Bills History: Jack Kemp Acquired in 1962 for $100 on a Charger Waiver Wire Mix-up! new articles

[ChasBB]

This is a remarkable piece of history I stumbled upon while looking at old newspaper articles.

 

The Buffalo Bills acquired Jack Kemp in September of 1962 due to a waiver mix-up by the San Diego Chargers.  He was considered a "$50,000 property" at the time, but Buffalo obtained him for the $100 waiver fee and additionally had to win a coin toss vs. Texans, who also put in a waiver claim for Jack Kemp.  Here is the article ...

 

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-bills-steal-kemp-for-1/179809335/

 

Here's another ... the Buffalo Courier-Express got a telephone interview with Sid Gillman for this article! ...

 

https://www.newspapers.com/article/buffalo-courier-express-buffalo-courier/179897282/

 

Also from Rochester Democrat and Chronicle ...

 

https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-rochester-democra/179898156/

 

Edited yesterday at 05:43 PM by ChasBB

[Tuco]

Cool find. From the days when the waiver wire really was a wire. 

 

Hey Sid, check out this telegram . . . . 

[T master]

Oh how times they are a changin !!! You couldn't get a sock that Josh wore for $100 today ...

Edited Wednesday at 12:56 PM by T master

[K-9]

Reminds me of another fantastic $100 waiver pick-up, James Lofton. 

[Captain Hindsight]

35 minutes ago, T master said:

Oh how times they are a changin !!! You couldn't get a sock that Josh wore for $100 today ...

Tre White's socks however....

[Chandler#81]

Intimately familiar with this story. I well remember the day!

[MarlinTheMagician]

Thanks for posting.  Knew we got him in a waiver mixup, the article fleshed it out.  Good job!

[Don Otreply]

4 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

Intimately familiar with this story. I well remember the day!

Like it was yesterday, right… boy your old, 🤣

[Dan Darragh]

Bart Starr was drafted in the 17th round.

[Tuco]

7 hours ago, K-9 said:

Reminds me of another fantastic $100 waiver pick-up, James Lofton. 

Sorry. Lofton was not a waiver pick-up. He was a free agent.

[Chandler#81]

54 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

Like it was yesterday, right… boy your old, 🤣

Yes, Whippersnapper!😡

 

All the men in the neighborhood were at our house that evening, swilling Schlitz and excited that we stole Jackie from SanDiego. The fortunes of the Bills immediately improved and we became GREAT!

[John Gianelli]

In Bills all time quarterback ratings, I always put Kemp at the top. Yes, there were fewer teams in the league. Yes, his stats would be laughed at today. But he won two championships, in convincing fashion, without a lot of great offensive weapons. Fans under the age of 65 just can't understand the feeling of watching your quarterback lead you to the promised land--twice.

[RangerDave]

$100?  Ralph really was cheap!

[Big Turk]

12 hours ago, ChasBB said:

This is a remarkable piece of history I stumbled upon while looking at old newspaper articles.

 

The Buffalo Bills acquired Jack Kemp in September of 1962 due to a waiver mix-up by the San Diego Chargers.  He was considered a "$50,000 property" at the time, but Buffalo obtained him for the $100 waiver fee and additionally had to win a coin toss vs. Texans, who also put in a waiver claim for Jack Kemp.  Here is the article ...

 

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-bills-steal-kemp-for-1/179809335/

 

LMAO!! Wilson found out by telegram 😂😂😂

[Eden Tom]

For you old timers like me when Kemp started his first game as a Bill who did he replace?

[WotAGuy]

10 minutes ago, Eden Tom said:

For you old timers like me when Kemp started his first game as a Bill who did he replace?

Billy Joe Hobart?

The article was written by Jack Horrigan, who shortly afterward became PR Manager for the Bills. 

[K-9]

2 hours ago, Tuco said:

Sorry. Lofton was not a waiver pick-up. He was a free agent.

Total brain cramp on my part. Thanks for the clarification. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

2 hours ago, John Gianelli said:

In Bills all time quarterback ratings, I always put Kemp at the top. Yes, there were fewer teams in the league. Yes, his stats would be laughed at today. But he won two championships, in convincing fashion, without a lot of great offensive weapons. Fans under the age of 65 just can't understand the feeling of watching your quarterback lead you to the promised land--twice.

I feel like those AFL champions don’t get the proper credit they deserve. Especially when people say Buffalo doesn’t have any world championships in major sports. They also have the Bandits. Buffalo has a very rich sports history. Jack Kemp is a true champion and the Eli Manning of his day. 

[Buffalo716]

We also got Steve Tasker when the oilers tried to put him on a late midnight waiver wire  because they needed to call a different player up for the game and Steve was the odd man out 

 

Even though they were hoping he would slip through that's why they did it in the middle of the night

[Old Coot]

2 hours ago, Eden Tom said:

For you old timers like me when Kemp started his first game as a Bill who did he replace?

Warren Raab.

 

No props for me. I had to look it up.