, Buckles had five interceptions, which tied him for fifth in the nation, earning him the first of his All-Conference honors. Buckles was named to the Sun Belt’s all-conference team three more times, making him one of only four North Texas players to earn four all-conference awards during his career.
Buckles was a highly-recruited player in high school, rated a state top-100 prospect by the Houston Chronicle, Waco Tribune-Herald, Fort Worth Star Telegram, and Dallas Morning News. But academic problems stripped away many of his suitors. North Texas stuck with him, however, and not only did Buckles excel on the field, he corrected his academic problems and earned a degree.
“It was a special moment to get my diploma because of the hard work I put into football and school,” Buckles said in a 2004 interview.
In 2013, Buckles was named to the North Texas All-Century football team.