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Buffalo Bills |
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The Buffalo Bills, professional football team and one of five teams in the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Buffalo Bills began their pro football life as the American Football League's seventh team. On October 28, 1959, Ralph C. Wilson was awarded the franchise. Since coming into existence, the Bills have experienced extended periods of excellence as well as extended periods of futility. The Bills' first brush with success came in their fourth season, 1963, when they tied for the AFL Eastern division crown. (They lost to the Boston Patriots in a playoff.) In 1964 and 1965, they not only won their division, but they defeated the San Diego Chargers for the AFL championship. Head Coach Lou Saban, who was named AFL Coach of the Year each year, left after the 1965 season. In 1966, Buffalo lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the title game. In so doing, the Bills just missed playing in Super Bowl I. Then, during the next five seasons, they sank to the bottom, winning only 13 games while losing 55 and tying two. In 1972, Saban returned and made the decision to let the Bills' superstar running back, O.J. Simpson, carry the team. Smart move. Once again, the Bills were competitive. And the responsibility certainly didn't bother the Juice: In 1973, he rushed for a league-record 2,003 yards. In the midst of the 1976 season, Saban departed again, and the Bills sank into the second division once again. But in 1980, under Chuck Knox, the Bills won the AFC East. The Bills advanced to the playoffs the next season as well, but lost to Cincinnati. Then, the roller coaster ride for Buffalo fans took another steep dive, with six straight non-winning seasons into the mid-1980's. However, Marv Levy, who took over the coaching reins in 1986, quickly rebuilt the Bills, creating one of pro football's truly dominant teams. Starting in 1988, the Bills won five AFC Eastern titles in six years and became the only team ever to play in four straight Super Bowls. While three coaches—Saban, Knox and Levy—have been primarily responsible for the Buffalo's winning years, so too have a handful of players been the keys to the Bills' successes. While Simpson was the man in the winning years in the early 1970's, stars such as quarterback Jack Kemp, who later became a U.S. Congressman, fullback Cookie Gilchrist and defensive tackle Tom Sestak played dominant roles in the 1960s. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, Levy's teams were powered by such perennial stars as quarterback Jim Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas and defensive end Bruce Smith.
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