Jim Kelly - QB

In 11 seasons in Buffalo, Kelly led the Bills to the playoffs eight times. In 17 playoff game appearances, including four consecutive Super Bowls, he passed for 3,863 yards and 21 touchdowns. At the time of his retirement, his 84.4 passer rating ranked sixth all-time and was second when compared to Hall of Fame quarterbacks. His 35,467 career passing yards ranked tenth in NFL history; his 2,874 completions ranked eighth; and his 237 touchdowns ranked thirteenth. At the time of Kelly's retirement, only Fran Tarkenton, Dan Fouts, and Johnny Unitas among Hall of Fame quarterbacks had passed for more yardage, and only Tarkenton, and Fouts had completed more passes.
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Marv Levy - Head Coach

With the Bills, Levy took over a team that had lost 28 of 32 games over two seasons. In his first full season as head coach he posted a respectable 7-8 record in a strike-shortened season. Although the Bills had a promising young quarterback in Jim Kelly, a supporting cast simply wasn't there yet. Then in 1988, Levy and the Bills drafted Thurman Thomas, who provided a running game to compliment Kelly's passing. The results were immediate. The team went 12-4 and Marv was named NFL Coach of the Year. In 1990, the Bills' high-powered "no-huddle" offense catapulted the team to the first of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
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Thurman Thomas - RB

He finished his Bills career as their all time leading rusher, with 11,938 yards on 2,849 attempts (another Bills record). He also holds the Bills record for most rushing TDs with 65. He is second all-time in receptions with 456, trailing only Andre Reed. He shares the Bills record for most touchdowns at 87 with Andre Reed. Statistics still don't give justice to what Thomas meant to the Bills. Along with Kelly and receiver Andre Reed, Thomas formed a trilogy with those two great offensive stars which was unstoppable on the gridiron. The Bills went to four Super Bowls from 1991 to 1994. Without Thomas plugged in the backfield behind Kelly, the Bills would have had a difficult time making even one.
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Andre Reed - WR

Amidst all the hoopla in 1985 with the Bills selecting Bruce Smith with the number one pick in the NFL college draft, there was a pick in the fourth round, eighty sixth overall, a receiver taken, a receiver who played his college ball at Kutztown State. He was found by Bills scout and all time Bills receptions leader, Elbert Dubenion. Dubenion saw greatness in the kid from Kutztown and persuaded the Bills to take a gamble on him. Good thing, because that Kid from tiny Kutztown State would go on to shatter all of Dubenion's Bills team records, in fact that kid would go on to become the one of the NFL's all time reception leaders, second to only Jerry Rice. That kid was Andre Reed. He finished his career in Buffalo as the NFL's second leading reception leader with 941 catches. At the time of his retirement from the Bills, he was fourth on the yardage list with 13,095 and 6th in touchdowns with 86. Hall of Fame numbers, in a Hall of Fame career.
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Steve Tasker - ST/WR

Appearing in 195 regular season and playoff games during his career, he made 204 career special team tackles and seven blocked punts to his credit. Perhaps the most memorable blocked punt came against the Raiders in 1990 when Tasker blocked a punt that was returned for the touchdown to spark the comeback victory. In 1996 when the Bills were in need of wide receivers late in the season Tasker, who had eight catches in seven seasons with the team, became an important part of the pass offense. In the playoff blowout against the Dolphins, he not only caught a touchdown pass but also tallied up five passes for 108 yards. During his 11 seasons as a Buffalo Bill Tasker was selected by his peers and coaches to represent the AFC in seven Pro Bowls and is the only true special teams' player to be selected as the Pro Bowl MVP, earning that destination in the 1993 Game
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James Lofton- WR

During his first 11 seasons in the NFL, nine with Green Bay and two with the Raiders, James Lofton recorded 599 receptions for 11,085 yards and 54 touchdowns. He had been selected to play in the Pro Bowl six consecutive years, seven times overall. Yet he was cut by Los Angeles following the 1988 campaign. Picked up late in 1989, he saw limited action. In 1990, Lofton and Reed combined for 106 catches, 1,657 yards and 12 touchdowns. They helped the Bills compile a 13-3 record, win the AFC title and play in their first Super Bowl. In ‘91, Lofton was voted to his eighth Pro Bowl. During the season, he hauled in 57 passes for 1,072 yards, his highest total in six seasons, and eight touchdowns. In Super Bowl XXVI against Washington, Lofton had a team-high seven receptions for 92 yards. In 13 playoff games, Lofton caught 41 passes for 759 yards and eight touchdowns.Lofton retired following the ‘93 campaign with 764 receptions, 10th all-time in NFL history; 14,004 yards, third all-time; and an 18.3 yards-per-catch average, which is fifth best among the 17 receivers in the Hall of Fame. Lofton holds the distinction of being the first NFL player to score a touchdown in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s.
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Kent Hull - C

On the same day that Buffalo welcomed quarterback Jim Kelly with opened arms, a jam-packed press conference and a congratulatory call from the Governor; Kent Hull, a free agent center who had played three seasons with the New Jersey Generals, also signed with the Bills. No parade, no questions and no phone calls. And Hull wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The Bills weren't complaining either. Hull quickly became the anchor of the offensive line and helped turn things around under head coach Marv Levy. During the '90 season, the players and coaches brought Buffalo's fans an AFC championship and the franchise's first opportunity to win the Lombardi Trophy. Hull felt the team's whirlwind postseason made for an unforgettable Super Bowl experience.
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Will Wolford - OL

When the roll call of the Bills' all-time top offensive linemen is presented, not too many moments will pass before you'll hear the name Will Wolford. Chosen with Buffalo's second pick in the first round of the 1986 draft, as it would turn out, the Vanderbilt star couldn't have joined the club at a better time. Only six days after signing with the team, a quarterback named Jim Kelly also made his way to Buffalo. Under Levy, the experiences got much better for Wolford as he moved to left tackle. In 1988, two seasons after winning only four games, the Bills went 12-4 and made it to the AFC Championship Game. After another two seasons passed, Buffalo made its first appearance in the Super Bowl. Wolford had the opportunity to experience the next two Super Bowls as well. During those three AFC championship seasons, he played in two Pro Bowls as the Bills posted a 37-11 regular season record.
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John Davis - OL

For John Davis, Plan B meant bound for Buffalo. The versatile offensive lineman used the NFL free agency system in 1989 to leave the Oilers for the Bills. And actually, it really didn’t take too much convincing. His timing could not have been much better. Starting at right guard between Kent Hull at center and Howard Ballard at tackle, the trio, along with Jim Ritcher and Will Wolford, allowed the fewest sacks (27) by a Bills team in nine years, not counting the ‘82 strike season. Their efforts helped Buffalo compile a 13-3 record, win the AFC championship and meet the Giants in Super Bowl XXV. The following season, Davis blew out his knee vs New England, and his rehabilitation cost him nearly a calendar year. In 1992 he returned to the starter's role- where he remained a fixture until his retirement after the 1994 season.
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Pete Metzelaars - TE

In 1986, with the arrival of Jim Kelly, Metzelaars became an important weapon in the Bills offensive scheme. At 6'9" tall, he was an easy target for Kelly to go to in times of trouble. Pete caught 49 passes from Kelly in 1986. Most of them over the middle when Kelly's wideouts weren't open. Fans were greatfull that the Bills had Metzelaars as a safety valve but weren't to exited about his lack of breakaway speed and big play ability. The fourth all-time leading receiver [302 catches] in the team’s history, Metzelaars, who was a free agent following the ‘94 campaign, was not re-signed and ended his career with one season in Carolina and two seasons with the Detroit Lions.
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Bruce Smith - DE

For fifteen seasons, spanning the seasons starting in 1985 all through 1999, Bruce Smith and the Buffalo Bills seemed one and the same. Year in and year out Bruce gave everything he had on and off the field. Bruce worked hard, Bruce played hard. From 1992 to 1998, Bruce Smith would go to seven consecutive Pro Bowls, 11 overall in his storied history. In the Bills playoff loss to Tennessee in 2000, his last in a Buffalo uniform, he finished with nine tackles (seven solo) and 2.5 sacks to become the NFL's all-time playoff sack leader with 14.5. A Salary cap Casualty in 2000, he went on to play 3 more seasons with the Washington Redskins. One of the Best defensive Linemen in NFL History, he currently ranks second all time in the NFL with 195 sacks.
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Darryl Talley - LB

Under Levy, Talley, like most Bills stars of this era, would blossom into an all pro talent, living up to his pre-draft potential. Talley became the Bills undisputed leader on defense. During the Bills four Super Bowl seasons Talley led the Bills in tackles every year but one, finishing second in 1991, just five tackles behind Shane Conlon. 1991 would be Talley's finest however, as he would record 4 sacks, force 4 fumbles, recover 2 fumbles and intercept a team high 5 passes. He was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time, having gone in 1990 as a personal pick of AFC squad coach, Art Shell.
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Cornelius Bennett - LB

In 1991 the Bills would return to the Super Bowl again and Bennett would enjoy his finest season. Injuries to Bruce Smith and nose tackle Jeff Wright forced the Bills defensive decision makers to move the Biscuit to inside linebacker to compensate for the losses. He would respond by finishing with 107 tackles, a team high 9 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Earning another trip to Hawaii and being named AFC defensive player of the year, once again. During the remainder of the Bills Super Bowl run, Bennet would be chosen to the Pro Bowl in all 4 years. In 1995, Bennett would move to the inside again and have another stellar season for the Bills, as they returned to the playoffs after a one year hiatus.
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Shane Conlan - LB

Little did Shane Conlan realize while watching the Bills on television in his parents' Frewsburg, NY, home as a teenager, that someday he'd be in Rich Stadium, 70 miles from his doorstep, anchoring the middle of Buffalo's defense. He didn't have a favorite player then and actually preferred baseball, but nevertheless, a certain nose tackle did catch his attention. "I remember telling Fred Smerlas my rookie year, 'Fred, do you know I used to watch you in the eighth grade? And now, I'm playing with you.' He said, 'Don't ever say that to me again! It makes me feel too, too old,'" Conlan said. Not too much time passed after Conlan was selected in the first round of the 1987 draft before head coach Marv Levy pencilled the Penn State All-America in as a starting linebacker.
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Phil Hansen - DL

Throughout his eleven seasons, Hansen would go on to make many more memorable plays, he was a steady if not spectacular performer. He was often over shadowed by others on the team and would go unnoticed in other NFL towns. He never made the Pro Bowl or All Pro. In 1995 he had a career high 10 sacks and was still third on the team in that stat. . He finished his career second all-time in sacks and was the undisputed leader of the team during his final seasons.
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Jeff Wright- NT

One of three defensive rookies to make the Bills in 1988, nose tackle Jeff Wright, an eighth-round draft choice out of Central Missouri State, spent his first season playing behind five-time Pro Bowler Fred Smerlas. By the next year, they shared playing time with Wright on the field in most passing situations. After becoming Buffalo’s starter in ‘90, Wright totaled 76 tackles and five sacks, which was an improvement over the previous season when he and Smerlas combined for 49 tackles and four sacks. The team as a whole improved in ‘90. With a 13-3 record, the Bills won the AFC title and met the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV. Wright stepped up again in the following year’s AFC Championship Game against Denver. Scoreless in the third quarter, watching game films and listening to the coaches paid off for the nose tackle when he recognized the Broncos setting up a screen play. Wright stopped his pass rush and tipped John Elway’s pass. The ball was caught by linebacker Carlton Bailey and returned 11 yards for the game’s first and only touchdown, as the Bills went on to win 10-3 and advance to Super Bowl XXVI.
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Henry Jones - DB

Drafted by the Bills in the first round, 26th overall in 1991, Henry Jones became a starter in 1992 when he replaced fan favorite Leonard Smith.. From the 1995 season through the 2000 season Henry Jones recorded over 100 tackles in five out of those six years. A dual threat on defense and on Special teams, Henry Jones has scored six career touchdowns. Four have been on defense and come on interception returns. Because of his good hands, he was placed on the kick return team later in his career. This paid off for Buffalo as Jones had kickoff returns for a touchdown in both the 1999 and 2000 season. Only Butch Byrd and Tom Janik (5 each)have more career interception touchdowns than Jones.
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Nate Odomes - DB

Buffalo's offensive coaches may have felt a little overlooked during the 1987 player draft. That's because the first four selections by the Bills, including second-round pick Nate Odomes, were defensive players. After going 9-7 with the Buffalo Bills the year before, in 1990 Odomes collected five interceptions and helped Buffalo compile a 13-3 record, win the AFC title and make it to Super Bowl XXV. After picking off 12 passes in his first five years with the Bills, during Buffalo's fourth Super Bowl season in 1993, Odomes co-led the NFL with a career-high nine interceptions and was named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year.
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JD Williams- DB

How fast was cornerback J.D. Williams? He could run 40 yards in about the same length of time it took to read these two sentences.It didn’t take him too long to stand out on special teams either. Buffalo’s 1990 first-round draft pick blocked a punt in that year’s season-opener, a 26-10 victory over Indianapolis. Four games later against the Raiders, Williams picked up a blocked punt and ran into the endzone from 38 yards out as the Bills won and went 4-1. And in his first start midway through the campaign, Williams intercepted Patriots quarterback Marc Wilson in the endzone with less than two minutes remaining to help preserve a Buffalo shutout en route to a 13-3 record.
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Mark Kelso- DB

Every once in awhile, the Bills have just lucked out. Consider the case of Mark Kelso. A 10th-round draft choice of the Eagles in 1985, the free safety was waived late during his first training camp with Philadelphia. Only three games into his Bills’ career in ‘86, Kelso hurt his left knee and was placed on Injured Reserve for the remainder of the season. The following season, his first as a starter, Kelso was responsible for an AFC co-leading six interceptions. As well as a touchdown, when he returned a fumble 56 yards against the Browns. In ‘88, he had seven interceptions for a career-high 180 return yards. And in ‘89, Kelso led the Bills for the third consecutive year with six interceptions, which tied for fourth in the NFL. Over those three seasonshe amassed an amazing 19 interceptions. With 30 career interceptions, Kelso plaes third on Buffalo’s all-time list, Kelso played eight seasons for the Bills and started in all four of the team’s Super Bowl appearances.
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Frank Reich - QB

It was against the Houston Oilers, in a 1993 wild card game at Rich Stadium, that Frank Reich would become an NFL hero. The Bills were trailing 35-3 in the 3rd quarter. No team in NFL history had ever come back from such a deficit. Only one team in college football history had come back from a deficit of 31 points, that was Maryland and the quarterback in that game was none other than Frank Reich. Could he do it again? Reich engineered the greatest comeback in NFL history, as the Bills went on to win, 41-38 in OT. Reich was 21-34 for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns.
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Bill Brooks -WR

Following seven years with the Indianapolis Colts where he collected 411 receptions and 28 touchdowns, Brooks signed with the three-time AFC champion Bills as an unrestricted free agent in 1993. During his first season with the Bills, Brooks caught at least one pass in 15 of the 16 games, including a 10-catch performance in a victory over Philadelphia. Finishing second on the team in receptions, Brooks may have been ‘in the zone’ when he led the Bills with six catches and two touchdowns in Buffalo’s playoff win over the Raiders. Brooks’ name would be called again in Super Bowl XXVIII when he and Thurman Thomas each had a game-high seven receptions. In ‘95, after Andre Reed suffered a hamstring injury and missed all but six games, Brooks stepped up and led the Bills with 53 receptions for 763 yards and a team-record 11 touchdowns. Brooks concluded his 11-year playing career with the Redskins in ‘96.
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Steve Christie - K

In his nine seasons with the Bills, Steve Christie scored at least 100 points in a season eight times and scored 1,011 points total for his career, becoming only the 18th player in NFL history to score that many with one team. Christie's first playoff game was a memorable one for him as he kicked the winning field goal against the Houston Oilers for a 41-38 victory in the greatest comeback ever. He would go on to play in several more with the Bills including two Super Bowls. He holds the Super Bowl record for the longest field goal (54 yards) in Super Bowl XXVIII.
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Scott Norwood - K

In 1988 Buffalo Bills Placekicker Scott Norwood had his best season ever. He broke Pete Gogolak's club record with 129 points, hitting 32 of 37 FGs (an incredible 86.5% accuracy rate) which lead the NFL as well. The shining moment of Norwood's Pro Bowl season came on a cold November day at Rich Stadium. In a defensive struggle, the 11-1 Buffalo Bills clinched their first division crown since 1980 with a Norwood clutch kick in OT. Norwood accounted for all the Bills scores in the 9-6 win.
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John Kidd - P

John Kidd, the highest-selected punter in Bills history, was more surprised than anyone when Buffalo chose him in the fifth round of the 1984 draft. The Bills began Kidd’s rookie season with 11 straight losses and finished with a 2-14 record. The fun didn’t really begin until the 1988 season, Marv Levy’s second full year as Buffalo’s head coach. The Bills went 12-4, which was impressive considering that the club won 11 games the previous two seasons, combined. He remained in the league for nine more seasons; playing for the Chargers, Dolphins, Lions and Jets before retiring in 1999.
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Scott Radecic LB

After three years with the Chiefs, starting in all but three games during the final two campaigns - linebacker Scott Radecic was released late in the 1987 preseason. However, considering that he’d play nine more seasons in the NFL, three with the Bills, perhaps that wasn’t one of Kansas City’s finest moves. For 3 seasons, he assited in turning around a young team into one of the most dominant in the league. The versatile LB played both inside and outside backing up the likes of Bennett, Shane Conlon, and Darryl Talley. Radecic was also a force to be reconed with on special teams, helping make that unit one of the most dominant in the league.Radecic moved on to the Indianapolis Colts in 1990.
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Art Still- DE

When Marv Levy became an NFL head coach in 1978, the first player he drafted for Kansas City was defensive end Art Still. So given his fondness for history, it wasn’t really a surprise that 10 years later as the head coach in Buffalo, he was all for trading an eighth-round draft choice in ‘89 to the Chiefs for Still, who had played for him for five seasons. Still made an immediate contribution following the unexpected suspension of Bruce Smith to start the season. Still recorded two and a half of the team’s six sacks that afternoon, as Buffalo beat the Vikings, starting a four-game winning streak. The Bills went on to win 11 of their first 12 games, finishing the season with a 12-4 record, and advancing to the AFC Championship Game, its first title game since 1966. Still didn’t enjoy the following season as much. After leading Buffalo’s defensive line in tackles and collecting six sacks, he found his playing time was reduced.He would retire following the 1989 campaign.
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Bill Polian

Originally hired as director of pro personal on February 7, 1985. Named Bills GM in 1986. On October 31, 1987, Polian orchestrated one of the biggest trades in Bills history by acquiring linebacker Cornelius Bennett. In 1988, without the luxury of a first round pick, Polian drafted running back Thurman Thomas in the second round. Polian had expertly put the pieces together that would make the Bills a "championship caliber team," appearing in an NFL record, 4 straight Super Bowls. Because of his accomplishments, Bill Polian won the NFL Executive of the Year Award twice, in 1988 and in 1991.
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