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1980’s

—1980’s
1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989

1980

1980 Buffalo Bills – The Bermuda Triangle and a Division Crown by Bill Choinski  Chuck Knox had rebuilt the Buffalo Bills in the post- Simpson era through the draft and acquiring veteran leadership. In 2 short seasons the Bills went from laughingstocks of the league to a dangerous opponent. To continue the process, Knox engineered …

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1981

1981 Buffalo Bills – Close but no Cigar by Bill Choinski   Over the past 15 seasons, the Buffalo Bills seemed to have been the victims of a curse. A curse that has afflicted their first round draft picks. Walt Patulski, for example. In 1972 he was the top choice in the land, but never …

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1982

1982 Buffalo Bills – Season of Discontent by Bill Choinski 1982 was a stormy year for the Buffalo Bills as well as the rest of the League. The NFL was fighting battles on three fronts. First, Al Davis won his anti trust suite the season before, in 1981. Then, the NFL Player’s union began making …

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1983

1983 Buffalo Bills – Competing vs a Rival League by Bill Choinski   Frustrations swept the Buffalo Bills organization, from management down to the players. The first to exit the organization was coach Chuck Knox himself- architect of the Bills revival. Knox grew weary of the front office battles with ownership and GM Stew Barber …

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1984

1984 Buffalo Bills – Bottoming Out by Bill Choinski  The USFL was going into their second season. Two players, Buffalo Bills RB Joe Cribbs and #1 1983 draft pick Jim Kelly started their USFL Careers. After winning a lawsuit, Cribbs joined the Birmingham Stallions. Playing an 18 game season, Cribbs amassed close to 2,000 rushing …

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1985

1985 Buffalo Bills – The Cornerstone by Bill Choinski Coming off a dismal 2-14 season, the Bills offseason was very busy. With the first overall pick, the Buffalo front office set about evaluating who to take. With Jim Kelly tearing up the USFL and the QB situation in complete disarray, Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, …

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1986

1986 Buffalo Bills – The Messiah by Bill Choinski   The USFL was hemorrhaging money and desperate to stay afloat. Originally designed as a low overhead spring league, flamboyant owners like Donald Trump drove salaries skyward in bidding wars for top talent. Like the AFL 25 years ago, they targeted top college talent and paid hefty …

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1987

1987 Buffalo Bills – Teamsters, Turmoil and a Trade by Bill Choinski   Ted Marchibroda had a long history of success as a head coach in the NFL. As the Baltimore Colts head master, he led Baltimore to numerous playoff appearances with Bert Jones and company lighting up scoreboards in the mid-1970’s. Bills head coach Marv …

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1988

1988 Buffalo Bills – The Thurminator Arrives by Bill Choinski   For the first time since 1980 the fans and the city of Buffalo had a peaceful offseason void of any controversy. There was peace on the labor front and no threat of a strike. All of Buffalo’s rising young stars were signed and under …

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1989

1989 Buffalo Bills – Bickering Bills by Bill Choinski    Whether it was the taste of success, youthful exuberance, or cockiness, the 1989 season was a stormy one for the Buffalo Bills. It was a year riddled with locker room strife and controversy. In February, as a compromise to the free agency demands by the …

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