Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills
Current season
Established 1960 (1960) Play in and headquartered in Ralph Wilson Stadium Orchard Park, New York Regular Season Record (All-Time) 376–436–8 (.468) Postseason Record (All-Time) 14–15 (.482)
Logo
League/conference affiliations
American Football League (1960–1969) Eastern Division (1960–1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970–present) AFC East (1970–present)
Current uniform
Team colors	Royal Blue, Red, White
Fight song	Bills Make Me Wanna Shout
Mascot	Billy Buffalo
Personnel
Owner(s)	The Pegula Family
CEO	Terrence Pegula
President	Russ Brandon
General manager	Doug Whaley
Head coach	Rex Ryan
Team history
Buffalo Bills (1960–present)
Championships
League championships (2)
Conference championships (4) AFC: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
Division championships (10) AFL East: 1964, 1965, 1966 AFC East: 1980, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995
Playoff appearances (17)
AFL: 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 NFL: 1974, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999
Home fields
War Memorial Stadium (1960–1972) Ralph Wilson Stadium (1973–present) also known as Rich Stadium (1973–1998) also known as Bills Stadium (1998) Rogers Centre (2008–2013) (Bills Toronto Series)

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. An original franchise of the American Football League, they are members of the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team plays their home games at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills are the only NFL team that play their home games in New York state. (The New York Giants and New York Jets play at MetLife Stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey). The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, an eastern suburb of Rochester.^[1]

The Bills are the only team to win four consecutive conference championships, and are the only NFL team to play in four consecutive Super Bowl games, all of which they lost. The team was owned by Ralph Wilson from the team's founding in 1960, until his death in 2014 at the age of 95. After his death, Wilson's estate reached an agreement to sell the team to Terry and Kim Pegula, which was approved by the other NFL team owners on October 8, 2014.^[2] The team has featured many of the league's most prominent and popular players, including QB Jack Kemp, FB Cookie Gilchrist, G Bob Kalsu, RB O. J. Simpson, DE Bruce Smith, QB Jim Kelly, RB Thurman Thomas, and WR Andre Reed. The Bills have the longest playoff drought in the NFL: they have not made the playoffs since 1999 and are the only team that has not appeared in the NFL playoffs so far in the 21st century.

History

The Bills began competitive play in 1960^[3] as a charter member of the American Football League lead by head coach Buster Ramsey and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.^[4] The Bills won two consecutive American Football League titles in 1964 and 1965, but the club has yet to win a league championship since.

Once the AFL–NFL merger took effect, the Bills became the second NFL team to represent the city; they followed the Buffalo All-Americans, a charter member of the league. Buffalo had been left out of the league since the All-Americans (by that point renamed the Bisons) folded in 1929; the Bills were no less than the third professional non-NFL team to compete in the city before the merger, following the Indians/Tigers of the early 1940s and another team named the Bills in the late 1940s.

Buffalo’s team in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946 was the Bisons. In 1947 a contest was held to rename the team, which was owned by James Breuil of the Frontier Oil Company. The winning entry suggested Bills, reflecting on the famous western frontiersman, Buffalo Bill Cody. Carrying the “frontier” theme further, the winning contestant further offered that the team was being supported by Frontier Oil and was “opening a new frontier in sports in Western New York.” When Buffalo joined the new American Football League in 1960, the name of the city’s earlier pro football entry was adopted.^[5]

On October 8, 2014, Terry and Kim Pegula received unanimous approval to acquire the Bills during the NFL owner's meetings.^[6]

Logos and uniforms

The Bills' uniforms in its first two seasons were based on those of the Detroit Lions at the time.^[7] The team's original colors were light blue, silver and white, and the helmets were silver with no striping. There was no logo on the helmet, which displayed the players' numbers on each side.

In 1962, the standing red bison was designated as the logo and took its place on a white helmet.^[8] In 1962, the team's colors also changed to red, white, and blue. The team switched to blue jerseys with red and white "LSU" stripes on the shoulders. the helmets were white with a red center stripe.^[9] The jerseys again saw a change in 1964 when the shoulder stripes were replaced by a distinctive stripe pattern on the sleeves consisting of four stripes, two thicker inner stripes and two thinner outer stripes all bordered by red piping. By 1965, red and blue center stripes were put on the helmets.^[10]

The Bills introduced blue pants worn with the white jerseys in 1973, the last year of the standing buffalo helmet. The blue pants remained through 1985.^[11] The face mask on the helmet was blue from 1974 through 1986 before changing to white.

The standing bison logo was replaced by a blue charging one with a red slanting stripe streaming from its horn. The newer emblem, which is still the primary one used by the franchise, was designed by aerospace designer Stevens Wright in 1974.^[12]

In 1984, the helmet's background color was changed from white to red, primarily to help Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson distinguish them more readily from three of their division rivals at that time, the Baltimore Colts, the Miami Dolphins, and the New England Patriots, who all also wore white helmets at that point. Ferguson said that "Everyone we played had white helmets at that time. Our new head coach Kay Stephenson just wanted to get more of a contrast on the field that may help spot a receiver down the field."^[13] (The Patriots now use a silver helmet, the Colts have since been realigned to the AFC South, and the New York Jets, who switched to green helmets after the 1978 season, have since switched back to white helmets.)

In 2002, under the direction of general manager Tom Donahoe, the Bills' uniforms went through radical changes. A darker shade of blue was introduced as the main jersey color, and nickel gray was introduced as an accent color. Both the blue and white jerseys featured red side panels. The white jerseys included a dark blue shoulder yoke and royal blue numbers. The helmet remained primarily red with one navy blue, two nickel, two royal blue, two white stripes, and white face mask. A new logo, a stylized "B" consisting of two bullets and a more detailed buffalo head on top, was proposed and had been released (it can be seen on a few baseball caps that were released for sale), but fan backlash led to the team retaining the running bison logo. The helmet logo adopted in 1974—a charging royal blue bison, with a red streak, white horn and eyeball—remained unchanged.

In 2005, the Bills revived the standing bison helmet and uniform of the mid-1960s as a throwback uniform.

The Bills usually wore the all-blue combination at home and the all-white combination on the road when not wearing the throwback uniforms. They stopped wearing blue-on-white after 2006, while the white-on-blue was not worn after 2007.

For the 2011 season, the Bills unveiled a new uniform design, an updated rendition of the 1975–83 design. This change includes a return to the white helmets with "charging buffalo" logo, and a return to royal blue instead of navy.

Buffalo sporadically wore white at home in the 1980s, but stopped doing so before their Super Bowl years. On November 6, 2011, against the New York Jets, the Bills wore white at home for the first time since 1986 and did so again on November 15, 2012, against the Miami Dolphins. Buffalo wore white at home twice during the 2013 season.

Playoffs

• 1963 AFL Eastern Division Playoff: Boston Patriots 26, Buffalo Bills 8
• 1964 AFL Championship: Buffalo Bills 20, San Diego Chargers 7
• 1965 AFL Championship: Buffalo Bills 23, San Diego Chargers 0
• 1966 AFL Championship: Kansas City Chiefs 31, Buffalo Bills 7
• 1974 Divisional Playoffs: Pittsburgh Steelers 32, Buffalo Bills 14
• 1980 Divisional Playoffs: San Diego Chargers 20, Buffalo Bills 14
• 1981 Wild Card Game: Buffalo Bills 31, New York Jets 27
• 1981 Divisional Playoffs: Cincinnati Bengals 28, Buffalo Bills 21
• 1988 Divisional Playoffs: Buffalo Bills 17, Houston Oilers 10
• 1988 AFC Championship: Cincinnati Bengals 21, Buffalo Bills 10
• 1989 Divisional Playoffs: Cleveland Browns 34, Buffalo Bills 30
• 1990 Divisional Playoffs: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
• 1990 AFC Championship: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
• Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
• 1991 Divisional Playoffs: Buffalo Bills 37, Kansas City Chiefs 14
• AFC Championship: Buffalo Bills 10, Denver Broncos 7
• Super Bowl XXVI: Washington Redskins 37, Buffalo Bills 24
• 1992 AFC Wild Card Game: Buffalo Bills 41, Houston Oilers 38 OT
• 1992 AFC Divisional Playoffs: Buffalo Bills 24, 1992 Pittsburgh Steelers 3
• 1992 AFC Championship: Buffalo Bills 29, Miami Dolphins 10
• Super Bowl XXVII: Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17
• 1993 Divisional Playoffs: Buffalo Bills 29, Los Angeles Raiders 23
• AFC Championship: Buffalo Bills 30, Kansas City Chiefs 13
• Super Bowl XXVIII: Dallas Cowboys 30, Buffalo Bills 13
• 1995 Wild Card Game: Buffalo Bills 37, Miami Dolphins 22
• 1995 Divisional Playoffs: Pittsburgh Steelers 40, Buffalo Bills 21
• 1996 Wild Card Game: Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Buffalo Bills 27
• 1998 Wild Card Game: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
• 1999 Wild Card Game: Tennessee Titans 22, Buffalo Bills 16

• Playoff record: 14 wins, 15 losses^[14]

Current roster

colspan="10" style="background-color: #00338d; color: white; border:2px solid #c60c30;" text-align: center;" | Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks 16 Matt Cassel  3 EJ Manuel  5 Tyrod Taylor  7 Jeff Tuel Running backs 35 Bryce Brown 26 Anthony Dixon 42 Jerome Felton FB 22 Fred Jackson -- Corey Knox FB 25 LeSean McCoy Wide receivers -- Justin Brown 81 Marcus Easley 88 Marquise Goodwin 18 Percy Harvin 15 Chris Hogan 86 Caleb Holley 17 Tobais Palmer 11 Marcus Thigpen 80 Deonte Thompson 14 Sammy Watkins 10 Robert Woods Tight ends 85 Charles Clay FB 89 Chris Gragg 48 MarQueis Gray -- Chris Manhertz		Offensive linemen 62 William Campbell G 77 Cordy Glenn T 66 Seantrel Henderson T 64 Richie Incognito G -- Darryl Johnson G 71 Cyrus Kouandjio T -- Alex Kupper G 73 D.J. Morrell G 68 Cyril Richardson G 60 Kraig Urbik G/C 74 Chris Williams G 70 Eric Wood C Defensive linemen 97 Corbin Bryant DT 96 Stefan Charles DT 99 Marcell Dareus DT 55 Jerry Hughes DE 93 Bryan Johnson DE 91 Manny Lawson DE 90 Jeremy Towns DT 95 Kyle Williams DT 94 Mario Williams DE 92 Jarius Wynn DE		Linebackers 53 Nigel Bradham OLB 52 Preston Brown MLB 45 Jimmy Gaines OLB 58 Randell Johnson OLB 57 Ty Powell MLB Defensive backs 46 Deon Broomfield S 33 Ron Brooks CB 30 Mario Butler CB 29 Ross Cockrell CB 24 Stephon Gilmore CB 20 Corey Graham CB 31 Kenny Ladler FS 21 Leodis McKelvin CB 36 Jonathan Meeks FS 30 Bacarri Rambo FS 37 Nickell Robey CB 44 Rod Sweeting CB 23 Aaron Williams FS 27 Duke Williams SS Special teams  2 Dan Carpenter K  4 Jordan Gay K 65 Garrison Sanborn LS  6 Colton Schmidt P				Reserve lists Currently vacant Unrestricted FAs 51 Brandon Spikes MLB 58 Stevenson Sylvester OLB Rookies in italics Roster updated April 30, 2015 Depth Chart • Transactions 70 Active, 0 Inactive, 2 FAs → AFC rosters → NFC rosters
AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC OAK SD NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI STL SF SEA

Retired numbers

Buffalo Bills retired numbers
№	Player	Position	Tenure	Notes
12	Jim Kelly	QB	1986–96[15]	Previously worn by Joe Ferguson, QB, 1973–84, and Daryle Lamonica, QB, 1963–66.

The only number officially retired is the #12 worn by Kelly, although the Bills have other numbers no longer issued to any player or in reduced circulation:^[16]

Unofficially retired:

• 32 O. J. Simpson, RB, 1969–77
• 34 Thurman Thomas, RB, 1988–99; previously worn by Cookie Gilchrist, RB, 1962–64
• 78 Bruce Smith, DE, 1985–99 (guard Ruben Brown used 78 as his practice jersey but wore 79 on the field)

Reduced circulation:^[16]

• 44 Elbert Dubenion, WR, 1960–68
• 66 Billy Shaw, OG, 1961–69
• 83 Andre Reed, WR, 1985–99 (Lee Evans III wore #83 by special permission)

Since the earliest days of the team, the number 31 was not supposed to be issued to any other player. The Bills had stationery and various other team merchandise showing a running player wearing that number, and it was not supposed to represent any specific person, but the 'spirit of the team.' The tradition was broken in 1969 when reserve running back Preston Ridlehuber was issued number 31 for one game while his normal number 36 jersey was repaired by equipment manager Tony Marchitte. The number 31 was not issued again until 1990 when first round draft choice James (J.D.) Williams wore it for his first two seasons. The number has since been released for use by any player and is currently worn by practice squad defensive back Kenny Ladler.^[16]

Number 15 was historically only issued sparingly after the retirement of Jack Kemp,^[16] but is apparently now in general circulation; Chris Hogan currently wears the number.

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Distinguished Service Award Recipients

1986 – Ben Williams 1987 – Joe DeLamielleure 1988 – Steve Freeman 1989 – Jerry Butler 1990 – Tim Vogler 1991 – Joe Ferguson 1992 – Ken Jones 1993 – Booker Edgerson 1994 – George "Butch" Byrd 1995 – Tony Greene 1996 – Frank Lewis 1997 – Steven Paganelli

1996 – Roland Hooks 1997 – Jim Ritcher 1997 – Charley Ferguson 1998 – Stew Barber 1998 – Ed Rutkowski 1999 – Fred Smerlas 1999 – Reggie McKenzie 2000 – Darryl Talley 2000 – Ernie Warlick 2001 – Steve Tasker 2001 – Kent Hull

2002 – Don Beebe 2003 – Thurman Thomas 2004 – Paul Maguire 2005 – Frank Reich 2006 – Phil Hansen 2007 – Lou Piccone 2007 – Denny Lynch 2008 – Mark Kelso 2009 – Andre Reed 2010 – Ruben Brown 2011 – Scott Norwood[17]

Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame

1980 – O. J. Simpson 1984 – Jack Kemp 1985 – Pat McGroder 1987 – Tom Sestak 1988 – Billy Shaw 1989 – Ralph C. Wilson Jr. 1992 – The 12th Man 1993 – Elbert Dubenion 1994 – Mike Stratton 1995 – Joe Ferguson

1996 – Marv Levy 1997 – Joe DeLamielleure 1998 – Robert James 1999 – Edward Abramoski 2000 – Bob Kalsu 2000 – George Saimes 2001 – Jim Kelly 2001 – Fred Smerlas 2002 – Kent Hull 2003 – Darryl Talley

2004 – Jim Ritcher 2005 – Thurman Thomas 2006 – Andre Reed 2007 – Steve Tasker 2008 – Bruce Smith[18] 2010 – Booker Edgerson[19] 2011 – Phil Hansen[20] 2012 – Bill Polian[21] 2014 – Van Miller[22] 2014 - Ralph C. Wilson

Pro Football Hall Of Fame

• O. J. Simpson (1985)
• Billy Shaw (1999)
• Marv Levy (2001)
• Jim Kelly (2002)
• James Lofton (2003)
• Joe DeLamielleure (2003)
• Thurman Thomas (2007)
• Bruce Smith (2009)
• Ralph Wilson (2009)
• Andre Reed (2014)^[23]
• Bill Polian (2015)

All-time first round draft picks

Recent Pro Bowl selections

Coaches of note

Head coaches

Current staff

Buffalo Bills staff
	Front Office Owner/CEO – Terry Pegula Owner – Kim Pegula President – Russ Brandon General Manager – Doug Whaley Senior Vice President of Football Administration – Jim Overdorf Director of Player Personnel – Jim Monos Director of College Scouting – Kelvin Fisher Head Coaches Head Coach – Rex Ryan Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs – Anthony Lynn Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Greg Roman Quarterbacks – David Lee Wide Receivers – Sanjay Lal Tight Ends – Tony Sparano Jr. Offensive Line – Aaron Kromer Senior Offensive Assistant – Chris Palmer Assistant Offensive Line – Kurt Anderson Offensive Quality Control – Jason Vrable			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Dennis Thurman Defensive Line – Karl Dunbar Assistant Defensive Line – Jeff Weeks Linebackers – Bobby April III Outside linebackers – Jason Rebrovich Defensive Backs – Tim McDonald Defensive Backs – Donnie Henderson Defensive Assistant – D'Anton Lynn Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Danny Crossman Assistant Special Teams – Eric Smith Special Teams Quality Control – Michael Hamlin Strength and Conditioning Head Strength and Conditioning – Eric Ciano Assistant Head Strength and Conditioning – Hal Luther Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Jason Oszvart Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Dan Liburd → Coaching Staff → Management → More NFL staffs
AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC OAK SD NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI STL SF SEA

Radio and television

The Buffalo Bills Radio Network is flagshipped at WGR, AM 550 in Buffalo. John Murphy is the team's current play-by-play announcer; he was a color commentator alongside, and eventually succeeded, longtime voice Van Miller after Miller's retirement at the end of the 2003 NFL season. Mark Kelso serves as the color analyst. The Bills radio network has approximately seventeen affiliates in upstate New York and one affiliate, CJCL 590AM (The Fan) in Toronto. As of early 2012, it is composed mostly of WGR, Entercom's sister stations WCMF (96.5 FM) and WROC-AM 950 in Rochester, and a fleet of independent AM and FM stations across upstate New York from Jamestown east to Albany. Previous flagship Citadel Broadcasting was purchased by Cumulus Media, who in turn ceased carrying Bills games at the end of the 2011 season, leaving the network without affiliates in Syracuse, Binghamton, and Erie. (The Syracuse affiliations were later picked up by Galaxy Communications.)

Buffalo is one of ten teams that is contracted with Compass Media Networks to syndicate selected games nationwide.

During the preseason, most games are televised on Buffalo's ABC affiliate, WKBW-TV channel 7, with several other affiliates in western New York. These games are simulcast on sister stations WTVH in Syracuse, WICU in Erie, WHAM-TV in Rochester, and beginning in 2008, CITY-TV in Toronto. Ray Bentley, a former Bills linebacker, does play by play, while CBS analyst and former Bills special teams player Steve Tasker does color commentary on these games. WHAM-TV sports anchor Mike Catalana is the sideline reporter. Since 2008, preseason games have been broadcast in high definition.

In the event that regular season or, should the situation arise, postseason games are broadcast by a cable outlet (ESPN or NFL Network), the Bills' local broadcast outlet since the 2012 season has been WBBZ-TV, whose upstart sports department is under the supervision of former Empire Sports Network general manager Bob Koshinski.

Training camp sites

• 1960–1962 Roycroft Inn, East Aurora, New York
• 1963–1967 Camelot Hotel, Blasdell, New York
• 1968–1980 Niagara University, Lewiston, New York
• 1981–1999 State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, New York
• 2000–present, St. John Fisher College, Pittsford, New York

^[24]

Mascots, cheerleaders and marching band

The Bills' official mascot is Billy Buffalo, an eight-foot tall, anthropomorphic blue American bison who wears the jersey "number" BB.

The Bills do not have cheerleaders. The Bills employed the Buffalo Jills, an independent organization, from 1967 to 2013; the Jills suspended operations prior to the 2014 season due to legal actions.^[25]

The Bills are one of six teams in the NFL to designate an official marching band or drumline (the others being the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks). Since the last game of the 2013 season, this position has been served by the Stampede Drumline.^[26] The Bills have also used the marching bands from Attica High School, the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University at home games in recent years.

The Bills have several theme songs associated with them. One is a variation of the Isley Brothers hit Shout, which served as the Bills' official promotional song throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was officially replaced circa 2000 with "The Power of the Bills," although "Shout" remains in use. The Bills' unofficial fight song, "Go Bills," was penned by Bills head coach Marv Levy in the mid-1990s on a friendly wager with his players that he will write the song if the team won a particular game.^[27]

Supporters

The Bills Backers are the official fan organization of the Buffalo Bills. It has over 200 chapters across North America, Europe and Oceania.^[28] Also notable is the Bills Mafia, a collection of Bills fans that organized via Twitter beginning in 2010.^[29]

In the bone-chilling winter, it is not uncommon to see shirtless fans painted with Bills logos, especially the "B-I-L-L-S" lettering.

In popular culture

Buffalo's rivalry with the Miami Dolphins is referenced on Steve Martin's 1979 album Comedy Is Not Pretty! on the track "How To Meet A Girl." On the track, Martin simulates chatter about football at a party and one "partier" expresses disbelief that Buffalo could beat Miami – at the time of the album's release, the Dolphins had won 18 straight games over the Bills.

In the 1996 X-Files episode "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man", the titular character, a member of a shadowy government cabal, states that the Buffalo Bills will not win a Super Bowl while he lives.

The Buffalo Bills were featured on the direct-to-TV movie Second String, and in the Vincent Gallo drama Buffalo 66.

Actor Dean Cain was briefly a member of the Bills. Because of this, references to the Bills have appeared in the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, in which Cain played the title character. The first episode of season four, titled "Lord of the Flys", Clark picks up a blue Buffalo Bills hat with the Charging Buffalo emblem in the center and uses it to help disguise himself. In a later episode, he lets it be known that the Metropolis Mammoths were playing the Bills.

The Bills are one of the favorite teams of ESPN announcer Chris Berman, who picked the Bills to reach the Super Bowl nearly every year in the 1990s. Berman often uses the catchphrase "No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills!" Berman gave the induction speech for Bills owner Ralph Wilson when Wilson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. The Bills were also the favorite team of late NBC political commentator Tim Russert, a South Buffalo native, who often referred to the Bills on his Sunday morning talk show, Meet the Press. Actor Nick Bakay, a Buffalo native, is also a well-known Bills fan; he has discussed the team in segments of NFL Top 10.

In an April 2011 episode of the television series 30 Rock, titled "100", Alec Baldwin's character Jack Donaghy discovers that, in an alternate future, he would not only be wealthier and more successful, but he would also be the owner of a "New York football team." He later is disappointed to learn that the team is not the New York Giants or New York Jets, but the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills are the team that eventually unseats the Orlando Breakers, the fictional NFL team that serves as the focus of the sitcom Coach in later seasons, in the playoffs.

In an March 2014 episode of the television series Family Guy entitled "3 Acts of God", Peter Griffin—along with his family and friends—attends a game between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts—a game in which the Bills win. The episode also features animated C.J. Spiller and Mario Williams characters with their actual voices used.^[30]

Several former Buffalo Bills players have earned a name in politics after their playing careers had ended, almost always as members of the Republican Party. The most famous of these was quarterback Jack Kemp, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Western New York in 1971—two years after his playing career ended and remained there for nearly two decades, serving as the Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States under Bob Dole in 1996. Kemp's backup, Ed Rutkowski, served as county executive of Erie County from 1979 to 1987. Former tight end Jay Riemersma, defensive tackle Fred Smerlas and defensive end Phil Hansen have all run for Congress, though all three either lost or withdrew from their respective races. Quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas have also both been mentioned as potential candidates for political office, although both have declined all requests to date.

See also

• List of American Football League players
• Major North American professional sports teams

References

External links

• Official website

Buffalo Bills Founded in 1960 Based in Orchard Park, New York The Franchise Franchise History Players Seasons List of Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl selections First-round draft picks Starting Quarterbacks Coaches Logos and Uniforms NFL in Toronto Bills series Stadiums War Memorial Stadium Ralph Wilson Stadium Rogers Centre (Bills Toronto Series) Ford Field (temporary venue due to snow) New Buffalo Bills Stadium (proposed) Culture Buffalo Sports Curse Ralph Wilson Billy Buffalo Buffalo Jills Second String Shout! song Lore AAFC Buffalo Bills Electric Company The Comeback Wide Right Music City Miracle Division Championships (10) 1964 1965 1966 1980 1988 1989 1990 1991 1993 1995 Super Bowl Appearances (4) XXV XXVI XXVII XXVIII League Championships (2) AFL: 1964 1965 Wall of Fame Simpson Kemp McGroder Sestak Shaw Wilson 12th Man Dubenion Stratton Ferguson Levy DeLamielleure James Abramoski Kalsu Saimes Kelly Smerlas Hull Talley Ritcher Thomas Reed Tasker Smith Edgerson Hansen Polian Miller Media Radio network John Murphy Van Miller Mark Kelso Steve Tasker Ray Bentley WGR 550 Toronto Series broadcasters Current League Affiliations League: National Football League Conference: American Football Conference Division: East Division Rivalries Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Jets Owners Wilson Pegula Family   Seasons (56) 1960s – 1970s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s – 1990s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s – 2010s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Buffalo Bills seasons 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Bold indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl victory

Buffalo Bills 1964 AFL Champions Ray Abruzzese Joe Auer Stew Barber Glenn Bass Dave Behrman Al Bemiller Butch Byrd Wray Carlton Hagood Clarke Walt Cudzik Tom Day Ollie Dobbins Elbert Dubenion Jim Dunaway Booker Edgerson George Flint Cookie Gilchrist Pete Gogolak Bill Groman Dick Hudson Harry Jacobs Tom Keating Jack Kemp Daryle Lamonica Paul Maguire Ron McDole Dudley Meredith Joe O'Donnell Hatch Rosdahl Willie Ross Ed Rutkowski George Saimes Tom Sestak Billy Shaw Bobby Smith Mike Stratton Gene Sykes John Tracey Ernie Warlick Charley Warner Head Coach: Lou Saban Assistant Coaches: Joe Collier John Mazur Jerry Smith

Buffalo Bills 1965 AFL Champions Joe Auer Stew Barber Glenn Bass Al Bemiller Butch Byrd Wray Carlton Hagood Clarke Paul Costa Tom Day Elbert Dubenion Jim Dunaway Booker Edgerson Charley Ferguson George Flint Pete Gogolak Bill Groman Floyd Hudlow Dick Hudson Harry Jacobs Tom Janik Billy Joe Tom Keating Jack Kemp Daryle Lamonica Bill Laskey Paul Maguire Ron McDole Dudley Meredith Pete Mills Joe O'Donnell Bo Roberson Ed Rutkowski George Saimes Henry Schmidt Marty Schottenheimer Tom Sestak Billy Shaw Bobby Smith Donnie Stone Mike Stratton Gene Sykes Jack Tracey Ernie Warlick Charley Warner Head Coach: Lou Saban Assistant Coaches: Joe Collier John Mazur Jerry Smith

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