R.I.P Kent Hull

[Another Fan]

I remember it was around this time of year he passed away but it's just been six years.

 

My phone won't let me embed it but this to me shows the type of person he was

 

https://youtu.be/n8H3nGgcmVw

[Fadingpain]

Jerry Sullivan, from Wed. Oct. 19, 2011:

 

Kent Hull was one of the smartest, most decent and accommodating players I've dealt with during my 20-plus years in Buffalo. During the Super Bowl years, Hull was a dependable source of wisdom on a team of amazing athletes and characters. You could always count on Kent for insight into the team and the game. He wouldn't rip anyone or say anything controversial, but he provided perspective and intelligence and you almost always used his comments prominently. It was the unvarnished truth.

We called him our go-to guy. That's a designation reporters use for athletes who can always be relied on for a solid quote. We even had Kent Hull moratoriums. If you thought you had been using Kent too much, you took a week off and went to other players for the money quote. To this day, we talk about Hull in the locker room. The other day, George Wilson was surrounded on Media Day. A couple of veterans were off to the side. One of them told me, "I'm on a Senator Moratorium."

Every so often, an athlete will become a popular source for quotes in the locker room. We'll wonder, is he moving up to Kent Hull level? All I can say is there will never be another one like him.

Hull was also a great player, of course, the axis of that no-huddle offense. Tom Bresnahan, who coached offensive line and then was coordinator in those years, once told me Hull was the best center ever to play. He said no one else could have handled the responsibility of being the center for the no-huddle in those days. He had to make the line calls, identify blitzers, tell Jim Kelly when a play wouldn't work. He was also a terrific pass blocker and a fine run blocker in space.

I'll have more as the day goes along. Just had an amazing interview with Darryl Talley. Not surprisingly, Talley was the first one to call. He was very emotional last night and we decided to wait until this morning to talk. I'll post that later. I also found quotes from an interview with Hull in August of 1996, before his final year with the Bills. I'll post some of those, too.

Tomorrow, I'll have a column on Hull in the News.

[K D]

Underrated what he meant to those super bowl teams. They couldn't run the k-gun no huddle without Kent calling the line plays so quick. Possible HOF'er some day? I hope so

[Pilsner]

God bless Kent Hull. What a good man he was. I will always remember him for being such an integral, if not the most important piece of the line. What an inspiration he was and still is to the community and to us fans. RIP Mr. Hull.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

[Gordio]

God bless Kent Hull. What a good man he was. I will always remember him for being such an integral, if not the most important piece of the line. What an inspiration he was and still is to the community and to us fans. RIP Mr. Hull.

 

 

He was definately the most important piece of that line. I don't even think that is up for debate. One could argue he was the MVP of that offense all those years. Pretty bold statement given the players they had but one can argue it.

[Just Joshin']

He was a great player and vastly underrated outside of Buffalo. Someday I suspect he will be in the HOF via the veterans route. He will never be voted in by the writers.

 

I have talked to folks who knew him in Mississippi. As good as a player was, he was a better person.

[YoloinOhio]

RIP to a great one

[boyst]

There were several games he was our #3 QB. I still think that's the funniest thing ever ..and best

[RyanC883]

Great guy, most underrated center perhaps in the history of the NFL. K-Gun does not happen w/o him.

 

What happened to him? I can't recall. At any rate, RIP Ken.

[Fadingpain]

Kent is one of my favorite Bills of all time.

 

When I think back to the glory days, I envision Hull in a 3 point stance, hand on the football, with the other forearm resting on his thigh, looking backwards and rocking slightly to his left and right, barking out line calls and telling Jimbo what to do.

 

He was the keystone of a really great offensive line.

[The Dean]

Criminally underrated.

 

Centers are underrated in general, IMO. It's supposed to be the easiest position on the OL, according to some. But I think to play it at a high level (as Hull did) takes not only athleticism, but intelligence. Kent was worth his weight in gold, on that team.