Mike Stratton is a forgotten piece of Buffalo Bills Football lore, which is unfortunate as he was a dominating Linebacker during the 1960’s who in the 1964 AFL Championship game executed “The Hit Heard Round the World” when he stopped San Diego’s Keith Lincoln and took him out of the contest.  That hit changed the momentum of the game, which would lead to Buffalo’s first AFL Title.  Stratton would be named to the Second Team All-Time AFL roster.

Buffalo chose Stratton for their Wall of Fame in 1994.

Taken second overall in the 1987 NFL Draft by Indianapolis out of Alabama, Cornelius Bennett landed in Buffalo following a blockbuster three-way trade before ever playing a down for the Colts. Joining a talent-rich core featuring Bruce Smith, Darryl Talley, and Shane Conlan, "Biscuit" brought rare, world-class athletic traits that elevated Ted Cottrell and Walt Corey's defense into an aggressive, championship-caliber unit.

Bennett possessed a rare combination of raw power, closing acceleration, and fluid movement skills. Operating as an outside linebacker in Buffalo's 3-4 front, he was equally adept at turning the corner as an explosive edge rusher or dropping back into pass coverage to blank out tight ends. His signature trait was his violent closing speed in pursuit—he possessed the lateral range to run down sweeps on the opposite sideline and the brute strength to blow up lead blockers in the hole.

Bennett made an immediate impact when he arrived midway through his rookie season in 1987, recording 8.5 sacks in just eight games. His rise to superstardom started in 1988. That year, he tallied 9.5 sacks, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles, earning him the UPI AFC Defensive Player of the Year award and his first Pro Bowl selection, along with a First-Team All-Pro honor.

As the Bills began their historic dominance in the early 1990s, Bennett was the driving force of Buffalo's front seven during four straight Super Bowl appearances (1990–1993). In 1991, he delivered another exceptional season, recording 78 tackles, 9.0 sacks, and three forced fumbles, earning his second UPI AFC Defensive Player of the Year award, his second First-Team All-Pro selection, and his third Pro Bowl.

He continued to be a dominant player throughout the decade, earning Pro Bowl selections in 1992, 1993, and 1995. His most memorable moment was during the 1993 playoffs against Oakland, when he delivered a powerful sack on Vince Evans, marking Buffalo's return to the championship game.

After nine stellar seasons in Western New York, salary-cap pressures led to a separation following the 1995 season. Bennett signed a free-agent deal with Atlanta in 1996, helping lead the Falcons to Super Bowl XXXIII before concluding his career with the Indianapolis Colts. His dominance throughout the era earned him a spot on the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

Bennett played in 128 regular-season games, accumulating 52.5 sacks, 793 total tackles, seven interceptions, 22 forced fumbles, and 19 fumble recoveries as a Bill. In 2010, the franchise honored his lasting impact by inducting Bennett into the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.

Ruben Brown played nine seasons for the Buffalo Bills and secured eight Pro Bowl invitations, a whopping percentage!  Brown, who would also be named to another Pro Bowl as a Chicago Bear would start all of his 136 Games Played as a Bill.  He would be chosen for the Second Team All-Pro roster four times and is arguably one of the most underappreciated players in NFL history.

Billy Shaw, drafted in the second round of the 1961 AFL Draft out of Georgia Tech, faced a crucial decision. Picked at the same time by the Dallas Cowboys in the 14th round of the NFL Draft, Shaw chose Western New York because the Bills saw him as a mobile left guard, while Dallas considered him a linebacker. This decision changed the franchise’s course, as Shaw became a key figure in Buffalo's offensive line during its most successful pre-merger period.

In the 1960s, Shaw transformed interior line play with his exceptional speed and agility for an offensive lineman. Instead of just staying stationary as a pass protector, he was a versatile pulling guard, adept at leading sweep plays into open space. Shaw's quickness allowed him to get ahead of runners like Cookie Gilchrist and Wray Carlton, where he delivered powerful blocks against linebackers and defensive backs on the outside. At the same time, he had enough lower-body strength to handle larger interior tackles.

Shaw joined the starting lineup right away as a rookie in 1961, maintaining an elite level of consistency throughout his nine-year career. In 1962, he received his first AFL All-Star nod, beginning an impressive streak of eight consecutive All-Star selections from 1962 to 1969.

Between 1962 and 1966, Shaw received five consecutive First-Team All-AFL honors, anchoring Buffalo's championship offenses. His powerful blocking propelled the Bills to consecutive AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965, notably in 1964 when Buffalo defeated the San Diego Chargers 20-0 with a dominant ground game.

Shaw continued to be a top interior lineman until the end of the decade, earning Second-Team All-AFL honors in 1968 and 1969. He retired after the 1969 season, just before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. During his nine seasons in Buffalo, he started 116 of his 119 career games and never played for another professional team.

His dominant decade secured his place on the AFL All-Time Team and the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team. The Buffalo Bills honored Shaw by adding him to their Wall of Fame in 1988. In 1999, he made football history by becoming the only player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame who spent his entire professional career exclusively in the American Football League.