National Football League
Buffalo Bills
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Bills History
September 11, 1960 was the first time the AFL franchise Buffalo Bills took the field against the New York Titans losing 27-3. The team would finish that first season in 3rd place with a 5-8-1 record. Three seasons later, in the 1963 campaign, the Bills would post a 7-6-1 record and sneak into the playoffs. Matched against New England Patriots, the Bills fell 26-8 in the Divisional Playoffs.
The 1964 season saw the Bills win their Division with a 12-2 record. They would draw the San Diego Chargers in the AFL Championship Game. In front of a standing room only crowd of 40,242 the Bills destroyed the Chargers 20-7 for their first AFL Title.
The next time the Bills would win their Division was not until the 1980 season when they posted an 11-5 record and won their first Division Title. In the playoffs, the Bills would be ambushed by the San Diego Chargers 20-14.
The Bills would continue to get into the playoffs but would not make it past the conference game until the 1990 season utilizing the No Huddle Offense fulltime, the Bills blow through the league winning 9 of their first 10 games and finishing with a 13-3 record and their 3rd straight AFC East Title. In the playoffs the Bills would continue their winning ways, dispatching the Miami Dolphins 44-34 and destroying the Oakland Raiders 51-3 for the AFC Conference Title and the right to play the New York Giants in Tampa Bay.
Super Bowl XXV, the Silver Anniversary Super Bowl was a lesson in power football as the Giants countered the Bills No Huddle Offense by a grinding running game utilizing 4 backs and gaining 172 yards on the ground and holding Buffalo to only 19:27 seconds in time of possession. The Giants defeated the Bills 20-19.
The 1994 season would see the Bills bounce back from their Super Bowl loss and dominate the AFC East Division with a 13-3 record as RB Thurman Thomas won the Offensive Player of the Year Award with 2,038 all purpose yards and 12 touchdowns as he led the Bills into their 2nd consecutive championship in Super Bowl XXVI.
Super Bowl XXVI pitted the Buffalo Bills against the Washington Redskins in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Bills fell behind 24-0 early on and had trouble recovering. Late in the third, the Bills would make a 10 point run but the Skins would answer back to take a 37-10 lead. The Bills would score 2 late touchdowns to make the final outcome 37-24.
Buffalo made history the next season as they again had a stellar regular season going 11-5 but failing to secure the Division for the first time in 3 years. The Bills would lose to the Houston Oilers on the last game of the season. The Division championship was played a week later as the Oilers and the Bills met again. This time the game looking like a blowout as the Bills trailed 35-3. Early in the third quarter, Buffalo began a comeback scoring a TD and bringing the score to 35-10. The Bills then kicked an Onside Kick and recovered the ball. Backup QB Frank Reich then hit WR Don Bebe for a 37 yard TD strike. The Bills continued to cut into the lead until late in the 4th they took a 38-35 lead. The Oilers would answer back and force overtime. Houston wins the coin flip and begins QB Warren Moon led their march down the field but, on 3rd and 3 on their own 27 yard line, Moon is picked off by Nate Odom. The Bills sent out kicker Steve Christie for a 32-yard FG to complete one of the best comebacks in NFL History and the Bills 41-38 win. The Bills then met the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Division Championship beating them 24-3. The AFC Conference Title saw the return of Jim Kelly against the Miami Dolphins as he led the Bills over the fish 29-10 for their 3rd straight AFC Championship and Super Bowl birth.
Super Bowl XXVII saw the Buffalo Bills as only the 2nd team in NFL History to play in 3 straight Super Bowls as they faced the Dallas Cowboys. Hoping to avoid the Buffalo Super Bowl curse, the team jumped ahead early on a 2 yard Thurman Thomas TD run. The Bills may have thought things going in the right direction until 2 consecutive turnovers that led to 14 points by the end of the 1st quarter and the Cowboys would take an 18 point into halftime. The second half saw much of the same as Buffalo would manage only 7 points in the 2nd half to the Cowboys 24. The final score was Dallas 52, Buffalo 17. The Bills suffered their 3rd straight Super Bowl defeat.
The Bills would make and unprecedented 4th straight appearance in the Super Bowl as they again Matched up with the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVIII in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. The Bills took a strong 13-6 lead into half time and appeared poised to take the next step in the Bills Championship Evolution. However, the Cowboys came out in the 2nd half and completely dominated as James Washington stripped Thurman Thomas and scampered 47 yards to tie the game and the Cowboys never looked back as the went on to score 17 straight points to win the game 30-13 handing the Bills their 4th straight Super Bowl defeat
Buffalo has yet to return to the Super Bowl.
The Bills have made the playoffs 17 times in 49 seasons and have won their division 10 times (1965, 65, 66, 1980, 88, 89, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1995). They have won their Conference 6 times (1966, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993). They participated in 2 AFL Championship Games (1964 and 1965) and won 2 AFL Championships (1964 and 1965).
The team has had 7 Hall of Famer on their rosters: (Joe DeLamielleure 1973-79, 1985, Jim Kelly 1986-1996, Coach Marv Levy 1986-1997, James Lofton 1989-1992, Billy Shaw 1961-1969, O.J. Simpson 1969-1977 and Thurman Thomas 1988-1999).
In lieu of retiring Jerseys, Buffalo places their players on a Wall of Fame. Buffalo has 25 player on the wall: Eddie Abramoski (trainer), Joe DeLamielleure, Elbert Dubenion, Joe Ferguson, Kent Hull, Robert James, bob Kalsu, Jim Kelly, Jack Kemp, Coach Marv Levy, Patrick McGroder, Andre Reed, Jim Richter, George Saimes, Tom Sestak, Billy Shaw, O.J. Simpson, Fred Smerlas, Bruce Smith, Mike Stratton, Darryl Talley, Steve Tasker, Thurman Thomas, President Ralph C. Wilson Jr. and The 12th Man.
Team Awards include 4 Coach of the Year Awards (1964 Lou Saban, 1965 Lou Saban, 1980 Chuck Knox and 1988 Marv Levy), 1 AFL Rookie of the Year Award (1966 Bobby Burnett), 2 Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards (1979 Jim Haslett and 1987 Shane Conlan), 1 AFL Player of the Year Award (1962 Cookie Gilchrist), 3 Defensive Player of the Year Awards (1990 Bruce Smith, 1995 Bryce Paup and 1996 Bruce Smith), 1 Offensive Player of the Year Award (1991 Thurman Thomas) and 2 NFL MVP Awards (1973 O.J. Simpson and 1991 Thurman Thomas)
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