(cid:42)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:39)(cid:68)(cid:92)(cid:86) B ack in the 1950s professional football was on the rise The National Football League NFL was adding millions of new fans every year The sport was so popular that a rival league called the American Football League AFL began play In 1959 businessman Ralph Wilson bought a team in the AFL After considering his options Wilson turned to a town that he knew really wanted his team Buffalo New York The Bills were born Buffalo was no stranger to pro football The Bills were the city’s fourth team The first club played in the NFL during the 1920s In the 1960s coach Lou Saban and a smart quarterback named Jack Kemp led the Bills Kemp’s favorite receiver was Elbert Dubenion who specialized in catching long passes Buffalo had (cid:25)
a strong running game powered by running back Cookie Gilchrist and linemen Billy Shaw and Stew Barber Tom Sestak and George Saimes led the defense The Bills quickly rose to the top of the AFL In 1964 they won the league championship in a tight game with the San Diego Chargers The following year Buffalo faced San Diego again for the AFL title The Bills repeated as champions In 1970 the Bills were one of 10 AFL teams to join the NFL By then they had football’s most exciting player O J Simpson He was a swift and explosive running back who had the league’s best blockers in front of him Simpson was nicknamed the Juice and his offensive line was known as the Electric Company In 1973 Simpson became the first player in history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season Despite all its talent Buffalo won just once in the playoffs from 1966 to 1987 The team had three great Joes during LEFT This trading card shows the 1960 Bills ABOVE O J Simpson was on dozens of magazine covers during his years with the Bills (cid:26)
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this period Joe Ferguson Joe DeLamielleure and Joe Cribbs However the Bills were no match for strong clubs such as the Miami Dolphins Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders Buffalo’s luck began to change when coach Marv Levy and quarterback Jim Kelly joined the team in 1986 Levy was thoughtful and friendly But when he stepped on the field he was all business His teams matched his personality and Buffalo soon became a powerhouse The Bills had an extremely talented defense Its leaders included Bruce Smith Darryl Talley Shane Conlan and Cornelius Bennett Smith gave Buffalo a big advantage with his passion for football and his ability to sack the quarterback On offense Kelly was the perfect leader for the Bills Few passers in the NFL could match his strong and accurate throwing arm He got plenty of help from running back Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed When Buffalo needed an extra spark receiver Steve Tasker usually provided it LEFT Bruce Smith celebrates a sack ABOVE Jim Kelly gets words of advice from coach Marv Levy (cid:28)
