I don't know of a fan in college football that has gotten as much camera time as the man you are about to meet. He has been on every televised game for the last year and a half. He has appeared in no less than five ESPN commercials, the Lincoln Financial SEC game of the week's opening video, USA Today and many many more newspapers, magazines and websites. I sat down and learned a lot about the man, the icon, and the story behind "Chief Checkered Head."
Buck Ellis is from a small area in West Virginia. A small two-town community named Ceredo-Kenova was home to the aspiring teenager with dreams of becoming a football coach in an area that borders Kentucky and Ohio, an area that lives for football. A lifelong Vol fan his intentions were to major in Architecture at UT. In order to pursue a coaching angle, Buck decided to major in mathematics. To stay close to home and a certain female companion he decided to begin his collegiate career at Marshall. So how did that work out for you? "Shortly after that we ended that relationship but I was one who hated to admit mistakes, and don't like to make commitments that I don't keep. So I tried to stay in the Math for 2 years and didn't like the Math teaching part so I started looking into schools to transfer to, and get into engineering." He narrowed it down to two schools, LSU, and the University of Tennessee. "Both schools were amazing. But, UT had 2 things LSU didn't. Neyland, and it was close to home." Buck brings up Neyland Stadium, a key starting point in an incredible ride that would take him places he never could have imagined he would go. Tell me about that first experience. "My first game in Neyland absolutely blew me away. I was a Marshall student and we played against UT the 2003 season. I sat in the upper deck with a couple buddies of mine cheering for Marshall. But being reminded that this (UT) was the school I where I belonged by my buddies. Little did I know just what was in store for me in that stadium."
Ok, so now we have you at UT. So how did you go from fan on game day, to crossing the line that would forever change your life? Was it planned or just spur of the moment? "The East Tennessee area is rich in Native American history and on my dad's side of the family I do have native roots leading back to Cherokee, and although I can not officially call myself Cherokee due to paperwork, I am proud of that heritage. I had planned on driving down to Cherokee NC to pick up a solid white Headdress (not a Cherokee tradition) to wear to the games with my orange. I thought that would be a cool idea." Yeah that would make you stand out. Is that what you were trying to do? "I hoped what it would show is not some white looking Native dressed crazy dude in the crowd, but how the true spirit of the Vols shows that a variety of individuals can join in moments of need and battle for the pride of their homeland also known as Neyland. What makes us (Vols) so unique is how we can band together and fight as one. Neyland is not 106,000 individuals but 106,000 breathing cells beating to one Rocky drum." That statement probably solidified Bucks true love for the Orange and White. True fans don't talk it, they LIVE it. So what changed? What happened to the headdress? "The morning of my trip to Cherokee I awoke with an idea like none other. I decided against my road trip and made an alternate route, on a quest for face paint." I would say that was a crucial decision. "The face was the beginning of something I wanted to start, only I had no clue to what It would become." So it all started that simple. How did you do it? "I came home that day and with a finger I painted my first checker. Every game for the first year I had a new person painting the back side of my head but I always did the front. The first game I wore the paint to was the Ole Miss game in 2005. When I walked down Vol Walk I started getting many pictures taken with me." You always seemed to be right up front in the stadium. "I was one of the first in line at the stadium with my usual crowd of wonderful friends. That first year I enjoyed sitting in seat F1,1. Right in the middle of Orange nation and I loved every minute of it. The last year I spent sitting in E1,1 and I really loved that seat! Front row 35 yard line and I could yell at the players on ours and their team. I could tell when they heard me." But 2005 was not a good year for Vol fans. A losing season makes it tough on even the rabid fans. It couldn't have all been good times, could it? "The first year was a tough year since we didn't quite play up to the Tennessee Par, but I was there week end week out. I remember one game the UGA game probably, was the hardest one to swallow that year and yes harder than the Vandy game. There were about 3 minutes left in the game and I had witnessed just about all that I could stand to see. But I hate leaving early. The crowd had just given up and I started making my way to the other side of the stadium to watch the final few minutes of the game before leaving at the end. I figured I'd watch the last few minutes by the players exit gate since that’s where I left out after the games. I was in no mood for taking my time getting home afterwards and was quite pissed. As I was on my way to my new seat, I remember a college mate harassing me and making fun of me and orange nation for leaving early. For his information I didn't leave early and didn't want to cause a scene so I just looked him in the eye and walked on." Yeah, it is pretty hard to blend in with a head like that. "I never wanted to be known as a person doing any of this to get any special deeds, or perks. Most times I would try to get the people on TV or the Jumbo Tron that were around me instead of myself. I just wanted to paint up more so to help the team by making the ones around me become even more of rabid fans. I wanted to contribute to making Neyland the house that it is and take it to an even higher level. Without improvement we are only as good as our ancestors and have learned nothing." Ok there are the bad times. Enough of that tell me about the good ones. What was your favorite game. What defined your legacy? "At the Memphis game I was walking around at half time and a gentleman came up to me asking to take a picture with his lil one and I did but what caught my eye was the line behind him. Almost all the way up the aisle was a line of children with their parents waiting to take a picture with me. That was a cool moment. It made me feel like one of them characters at Disney World when i was younger waiting to get an autograph. I'd have to say my favorite moments where the ones when I got to meet the lil kids at the games. Don't get me wrong I do love taking pictures with the beautiful lady Vols, but the kids are the future here. And when they look at you like 'that is awesome' you know they are well on their way to making what we know is the best in the land even better one day when it is their time to step up to the 30 yard line. That excites me. It tells me that what we are part of is something much larger than just a game, but the hope of a better future for this school, area, and game." So put it in perspective for me, what has the ride been like? "My time as the 'Chief Checkered Head' was absolutely amazing. I was on a Brooks and Dunn opening game video, Vol Junkie made a documentary of me, I was in I believe 5 ESPN commercials, SI website 3 times once as the main link from SC, UT Sports.com 3 times, USA Today, can't tell you how many newspapers, 2006 Vols highlight football movie, I got to meet most of the coaches excluding Fulmer, even a lady from England with undisclosed photographers took many pictures with me at the Memphis game. I would love to be able to be the Checked headed guy for the rest of my life, but now that I'm out of school it is hard to do. This season I will be out of the country on business so you won't see me painted up. I was hoping to make it into a scholarship, but nothing really ended up being made of it. This saddens me because I think its something special that everyone should experience in life. It would take a certain type of person to make it work though. I guess they had to be humble, passionate, and many more things. But most of all a die hard Vol fan!" Buck has definitely left a legacy at UT. I am anxious to see who steps up this year and does something out of the box to carry on the tradition. Buck graduated in the spring with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. His Job will keep him out of the face paint. But to make sure he went out with a bang, Buck had his cap and gown pictures made with the paint, and even painted up for the commencement ceremony. Take a Bow O' Checkered one. You have earned it. And will truly be missed.
