50th Anniversary Bills AFL Championship

[BigSky]

If this has already been posted please accept my apologies.

 

It seems as if 2014 is the 50th anniversary of the Bills AFL championship in 1964. What would be a more fitting tribute than to win another championship in 2014. I Billieve.

[mrags]

Agree

[Mark Vader]

Here, here!

[Ennjay]

This is the 50th anniversary year of the Bills' first AFL championship. Has anyone heard of any celebration or whatnot?

[vorpma]

Great time to put Lou Saban on the stadium wall!

[RussellDopeland]

Great time to put Lou Saban on the stadium wall!

 

 

Not to mention Cookie Gilchrist

[Chandler#81]

Cookie's not going on the Wall. 2 seasons doesn't cut it. Lou Saban does and it's a travesty Ralph couldn't get past his ego as he deserved to be enshrined while he was alive to enjoy it.

 

I remember the '64 team fondly, though the Bills achieved more with less in '65.

[bowery4]

You know the Browns won the NFL championship in 64..... maybe it would be some how special to have an event or something for that game. The Superbowl 50 years later, type of thing.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Cookie should be on the wall if for no other reason than his arrival and play significantly changed the image of the Bills from a rather mellow organization to a blockbuster to be respected in the early days of NFL football in Buffalo. Plus, he had the fans in the palms of his big hands. Anyone else remember "Lookie, lookie, here comes Cookie?"

[PromoTheRobot]

You know the Browns won the NFL championship in 64..... maybe it would be some how special to have an event or something for that game. The Superbowl 50 years later, type of thing.

 

That's not a bad idea. Nice angle. Plus Whitner will keep flapping his yap.

[Mark Vader]

Cookie's not going on the Wall. 2 seasons doesn't cut it. Lou Saban does and it's a travesty Ralph couldn't get past his ego as he deserved to be enshrined while he was alive to enjoy it.

 

I remember the '64 team fondly, though the Bills achieved more with less in '65.

Please clarify this for me. What were the issues that Ralph had with Saban?

[Snopple]

Please clarify this for me. What were the issues that Ralph had with Saban?

 

I don't recall specifics, but I believe that Ralph was ticked off because Saban quit on him twice. He resigned following the 1965 season, was re-hired in 1972, then quit again part way through the 1976 season.

 

When he quit the second time, Ralph reportedly promised him that he would never again work in the NFL. He never did. Coincidence? We'll probably never know.

[Just Jack]

 

 

I don't recall specifics, but I believe that Ralph was ticked off because Saban quit on him twice. He resigned following the 1965 season, was re-hired in 1972, then quit again part way through the 1976 season.

 

When he quit the second time, Ralph reportedly promised him that he would never again work in the NFL. He never did. Coincidence? We'll probably never know.

 

Even after the Bills, Saban continued to quit on teams he worked for. He should not be on the Wall in my opinion.

 

From 1995...

http://articles.philly.com/1995-09-20/sports/25719513_1_lou-saban-canton-tech-political-animal

[machine gun kelly]

Great time to put Lou Saban on the stadium wall!

 

The sale would have to be final before that happens. Wilson never let that go with Saban. He was an excellent coach. If everyone remembers, we not only won in 64 & 65, but we also played the Chiefs for the AFL title in 66. Unfortunately we lost 31-7 in War Memorial. Had we won, we would have played in the first SB. Granted with the Packers, we probably would have lost, but we still would have made it.

 

Doug squared, bring it home for us.

[Chandler#81]

 

Please clarify this for me. What were the issues that Ralph had with Saban?

 

Short answer: 2 strong-headed managers with differing managing views, with a dash of pettiness.

 

From Saban: "To me it's a complete 360 there," Saban said about his two different terms as Bills head coach. "When we first started, we rebuilt the club and had great success. Things seemed to change as far as administration is concerned. And of course, I felt that if I wasn't doing the job ‘Please fire me.' I'm from the old school that if you are going to hire a man to do a job, let him do it."

 

"When I left, he had some strong feelings, but I said ‘This is the way I feel about it and that's the way it's got to be.' I just can't afford to have somebody else go ahead and control my destiny. When I got back (the second stint with the Bills), the same thing happened whereby we went ahead and got off to a great start, got into the playoffs within a very short time. All of a sudden, there was a tremendous change, a transition, in professional football whereby the coaches are being hacked to death and given less and less responsibility. I think it's been that way ever since. That was back in 1976. I could see the change coming, where the coach who was basically responsible for what was happening was (forced) to sit on the sidelines and just call the plays.

 

"As you can see today, they don't even select their associates anymore. In fact, they don't select their talent anymore in most cases. That's where it started. I said (to Wilson), ‘As long as I'm going to be your head coach, I want to be able to do the things that you promised me that I could do. It just didn't work out. I thought about it a hundred times and tried to forget it, but that's history."

 

When asked if it hurt him that he was never put on the Bills Wall of Fame after bringing the Bills two league championships and revitalizing a sagging franchise in the 70's, Saban replied, "Naturally. I know it's never going to be, and I was told directly that it will never happen by those who know what's going on. But I accept it and I've never said much about it and I don't intend to from here on end."

 

Here's the long -VERY LONG-version, and an absolute MUST READ for all Bills fans:

 

http://www.billsbackers.com/LouSaban.htm

[BuffaloBill]

 

Here's the long -VERY LONG-version, and an absolute MUST READ for all Bills fans:

 

http://www.billsbackers.com/LouSaban.htm

 

Chandler 81 thanks for that.

[bowery4]

That's not a bad idea. Nice angle. Plus Whitner will keep flapping his yap.

 

Week 13 @ home November 30th. The original championship games were Dec 26th, AFL and Dec. 27th NFL, so a bit early but if by some unknown strike of impossible luck the 2 teams were undefeated by week 13, would make a pretty incredible story, 50 years later.

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

Week 13 @ home November 30th. The original championship games were Dec 26th, AFL and Dec. 27th NFL, so a bit early but if by some unknown strike of impossible luck the 2 teams were undefeated by week 13, would make a pretty incredible story, 50 years later.

You can call it "Super Bowl Zero!" (Trademark)

Edited July 6, 2014 by PromoTheRobot

[Ennjay]

OK, I'm going to try this again.

 

I started a topic asking if anyone's heard of plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the '64 AFL Championship. The mods merged it with this similar chain because God knows we never see similar topics on TBD. Heaven help the extra electrons to be slaughtered if such a thing happened.

 

Meanwhile this evolved into a Lou Saban history lesson with some side remarks about Lil' Donte.

 

For the record, I loved Saban and Cookie back in the day. But I still haven't heard an answer to my original question: are there any plans?

 

I guess the answers I got mean "no, there aren't"?

[K-9]

I don't recall specifics, but I believe that Ralph was ticked off because Saban quit on him twice. He resigned following the 1965 season, was re-hired in 1972, then quit again part way through the 1976 season.

 

When he quit the second time, Ralph reportedly promised him that he would never again work in the NFL. He never did. Coincidence? We'll probably never know.

 

^This. Nobody placed a higher value on loyalty than Mr. Wilson, and he felt Saban abandoned the team.

 

GO BILLS!!!