Where’s the Beef? Buck finds it in IFL

Opportunities in professional football are sparse for 6-foot-1½, 230-pound linebackers. Peter Buck is trying his luck despite the odds and his size, or lack thereof, being stacked against him.

The 2007 Vacaville High School graduate is in Nebraska and trying to earn a job with the Omaha Beef of the Indoor Football League. It is hardly the NFL, but Buck did not have a pick of leagues.

Peter Buck trained at Al Patch Park before going to Nebraska to try out with the Omaha Beef of the Indoor Football League.

“The IFL isn’t big in California, but it’s pretty solid in the Midwest,” Buck explained. “It is what it is.”

Buck had the choice of bidding farewell to football and beginning his teaching career, but he is determined to play as long as his body can take the punishment and a team is willing to pay him.

The 22-year-old does not need the money as much as he wants to see what pro football has to offer.

“It’s not great financially, but’s it going to get me by,” said Buck, who plans to work as a substitute teacher in Omaha during the IFL’s 14-game schedule. The Beef’s season opener is March 2.

His goal is to use the IFL as a springboard to the Arena or Canadian football leagues. The CFL would be ideal because Buck would not have to go both ways as players do in the AFL.

“The CFL is a very fast game, the field is bigger (110 yards long and 65 yards wide) and there are 12 players (on each side),” he said. “You don’t have to be a 250-pound bruiser to play linebacker.”

His age and romantic status – Buck does not have a girlfriend – give him the flexibility to travel. Vacaville will always be his home, but he wants to spread his wings after staying close to home during his four years at Sacramento State.

“I’m not tied here,” he said. “At this time in my life, this is a great opportunity for me. I’m stoked about it. I’m looking forward to it.”

Buck played four seasons with the Hornets and graduated with a degree in kinesiology in 2011. He then earned his teaching credential and was an assistant coach at El Camino High last season.

By maintaining a 3.7 GPA, Buck was named to the Big Sky Conference’s all-academic team in each of his four years.

“I didn’t just go (to Sac State) and play football there,” he said. “I got a lot of stuff done in four years.”

Trips to two tryout camps opened Buck’s eyes to the possibility of extending his career on the field. At a Los Angeles camp in December, he surprised himself by running 40 yards in 4.65 seconds.

“I never ran that fast in my playing career,” he said. “That showed that I still have it football-wise.”

Three CFL teams have shown interest in Buck, and he could jump to the CFL once the IFL season ends in June. Four or five seasons in the CFL would scratch Buck’s football itch once and for all.

“My time (to walk away) will come, and I’ll know when it does,” he said. “Playing in the CFL is a realistic goal for me.”