Ah the Buffalo Bills, where to start? We previously touched upon the early history of the Bills, who were part of a new football league started in 1960. Ralph Wilson had been the team owner since it's inception. The Bills, to their credit did win two AFL titles in 1964 and 1965, but little attention was given to the new fledgling league. From financial necessity if nothing else, the AFL merged with the NFL in 1966, with the championship game known as the Super Bowl. Every year since then the Super Bowl has grown into the most watched U.S. television broadcast of the year attracting companies to spend millions of dollars for commercial time during the broadcast.

After the merge it was a rough going for the Bills in the win column for the next 20 years or so. There were several playoff appearances, and lots of fan excitement with the 1969 drafting of a star running back out of USC named O.J. Simpson. In 1973 Simpson, known as "The Juice" to fans..rushed for a record 2,003 yards becoming the first player to pass the 2,000 yard mark.

The losing seasons continued however and in 1978, wracked with injuries Simpson's career in Buffalo was over. He was traded to San Francisco before the start of the '78 season and played just another two years before retiring. Simpson left Buffalo fans with not a Super Bowl Championship, but with many fond memories and a proud feeling. In the late 1970's the city of Buffalo had a campaign slogan that went.."Buffalo has a spirit talking proud, talking proud"..and O.J. had a lot to do with that. Those proud memories of "The Juice" were something Buffalo fans cherished until...

Let's not go into detail here except to ask WHY? How could this happen to the
"Joe DiMaggio" of Buffalo sports? Could this be attributed to the
Buffalo Curse?

Then came the draft of 1983, and the Bills selected QB Jim Kelly from the University of Miami. The Bills did not have the services of Kelly for another two seasons as he opted to play for the Houston Gamblers of the USFL.

From 1986 to 1996 Kelly had a Hall of Fame career for the Bills, leading star studded teams to four straight Super Bowls. Players like RB Thurman Thomas, receivers Andre Reed, James Loften, and Don BeeBee. Also there were LBs Cornelius Bennett, Darryl Tally, and all time sack leader DE Bruce Smith.

Kelly also had one of the games finest backup QBs in Frank Reich. When Jim would go down to any kind of injury, Reich would pick up the ball and pull out a victory for the Bills. Once Kelly was healthy, Reich would hand the ball back over to him without complaint, personifying the total team player. While playing in the place of injured Jim Kelly in a playoff game on January 3, 1993 Reich led the Bills on a miraculous come from behind victory against the Houston Oilers. Down 35-3 in the third quarter, Reich brought the Bills back to a 41-38 victory. To this day, the greatest come from behind victory in NFL history!

Unfortunately that, along with Bruce Smith's all time sack record are the only highlights Bills fans have of those incredibly talented teams. Coached by Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, and put together by GM Bill Polian...those four straight Super Bowl appearances produced four straight losses! Losing by one point in their first appearance, (Scott Norwood's "Wide Right" Field goal attempt in the dying seconds) then getting blown out in the other three. How could such talented and resilient teams not win it all at least once? Could the Buffalo Curse have been the cause?

Bills fans have a talent for proclaiming that the glass is half full rather than half empty. However events such as the Music City Miracle (Homerun Throwback) playoff game in 2000, make that glass seem almost empty. Kicking the ball off after taking a 16-15 lead on a Steve Christie field goal, and with just 16 seconds left in the game...the unthinkable happened. Using what Tennessee coaches called the "Homerun Throwback" trick play on the kickoff reception, the Titans pulled out a 22-16 victory. Naturally this did not come about without controversy.

Whether it was a lateral or an illegal forward pass, the decision went to the Titans, giving Buffalo fans yet another bitter loss to deal with. The Bills would not return to the playoffs for another 17 years, and Buffalo fans would continue to see their beloved Bills in the firm grasp of...The Buffalo Curse!

The Bills finally made the playoffs under coach Sean McDermott in 2017, ending a 17 year playoff drought. Expectations are starting to rise, as the team looks to finally put an end to the Buffalo championship drought. Will they be able to fulfill this noble task, or will they continue to flounder in the backwash of the... Buffalo Curse.

Countdown to the BILLS 2023 Season

Will it be another Chapter of the Buffalo Curse?