Top 50 Buffalo Bills
Say what you want about the Buffalo Bills in the early 1990s.At the end of the day, there was only one professional football team that went to the Super Bowl four years in a row, and while they did not win any of them or any Super Bowls for that matter, the accomplishment of getting there four times consecutively should be celebrated.
The history of the Buffalo Bills dates back to 1960, where they were charter members of the American Football League and were part of the AFL/NFL merger. This list will include AFL accomplishments, and it is forgotten that the Bills were two-time AFL Champions (1964 and 1965).
This list is up to the end of the 2021 regular season.
Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics and post-season accolades.
Bruce Smith was the first overall Draft Pick of 1985 and he did not disappoint the fans of the Buffalo Bills. Smith would become the leader of the Bills defense for years and would emerge as the most dominating Quarterback destroyer in history amassing 200 Quarterback Sacks (171 with Buffalo) and is the all-time leader in that category.
One of the most dynamic offensive players in Football, Thurman Thomas was a superstar who incredibly led the National Football League in Yards from Scrimmage four years in a row, a feat almost as incredible his team making the Super Bowl four years in a row!
While the first three years of O.J. Simpson’s professional career was basically average, he would explode the next five seasons where he would explode for five consecutive First Team All-Pro nods as well as four Rushing Titles. One of those titles included becoming the first Running Back in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season.
Considering how he originally stated he didn’t want to be in Buffalo (he went to the Houston Gamblers of the USFL first), there might be no player in Bills history who is more synonymous with the city than former Quarterback, Jim Kelly.When the USFL folded, Kelly resigned himself to the cold weather but would become a major star in that…
The Buffalo Bills had the Quarterback (Kelly), the Running Back (Thomas), and to finish off that triumvirate of skill, they had Andre Reed.
With the stars that the Buffalo Bills had in the late ’80s and early ’90s, you needed a capable leader of the Offensive Line, which they had in Mississippi State alumni, Kent Hull.
Holding the distinction of being the only member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who never played in the NFL, Billy Shaw was an elite Offensive Lineman who spent his entire career with the Buffalo Bills and would be named to five consecutive First Team All-AFL Teams and the All-Time AFL roster. It is very plausible to state that…
A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Joe DaLamielleure had the best years of his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills and was adept at opening holes for O.J. Simpson to plow through. DeLamielleure had five of his six Pro Bowls as a Bill and was a three-time First Team All-Pro. It was also noted how well the…
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…
Fred Smerlas was one of the few shining lights for some awful Buffalo Bills teams and he was there to see the franchise rise. The bruising Nose Tackle would make five Pro Bowls and achieve a high level of popularity in Western New York. He was named a First Team All-Pro in 1982.He entered the Bills Wall of Fame in…
A vital part of the Buffalo Bills defense during those four straight Super Bowl appearances, Cornelius Bennett was the AFC Defensive Player of the Year twice and was also a member of the 1990’s All-Decade Team. Bennett would also be a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and he recorded 52.5 Sacks for the team.
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…
Considered one of the most underrated players (at least in the eyes of his teammates), the acrobatic Darryl Talley is the Buffalo Bills all-time leader in Tackles. Talley would also accumulate 38.5 Sacks and would never miss a game over his twelve seasons in Buffalo. The Linebacker was a huge part of their four straight AFC Championships, and he was…
A member of the 1964 and 1965 AFL Championship Teams, Defensive Tackle, Tom Sestak was a master pass rusher and was chosen for the All-Time AFL Team. Sestak would only play for the Buffalo Bills and was a four-time AFL All-Star. Sestak led the AFL (unofficially) in Sacks in 1964 with 15.5 and took down the Quarterback 52 times in…
Jack Kemp would actually become more famous for his foray into politics, but in Buffalo he was an exceptional Quarterback who would lead the Bills to two AFL Championships.
Gilchrist was signed to (what had to be an illegal) contract by the Cleveland Browns to a contract when he was still in high school. The Browns reneged, and he would forego college to play in an amateur league in Canada before he was old enough to play in the Canadian Football League. He played there for five years, winning…
Although he was considered undersized for a Defensive Tackle, it did not take Kyle Williams long to crack the Buffalo Bills starting lineup. Once Williams did, he would stay there for the duration of his 13-year career and he would work his way into being one of the best in the National Football League. A Bill throughout his career, Williams…
The starting Left Guard for the Buffalo Bills during their elite run in the late ’80s and the early ’90s, Jim Rtcher would be named to two Pro Bowls and is one of the few players to suit up for Buffalo for over 200 Games.Ritcher entered the Bills Wall of Fame in 2004.
While Joe Ferguson was never a Pro Bowl selection, he was a long time starter with the Bills and would lead the NFL in Passing Yards in 1977 and Touchdown Passes in 1975. He may have had more picks than TD passes, but many of the top quarterbacks did have that in that era, and this is still one of…