Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
For other uses, see Buffalo Bills (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Buffalo Bill, Buffalo Bill's, or Buffalo Bulls.Buffalo Bills
Terry Pegula
Founded in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), they joined the NFL in 1970 following the AFL–NFL merger.[9][10] The Bills' name is derived from an All-America Football Conference (AAFC) franchise from Buffalo that was in turn named after western frontiersman Buffalo Bill.[11] Drawing much of its fanbase from Western New York[12] and Southern Ontario,[13] the Bills are the only NFL team that plays home games in the state of New York.[a] The franchise is owned by Terry and Kim Pegula, who purchased the Bills after the death of the original owner Ralph Wilson in 2014.[14]
The Bills won consecutive AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965, the only major professional sports championships from a team representing Buffalo. After joining the NFL, they struggled heavily during the 1970s before becoming perennial postseason contenders from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. Their greatest success occurred between 1990 and 1993 when they appeared in a record four consecutive Super Bowls, an accomplishment often overshadowed by their losing each game. From the early 2000s to the mid-2010s, the Bills endured the longest playoff drought of 17 years in the four major North American professional sports, making them the last franchise in the four leagues to qualify for the postseason in the 21st century.[15][16] They returned to consistent postseason contention by the late 2010s,[17] although the Bills have not returned to the Super Bowl. Alongside the Minnesota Vikings, their four Super Bowl appearances are the most among NFL franchises that have not won the Super Bowl.[18][b]
Notable players[edit]
Retired numbers[edit]
The Buffalo Bills have retired three numbers in franchise history: No. 12 for Jim Kelly, No. 34 for Thurman Thomas, and No. 78 for Bruce Smith. Although the Bills have retired only three jersey numbers, other numbers are no longer issued or are in reduced circulation.[67][68]
Mascots, cheerleaders, and marching band[edit]
The Bills' official mascot is Billy Buffalo, an eight-foot-tall, anthropomorphic blue American bison who wears the jersey "number" BB.
The Bills do not have cheerleaders. The Bills operated a cheerleading squad named the Buffalo Jills from 1967 to 1985; from 1986 to 2013, the Jills operated as an independent organization sponsored by various companies. The Jills suspended operations prior to the 2014 season due to legal actions.[79] The Bills and Jills were previously involved in a legal battle, in which the Jills alleged they were employees, not independent contractors, and sought back pay.[80][81] On March 3, 2022, a settlement was reached where the Bills agreed to pay the Jills $3.5 million, while Cumulus Media paid $4 million in stock options of the company while admitting no wrongdoing.[82]
The Bills are one of six teams in the NFL to designate an official marching band or drumline (the others being the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks). Since the last game of the 2013 season, this position has been served by the Stampede Drumline, known outside of Buffalo as Downbeat Percussion.[83][84]
The Bills have several theme songs associated with them. The most popular is a variation of the Isley Brothers hit "Shout," recorded by Scott Kemper,[85] which served as the Bills' official promotional song from 1987 through 1990s. It can be heard at every Bills home game following a field goal or touchdown and at the game's end if the Bills win. The Bills' unofficial fight song, "Go Bills," was penned by Bills head coach Marv Levy in the mid-1990s on a friendly wager with his players that he will write the song if the team won a particular game.[86]
In popular culture[edit]
Several former Buffalo Bills players earned a name in politics in the late 20th century after their playing careers had ended, nearly always as members of the Republican Party. The most famous of these was quarterback Jack Kemp, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Western New York in 1971—two years after his playing career ended and remained there for nearly two decades, serving as the Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States under Bob Dole in 1996.[116][117] Kemp's backup, Ed Rutkowski, served as county executive of Erie County from 1979 to 1987.[118] Former tight end Jay Riemersma, defensive tackle Fred Smerlas and defensive end Phil Hansen have all run for Congress, though all three either lost or withdrew from their respective races.[119][120] Quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas have also both been mentioned as potential candidates for political office, although both have declined all requests to date.
