Regular season
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| 1965 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Head coach | Lou Saban |
| Home field | War Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–3–1 |
| Division place | 1st AFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Won AFL Championship (at Chargers) 23–0 |
The 1965 Buffalo Bills season was the team's sixth season in the American Football League. Though not as statistically dominant as the previous season, the Bills won a second consecutive league championship.
Although Buffalo's offense was in the middle of the pack in 1965, it was their dominant team defense that kept them atop the league's standings. Buffalo gave up only 226 points (16.1 per game), fewest in the AFL, and one point fewer than AFL Championship runner-up San Diego. [1] The Bills' opportunistic defense led the league in interceptions, with 32, and gave up a league-low four rushing touchdowns all season. Between week 6 of the 1964 season, through week eight of the 1965 season, including two 1964 playoff games, the Bills' defense did not allow a touchdown by rushing, a Professional Football record that still stands.
The Bills, who had led the AFL in points, rushing yards and total yards the previous season, suffered significantly after losing star running back Cookie Gilchrist in the offseason. Statistically, the Bills dropped to 6th (out of 8) in rushing yards, and 7th in passing yards. Still, they managed to finish 3rd in the AFL in points scored, with 313 (22.3 per game). [2]
The Bills' turnover ratio was +18, best in the AFL, and fourth best in AFL history. [3] Buffalo's +87 point differential was second-best in the league in 1965.
Seven Bills made the 1965 AFL All-Star team: safety George Saimes, cornerback Butch Byrd, linebacker Mike Stratton, defensive tackle Tom Sestak, guard Billy Shaw, kicker Pete Gogolak, and quarterback Jack Kemp. [4]
| 1965 Buffalo Bills staff | ||||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
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| 1965 Buffalo Bills roster | ||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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| Note:rookies in italics | ||||||
The Bills lost All-AFL running back Cookie Gilchrist to the Denver Broncos after the 1964 season. Bills running back Wray Carlton would take over as the Bills' lead back.
| | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (March 2015) |
| AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Buffalo Bills | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 4–2 | 313 | 226 | L1 | |
| New York Jets | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 3–3 | 285 | 303 | W1 | |
| Boston Patriots | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 2–4 | 244 | 302 | W3 | |
| Houston Oilers | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–3 | 298 | 429 | L7 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | Boston Patriots | W 24–7 | 1–0 | War Memorial Stadium | 45,502 | Recap |
| 2 | September 19 | at Denver Broncos | W 30–15 | 2–0 | Bears Stadium | 30,682 | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | New York Jets | W 33–21 | 3–0 | War Memorial Stadium | 45,056 | Recap |
| 4 | October 3 | Oakland Raiders | W 17–12 | 4–0 | War Memorial Stadium | 41,256 | Recap |
| 5 | October 10 | San Diego Chargers | L 3–34 | 4–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 45,260 | Recap |
| 6 | October 17 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 23–7 | 5–1 | Municipal Stadium | 26,941 | Recap |
| 7 | October 24 | Denver Broncos | W 31–13 | 6–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 45,046 | Recap |
| 8 | October 31 | Houston Oilers | L 17–19 | 6–2 | War Memorial Stadium | 44,267 | Recap |
| 9 | November 7 | at Boston Patriots | W 23–7 | 7–2 | Fenway Park | 24,415 | Recap |
| 10 | November 14 | at Oakland Raiders | W 17–14 | 8–2 | Frank Youell Field | 19,352 | Recap |
| 11 | Bye | ||||||
| 12 | November 25 | at San Diego Chargers | T 20–20 | 8–2–1 | Balboa Stadium | 27,473 | Recap |
| 13 | December 5 | at Houston Oilers | W 29–18 | 9–2–1 | Rice Stadium | 23,087 | Recap |
| 14 | December 12 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 34–25 | 10–2–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 40,298 | Recap |
| 15 | December 19 | at New York Jets | L 12–14 | 10–3–1 | Shea Stadium | 57,396 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
| Player | Comp | Att | Yds | Completion % | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Kemp | 179 | 391 | 2368 | 45.8 | 10 | 18 |
| Daryle Lamonica | 29 | 70 | 376 | 41.4 | 3 | 6 |
| Player | Att | Yds | Average | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wray Carlton | 156 | 592 | 3.8 | 80 | 6 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | December 26 | at San Diego Chargers | W 23–0 | Balboa Stadium | 30,361 | Recap |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 23 |
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Buffalo Bills 23, San Diego Chargers 0
Scoring
| Season | Date | Winner | Most Valuable Player(s) | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | January 15, 1966 | AFL All-Stars 30, Buffalo Bills 19 | Offense: Joe Namath, QB, Jets Defense: Frank Buncom, LB, Chargers | Rice Stadium, Houston |
Carlton Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist was an American football fullback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was named the AFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) with the Buffalo Bills in 1962. He was named to the AFL All-Time Second-team.
David Michael Stratton was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for 12 seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He won two AFL championships with the Buffalo Bills, where he was a six-time AFL All-Star. He was named to the AFL All-Time Second Team.
John Willard Hadl(Pronounced: HAY-dull) was an American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 16 years. He won an AFL championship with the San Diego Chargers in 1963. Hadl was named an AFL All-Star four times and was selected to two Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.
Daryle Pasquale Lamonica was an American professional football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. Lamonica was drafted by the NFL Green Bay Packers in round 12 with the 168th overall pick. He spent his first four seasons mostly as a backup for the Buffalo Bills, who selected him in the 24th round of the 1963 AFL Draft. Lamonica played his next eight seasons as the primary starter of the Raiders, including after they joined the NFL through the AFL–NFL merger.
Linwood Wray Carlton is an American former professional football player who was a running back in both Canada and the United States. He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils.
For its first nine seasons, 1960 through 1968, the American Football League determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions.
The 1966 AFL Championship Game was the seventh American Football League's championship game, played at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York, on January 1, 1967.
The 1964 AFL Championship Game was the American Football League's fifth championship game, played at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, December 26.
The 1992 Buffalo Bills season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). The Buffalo Bills entered the season as defending back to back AFC champions and finished the National Football League's 1992 season with a record of 11 wins and 5 losses, and finished second in the AFC East division. The Bills qualified for their third straight Super Bowl appearance, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys 52–17. This would be the only time the Bills did not finish first in the AFC Eastern Division from 1988 to 1993.
The 1966 Season was the 7th season for the San Diego Chargers as a professional American Football League (AFL) franchise; the team failed to improve on their 9–2–3 record from 1965. In the team's final season at Balboa Stadium, the Chargers went 7–6–1 and finished in third place in the AFL West Division. They would move to San Diego Stadium for the following season. It was the first season to feature an AFL-NFL World Championship Game, now known as the Super Bowl. San Diego began the season among the favorites to represent the AFL in the historic game, but faded after a 4–0 start, winning only three more times in the remaining ten games.
The 1965 San Diego Chargers season was their sixth as a professional AFL franchise; the team improved on their 8–5–1 record in 1964. Head Coach Sid Gillman led the Chargers to their fifth AFL West title with a 9–2–3 record, before losing the AFL Championship Game to the Buffalo Bills for the second consecutive season. It would prove to be the Chargers' last post-season appearance until 1979.
The 1964 San Diego Chargers season was their fifth as a professional AFL franchise; the team failed to repeat as AFL champions after winning the championship in 1963 with a record of 11–3, and finished at 8–5–1. San Diego struggled at the start and finish of the season, but a six-game winning streak in the middle proved to be enough to win the AFL West, in a league where the two strongest teams were in the Eastern division.
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The 1962 San Diego Chargers season was the club's third in the American Football League. San Diego had won the AFL West with a 12–2 record in 1961, but slipped to 4–10, losing eight of their final nine games after a 3–2 start. It was their worst record to date; this would be the only time the Chargers would endure a losing season during their 10 years in the AFL.
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The 1966 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s seventh season in the American Football League. It was the first season for head coach Joe Collier, who had been the Bills' defensive coordinator for the previous four seasons.
The 1964 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s fifth season. Buffalo was 12–2 in the regular season and won the first of two consecutive championships in the American Football League.
The 1962 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s third season in the American Football League. The Bills finished the season with a 7–6–1 record, third place in the AFL East; it was the Bills' first-ever season finishing with a winning record.
The 1963 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s fourth season in the American Football League. Winless after their first four games, Buffalo won seven of the final ten games, including the final two over the New York Jets, to finish with their second-consecutive 7–6–1 record, tied with the Boston Patriots atop the Eastern division. In this era, this required a tiebreaker playoff, the AFL's first. The Patriots and Bills had split their season series, each team winning at home, and the Bills were slight favorites as playoff hosts.
The 1965 All-Star Game was the AFL's fourth annual season-ending showpiece, which featured the outstanding performers from the 1964 season. A team drawn from the Western Division defeated their Eastern counterparts by a score of 38–14, scoring 21 unanswered points to pull away in the second half. The head coaches, Sid Gillman and Lou Saban, had faced each other in the 1964 AFL Championship game three weeks earlier, when Saban's Buffalo Bills had defeated Gillman's San Diego Chargers. Running back Keith Lincoln had suffered a cracked rib in that game, but recovered to score two long touchdowns and win the offensive MVP award in the All-Star game, as he had done in the previous year's edition. Defensive back Willie Brown of the Denver Broncos won the defensive MVP award.
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| Franchise | |
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| Culture | |
| Lore | |
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| Division championships (14) | |
| Conference championships (4) | |
| League championships (2) | |
| Wall of Fame | |
| Media |
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| Owners | |
| Current league affiliations |
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