1965 Buffalo Bills season

Last updated

1965 Buffalo Bills season
Owner Ralph Wilson
Head coach Lou Saban
Home field War Memorial Stadium
Results
Record10–3–1
Division place1st AFL Eastern
Playoff finishWon 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.

Contents

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]

Personnel

Coaches/Staff

1965 Buffalo Bills staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 

Defensive coaches

Final roster

1965 Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Note:rookies in italics

Offseason

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.

AFL Draft

Regular season

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
WLTPCTDIVPFPASTK
Buffalo Bills 1031.7694–2313226L1
New York Jets 581.3853–3285303W1
Boston Patriots 482.3332–4244302W3
Houston Oilers 4100.2863–3298429L7

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

Season schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1September 11 Boston Patriots W 24–71–0 War Memorial Stadium 45,502 Recap
2September 19at Denver Broncos W 30–152–0 Bears Stadium 30,682 Recap
3September 26 New York Jets W 33–213–0War Memorial Stadium45,056 Recap
4October 3 Oakland Raiders W 17–124–0War Memorial Stadium41,256 Recap
5October 10 San Diego Chargers L 3–344–1War Memorial Stadium45,260 Recap
6October 17at Kansas City Chiefs W 23–75–1 Municipal Stadium 26,941 Recap
7October 24 Denver Broncos W 31–136–1War Memorial Stadium45,046 Recap
8October 31 Houston Oilers L 17–196–2War Memorial Stadium44,267 Recap
9November 7at Boston Patriots W 23–77–2 Fenway Park 24,415 Recap
10November 14at Oakland Raiders W 17–148–2 Frank Youell Field 19,352 Recap
11Bye
12November 25at San Diego Chargers T 20–208–2–1 Balboa Stadium 27,473 Recap
13December 5at Houston Oilers W 29–189–2–1 Rice Stadium 23,087 Recap
14December 12 Kansas City Chiefs W 34–2510–2–1War Memorial Stadium40,298 Recap
15December 19at New York Jets L 12–1410–3–1 Shea Stadium 57,396 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Player stats

Passing

PlayerCompAttYdsCompletion %TDINT
Jack Kemp179391236845.81018
Daryle Lamonica297037641.436

[5]

Rushing

PlayerAttYdsAverageLongTD
Wray Carlton1565923.8806

[5]

Postseason

RoundDateOpponentResultVenueAttendanceRecap
Championship December 26at San Diego Chargers W 23–0 Balboa Stadium 30,361 Recap

AFL Championship Game

1234Total
Bills0146323
Chargers00000

Buffalo Bills 23, San Diego Chargers 0

December 26, 1965, at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California
Attendance: 30,361

Scoring

AFL All-Star Game

SeasonDateWinnerMost Valuable Player(s)Site
1965January 15, 1966AFL All-Stars 30,
Buffalo Bills 19
Offense: Joe Namath, QB, Jets
Defense: Frank Buncom, LB, Chargers
Rice Stadium, Houston

Awards and Records

Related Research Articles

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.

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References

  1. Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1965 AFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics
  2. Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1965 AFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics
  3. Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1960 to 1969, in the AFL, in the regular season, sorted by descending Turnover Margin
  4. Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1965 AFL All-Pros
  5. 1 2 "1965 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com .