? Greatest Teams #84 1964 Buffalo Bills

[Chandler#81]

Bills Mobile: 'NFL 100 Greatest' Teams, No. 84: 1964 Buffalo Bills
https://www.buffalobills.com/video/nfl-100-greatest-teams-no-84-1964-buffalo-bills

[Formerly Allan in MD]

That team was something else.  It was exceptionally well balanced had starpower galore:  Cookie, Golden Wheels, etc. etc.  It was likely not as good as the initial SB team but in its own way and era was a true champion. 

[Chandler#81]

47 minutes ago, Formerly Allan in MD said:

That team was something else.  It was exceptionally well balanced had starpower galore:  Cookie, Golden Wheels, etc. etc.  It was likely not as good as the initial SB team but in its own way and era was a true champion. 

Especially so when the upstart League In year 5 was all about Offense as they were trying to fill seats and garner a national tv agreement. Those mid-60’s Bills teams played NFL football, 3 yards & a cloud of dust. Clearly the best Defense since the AFL began.

[Jerry Jabber]

I didn't start watching the Bills until 1980. It would have been great to watch the Bills when they won back to back AFL Championships in the 1960's.

[Nextmanup]

1 minute ago, Jerry Jabber said:

I didn't start watching the Bills until 1980. It would have been great to watch the Bills when they won back to back AFL Championships in the 1960's.

That era is arguably the greatest in the history of the franchise, notwithstanding the Superbowl years.

 

At least the team in the '60s won the championship.   Twice!

 

Ironic then that few current fans really know that era at all.

 

 

[Jerry Jabber]

3 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

That era is arguably the greatest in the history of the franchise, notwithstanding the Superbowl years.

 

At least the team in the '60s won the championship.   Twice!

 

Ironic then that few current fans really know that era at all.

 

 

It's a shame. It seems the Bills greatest moments are too few and far between. Hopefully with the Pegula's owning the team, we'll see great moments much more often.

[clayboy54]

Having sat through every one of those games, I can tell you that the things that made the 1964 Bills team great are the same things that make some of us excited to have Sean McDermott driving the future of the Bills today. They were a family and played for each other. Coach Saban was the right guy for that locker room, even when Cookie went rogue. When Glenn Bass went down, the next guy stepped up. Interestingly enough, half the fans wanted Saban fired like they want McDermott fired now. I sat through many refrains of "Goodbye Saban" during those years. Many fans were calling for Jackie Kemp to be benched in favor of Daryl Lamonica. Yet, we were winning championships. Same things as we are reading here today. I guess it's just the nature of Bills fans. Always whining, complaining and wanting this guy or the next guy fired.

 

In retrospect, I would imagine that most fans would give their left nut to win another championship like we did in '64 and 65. From where I sit, I see the 2019 Bills in the same light as I saw the 1963 Bills. Close, but not there yet. A coach, staff and foundation of personnel ready to turn the corner and win a couple championships. Let's not lose sight of such great possibilities by calling for the QB to be benched and singing for the coach to be fired. In 1964 Kemp ended up being AFL MVP and Lou Saban was AFL coach of the year. This in spite of the fans calling for their demise throughout that time.

 

Perhaps history can indeed repeat itself and 2020 will be 1964 for the Bills. It appears that way to me.

[I'm Spartacus]

I got this bank from Buffalo Savings Bank, I think in 1964.

Was six years old then. I loved the Bills as a kid. I keep this on the TV all season long (turn them around when they play bad!)

[Tcali]

3 hours ago, Formerly Allan in MD said:

That team was something else.  It was exceptionally well balanced had starpower galore:  Cookie, Golden Wheels, etc. etc.  It was likely not as good as the initial SB team but in its own way and era was a true champion. 

This team woulda been competitive with the NFL champ Browns in a SB.

Things really fell apart fast for them.The 66 team was a shadow of the 64 and 65 teams even though they made the championship game for the AFL .Then  the 67 team started the typical long streak of losing  Bills Teams.--Darryl Lamonica for a 31 yr old tight end and a QB who couldnt throw the ball 20 yards.

 

[Phil The Thrill]

5 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

Bills Mobile: 'NFL 100 Greatest' Teams, No. 84: 1964 Buffalo Bills
https://www.buffalobills.com/video/nfl-100-greatest-teams-no-84-1964-buffalo-bills

 

 

1 hour ago, I'm Spartacus said:

I got this bank from Buffalo Savings Bank, I think in 1964.

Was six years old then. I loved the Bills as a kid. I keep this on the TV all season long (turn them around when they play bad!)

 

Probably could sell that on eBay for $30.  It’s pretty cool

[Helpmenow]

The team was well rounded Joel Collier who ran the D. Team had power and some speed. 

[Chandler#81]

8 hours ago, clayboy54 said:

Having sat through every one of those games, I can tell you that the things that made the 1964 Bills team great are the same things that make some of us excited to have Sean McDermott driving the future of the Bills today. They were a family and played for each other. Coach Saban was the right guy for that locker room, even when Cookie went rogue. When Glenn Bass went down, the next guy stepped up. Interestingly enough, half the fans wanted Saban fired like they want McDermott fired now. I sat through many refrains of "Goodbye Saban" during those years. Many fans were calling for Jackie Kemp to be benched in favor of Daryl Lamonica. Yet, we were winning championships. Same things as we are reading here today. I guess it's just the nature of Bills fans. Always whining, complaining and wanting this guy or the next guy fired.

 

In retrospect, I would imagine that most fans would give their left nut to win another championship like we did in '64 and 65. From where I sit, I see the 2019 Bills in the same light as I saw the 1963 Bills. Close, but not there yet. A coach, staff and foundation of personnel ready to turn the corner and win a couple championships. Let's not lose sight of such great possibilities by calling for the QB to be benched and singing for the coach to be fired. In 1964 Kemp ended up being AFL MVP and Lou Saban was AFL coach of the year. This in spite of the fans calling for their demise throughout that time.

 

Perhaps history can indeed repeat itself and 2020 will be 1964 for the Bills. It appears that way to me.

Excellent post -and sadly accurate.

[LabattBlue]

16 hours ago, clayboy54 said:

Perhaps history can indeed repeat itself and 2020 will be 1964 for the Bills. It appears that way to me.

I was only 5 in 1964, so I don't have any memory of the '64 or '65 championship teams(except for what I have read), but IMO, there is no way in one off-season, that this current version of the team is going to be in any way comparable to the 64 or 65 teams come next September.

[Chandler#81]

I was 8 and remember so much about that year, but wasn’t really into the Bills like my father & older brother were. Obvi, 11-22-63 is profound, Beatles on Ed Sullivan Feb 9th, later that month Clay knocks out the Big Bear to become youngest Heavyweight Champ, then whoops him again as Ali in the rematch in October. Bills were always on the radio or tv and I knew they were good and many players, but I liked the Buffalo Bisons hockey team more, with their Pepsi Cola jerseys. By ‘65, I was hooked on the Bills for life.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

The early Bills team were symbolic of a new league that was quite interesting as it was continually in a building and experimental mode.  You never knew what types of players, young and old (over the hill in many cases but with a chance to be rejuvenated against lesser competition), would be brought in.  The Bills had all kinds of "interesting" players, from center Dan McGrew, nicknamed Dangerous Dan because of his propensity to often snap the ball over the punter's head, to Johnny Green, a young quarterback who continually threw interceptions.  They decided to test his eyes and determined he was color blind.  The good old days they were.   

[row_33]

could they have competed with the Packers during the AFL title years?

 

[oldmanfan]

3 minutes ago, row_33 said:

could they have competed with the Packers during the AFL title years?

 

I would have loved to see them play each other.  I think our defense would have been up to the task of Lombardi and the power sweep.

[I'm Spartacus]

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

could they have competed with the Packers during the AFL title years?

 

 

Bills missed out playing the Packers in the first Super Bowl by 1 game. We got knocked off by the Chiefs in the AFL Championship.

[clayboy54]

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

could they have competed with the Packers during the AFL title years?

 

One of the things that I remember about this was, because of our outstanding defense many prognosticators believed that the Bills were the only team that could have had a chance against Lombardi's Packers. Of course there was no way to ever know for sure. So, in the very early days of computers, some group of students decided to run the '65 Packers vs the '65 Bills on one of the early mainframe computers. As I remember, it took a few weeks to compile the data and create the simulation but they did it. Something like 3 out of 4 times, the Bills beat the Packers. Unfortunately, the following year our untimely loss to the Chiefs in the 1966 AFL championship game ended up costing the world from ever knowing for sure. Of course, Saban left, Cookie was gone and the rest, as they say, is history.

Edited November 14, 2019 by clayboy54

[row_33]

Thanks to the fans responding to my Packers question, great answers, missed out on this team by a few years, was there for the Kelly years thankfully!

 

 

I was reminded here how close the Bills came to playing in the first one...