Chadron State College Athletics

A great American success story is connected with Earl Buckingham and his siblings. Nine of the 10 who lived to adulthood attended Chadron State or its Campus Laboratory Schools during the 1920s and ‘30s. They moved to the Morrill area in a covered wagon in 1905 and lived in a two-room tarpaper shack. But they were an enterprising family and all of them became well-to-do.
Earl was the oldest boy. He played football for the Eagles in 1924, ’25, ’28 and ’29. A big person, particularly for that era, he played fullback and tackle. Those teams had a 30-4 record. He was an all-conference choice twice. He also lettered in basketball each of those years.
In addition, he found time to drive a taxicab and he and a friend purchased a filling station in Chadron. It’s also reported that he bought an old bus and transported the CSC football team to its away games one season. Paul Carroll, who was a player in that era, once remarked, “What a deal that was.”
After leaving CSC in 1930, Buckingham wanted to teach and coach, but the Great Depression was lurking and he couldn’t find a job. Thus, he borrowed money, bought a truck and began hauling freight in all directions. He is said to have brought the first load of produce from Denver to the Safeway Store in Chadron when it opened in 1931. He also obtained the first permit to haul freight between Denver and Los Angeles. Other family members joined the fledgling firm and Buckingham Freightlines and then United Buckingham eventually had 1,300 employees and served 29 states. It became the thrust for numerous other business ventures. In their heyday, the Buckinghams were involved in 22 partnerships and Earl served a term as president of the American Trucking Association.    
Earl and his brother, Harold, were presented Distinguished Service Awards by CSC in May 1987.