Damon Buford is a retired Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 player. Buford played between 1993 and 2001 for the Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

, New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

, Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers (baseball)

The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

, Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 and Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

.

College career

Buford played at the University of Southern California

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

. His Trojan teammates included Bret Barbarie, Brett Boone, Jay Hemond, and Jeff Cirillo

Jeff Cirillo

Jeffrey Howard Cirillo is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball. In a 14-season career, Cirillo was a .296 hitter with 112 home runs and 727 RBI in 1617 games. He was named an All-Star in and . He is the Brewers all-time career leader in batting average at .306...

.

Notable trades

• In the winter of 1992, he played in the Australian Baseball League with the Perth Heat
  Perth Heat
  The baseball team Perth Heat is a team in the current Australian Baseball League and a foundation member of the now-defunct Australian Baseball League...
  
  .
• On July 28, 1995, Buford was traded by the Orioles with Alex Ochoa
  Alex Ochoa
  Alex Ochoa is a former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder. He is a Cuban American and is currently an assistant coach for the Boston Red Sox....
  
   to the Mets for a player to be named later and Bobby Bonilla
  Bobby Bonilla
  Roberto Martin Antonio "Bobby" Bonilla is a former player in Major League Baseball who played from 1986 to 2001. Known in his playing days as "Bobby Bo," Bonilla is of Puerto Rican descent.-Playing career:...
  
  . The Mets sent Jimmy Williams, a minor leaguer to complete the trade.
• On January 25, 1996, he was traded by the Mets to the Rangers for Terrell Lowery
  Terrell Lowery
  Quenton Terrell Lowery was an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and San Francisco Giants. During his college basketball career at Loyola Marymount he appeared in an Elite Eight losing to UNLV and was a teammate of Bo Kimble and the person who fed the allyoop to Hank Gathers...
  
  .
• On November 6, 1997, he was traded by the Rangers with Jim Leyritz
  Jim Leyritz
  James Joseph Leyritz is a former catcher and infielder in Major League Baseball.-Early years:Leyritz attended Turpin High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Middle Georgia Jr...
  
   to the Red Sox for Mark Brandenburg
  Mark Brandenburg (baseball)
  Mark Clay Brandenburg is a former middle-relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox . Brandenburg batted and threw right-handed...
  
  , Bill Haselman
  Bill Haselman
  William Joseph Haselman is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He served as the first base coach for the Boston Red Sox in . Before taking over the role of first base coach, Haselman served as bullpen coach...
  
  , and Aaron Sele
  Aaron Sele
  Aaron Helmer Sele is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who is currently the minor league pitching instructor for the Los Angeles Dodgers.-Early years:...
  
  .
• On December 12, 1999, he was traded by the Red Sox to the Cubs for Manny Alexander
  Manny Alexander
  Manuel De Jesús Alexander is a professional baseball infielder who currently plays for the Philadelphia Phillies Of Major League Baseball. He has played for the Baltimore Orioles , New York Mets , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox , Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres...
  
  .

Personal life

His father Don Buford

Don Buford

Donald Alvin Buford is a former Major League Baseball player. An infielder/outfielder, the switch-hitting Buford played for the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles ....

 also played for the USC Trojans and in the major leagues and later worked as hitting coordinator of the Hannibal Cavemen, under manager Jay Hemond, who played at USC while Don was hitting coach.

Sources