|
Buffalo became a charter member of the AFL in 1960. After four
mediocre seasons, the team won the Eastern Division in 1964
under head coach Lou Saban, who was named AFL coach of the year.
Also that year, the Bills’ star kicker, Hungarian-born
Pete Gogolak, became professional football’s first soccer-style
kicker, using the side of his foot rather than his toe to propel
the football. The Bills beat the San Diego Chargers in the 1964
AFL Championship Game. A year later they repeated the feat.
Saban again won top coaching honors, and Jack Kemp was named
the league’s most valuable player (MVP).
After posting the AFL’s worst record in 1968, the Bills
used their number-one pick in the 1969 AFL draft to select O.
J. Simpson. A year later, Buffalo joined the NFL when the AFL
and NFL completed their merger. In 1972 Simpson won the first
of his four AFC rushing titles, and the next season he ran for
2,003 yards, breaking the NFL record held by Jim Brown of the
Cleveland Browns. Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams (now
St. Louis Rams) broke Simpson’s record in 1984 with 2,105
yards. The Bills had little postseason success during Simpson’s
time with the club, and he left the team in 1977.
Led by veteran quarterback Joe Ferguson and rookie running
back Joe Cribbs, Buffalo made the playoffs in 1980, and Chuck
Knox was named AFC coach of the year. The Bills continued to
improve during the 1980s, reaching the playoffs again in 1981
and acquiring key players such as quarterback Jim Kelly, running
back Thurman Thomas, and wide receiver Andre Reed.
In 1988 the Bills reached the AFC Championship Game for the
first time since joining the NFL. Buffalo’s Eastern Division
title was the first of five that the team captured from 1988
to 1993. The team combined a potent offense with defensive standouts
such as Cornelius Bennett and Bruce Smith. In 1991 the Bills
lost the first of four consecutive Super Bowls. The margins
of defeat ranged from a 1-point loss to the New York Giants
in 1991 to a 35-point rout at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys
in 1993. Although Bennett left the team after the 1995 season
and Kelly retired in 1996, Buffalo continued to be a dominant
force in the AFC Eastern Division in the mid- and late 1990s.
Before the 2000 season Buffalo retooled its roster and released
popular stars Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, and Thurman Thomas.
1991 Super Bowl XXV Lost to New York Giants, 20-19
1992 Super Bowl XXVI Lost to Washington Redskins, 37-24
1993 Super Bowl XXVII Lost to Dallas Cowboys, 52-17
1994 Super Bowl XXVIII Lost to Dallas Cowboys, 30-13 |
