Can someone remind why Ralph Wilson is in

[SabreEleven]

The Hall of Fame? Beside gamble $25000 on a NFL team and making milliions, what else has he done for the NFL? It can't be what he did for the Bills.

[BertSquirtgum]

He gave the HOF 2 million $ to build some building. That's the ONLY reason.

[BuffaloBlitz83]

During tenure as Bills owner, team won two AFL Championships and unprecedented four straight AFC championships

Bills 103 regular season wins, second most in NFL during 1990s. . . Helped lead AFL through early years making tough decisions that were necessary for league’s survival

Began talks with Carroll Rosenbloom, then owner of NFL’s Colts in January 1965, that eventually resulted in AFL-NFL merger.

[SabreEleven]

So he got in for something he did 50 years ago and got lucky in the late 80's by hiring some no name GM who turned out to be a winner then fired him?

[ublinkwescore]

I may be able to follow this team after it has left Buffalo. But I can't say with certainty.

[jimmacie]

Wow! Really a lot of achievements in 52 YEARS!! They've only played in post season games 16 times in 52 years! That's not a very good percentage. Are you kidding me about Ralph's achievements? Look at the history of this team. it is like a roller coaster if you graph it year by year. Ever 10 years or so Ralph goes on "the cheap" and listens to the beancounters like Littman in Detroit and we all suffer for it. He won't spend money on a quality GM or coach, won't spend to the salary cap, won't spend the money necessary to have a truly good scouting department and the results show in the crappy draft choices (We have ZERO real stars on this team), currently poor team morale and incredible suffering of Bills' fans. If anybody deserves to be in the HOF, it is the dedicated Bills fans who have suffered for all these years.

[Skooby]

The Hall of Fame? Beside gamble $25000 on a NFL team and making milliions, what else has he done for the NFL? It can't be what he did for the Bills.

He saved the best for last.

[BertSquirtgum]

I hope they move.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

He's there for one reason, and one reason alone. He arranged for the NFL to have a permanent presence in Toronto (and by extension Canada). Note that he was up for ballot several times before the Toronto series started, but never made it.

That, and when he went into retirement and let Donahoe in, he created a perennial patsy in the modern Bills that helps the rest of the league rack up wins.

[Tiburon1724]

and he financially bailed out the Raiders back in the AFL days...if he hadn't, they say the league likely would've folded and hence no NFL as we know it today.

[BLeonard]

My theory:

I'm pretty sure Ralph went in as a "contributor." That's relevant because a person is elected as a "contributor" pretty much every year, like Ed Sabol was this year...

In 2009, the year Wilson got in, there were two finalists who were eligible to be voted in as a "contributor," meaning once Ralph was a finalist, he had a 50/50 shot of getting in... The other finalist that was eligible to be voted in as a "contributor" in 2009? Art Modell.

Canton, Ohio is less than 60 miles from Cleveland... Putting Modell in could have been a major PR nightmare.

-Bill

[OpIv37]

He's there for one reason, and one reason alone. He arranged for the NFL to have a permanent presence in Toronto (and by extension Canada). Note that he was up for ballot several times before the Toronto series started, but never made it.

That, and when he went into retirement and let Donahoe in, he created a perennial patsy in the modern Bills that helps the rest of the league rack up wins.

Not that I want to defend Wilson, because I certainly don't, but this post isn't accurate. The NFL doesn't have a permanent presence in Canada. The Bills have one more game there- that's it. There is no permanent presence because there is no guarantee of NFL football in Canada after that point.

[madness]

Ralph Wilson, Jr. was the man responsible for reintroducing pro football to Western New York when, as one of the original owners in the American Football League, he formed the Buffalo Bills in 1959. As the undeniable leader of the Bills, Wilson continues to play a major role among National Football League franchise owners as “the voice of reason,” for his ability to tackle some of the NFL’s toughest issues. During his tenure as owner of the Bills, Wilson has watched two of his teams capture the AFL Championship (1964-1965) and AFC titles in 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993 on the way to an unprecedented four consecutive appearances in Super Bowls XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXVIII. The team also won AFL/AFC Eastern Division titles in 1966, 1980, 1988, 1989, and 1995. The Bills’ 103 regular season wins in the 1990s were second best, behind only the San Francisco 49ers.

Always a football fan, Wilson first entered the pro football world when he purchased a minority share of the Detroit Lions. He later joined Lamar Hunt and the six other AFL originals who collectively became known as “The Foolish Club.”

In the beginning, members of the NFL and the sports media regarded the AFL with considerable skepticism. Even though the early years of the AFL were at best a struggle and Wilson was losing money, he “never once thought of throwing in the towel or selling the team.” Determined to see the league succeed, Wilson even invested in another AFL team to prevent it from financial collapse. “The Foolish Club” did succeed and following initial talks in January 1965 between Wilson and the late Carroll Rosenbloom, then owner of the NFL’s Baltimore Colts, a full merger plan between the two leagues was developed and implemented.

A former President of the AFL, Wilson served on the Expansion Committee of that league and the AFL-NFL Negotiations Committee. He was also prominent in the negotiations, which resulted in a 1977 agreement between the NFL Management Council and the NFL Players Association.

Once described as the “conscience” of the NFL, Wilson has also served as the Chairman of NFL Pension Committee and Labor Committee and currently serves on the Board of NFL Charities, the Super Bowl Site Selection Committee, and the NFL’s Expansion Committee.

[Pinkerton Security]

Ralph has fought for us to retain the ability to stay viable in a small market, even though we havent done that. If we had all Robert Krafts and Jerry Joneses as owners in the NFL and no guys like Ralph, we wouldnt be in Buffalo anymore, and neither would any other team. Without revenue sharing, which Ralph is a staunch advocate for, we would never have a team in Buffalo.

He isnt in the HOF because of any of our mediocre successes, its more the legacy he has left on the league, being an original owner and someone who has been there and helped build the league itself. I want to see a new Bills owner as much as the next person but to dismiss completely the work Ralph did in helping the NFL in general is just dumb.

[chernobylwraiths]

Because if it weren't for Ralph, you would be *****ing about the Giants losing to the Eagles or Jets losing to the Broncos.

[OpIv37]

Because if it weren't for Ralph, you would be *****ing about the Giants losing to the Eagles or Jets losing to the Broncos.

yeah well, if it weren't for Ralph, we might also be cheering another division victory for the 8-2 Bills instead of *****ing about losing 3 straight games in blowout fashion, including 2 to division opponents.

And we might also have a SB ring or two instead of having to defend Ralph for the 2 AFL championships he won almost 50 years ago.

[chernobylwraiths]

The Bills lost the superbowls because of Ralph?

Reach

[SabreEleven]

The Bills lost the superbowls because of Ralph?

Reach

We went to the Superbowls despite Ralph and Marv Levy.

[OpIv37]

The Bills lost the superbowls because of Ralph?

Reach

No, misinterpretation on your part.

The 4 SB trips were what they were, but if we had a better owner who actually made the team competitive, there is a good chance we would have had more than 4 shots at it.

[SabreEleven]

Ralph Wilson, Jr. was the man responsible for reintroducing pro football to Western New York when, as one of the original owners in the American Football League, he formed the Buffalo Bills in 1959. As the undeniable leader of the Bills, Wilson continues to play a major role among National Football League franchise owners as “the voice of reason,” for his ability to tackle some of the NFL’s toughest issues. During his tenure as owner of the Bills, Wilson has watched two of his teams capture the AFL Championship (1964-1965) and AFC titles in 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993 on the way to an unprecedented four consecutive appearances in Super Bowls XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXVIII. The team also won AFL/AFC Eastern Division titles in 1966, 1980, 1988, 1989, and 1995. The Bills’ 103 regular season wins in the 1990s were second best, behind only the San Francisco 49ers.

Always a football fan, Wilson first entered the pro football world when he purchased a minority share of the Detroit Lions. He later joined Lamar Hunt and the six other AFL originals who collectively became known as “The Foolish Club.”

In the beginning, members of the NFL and the sports media regarded the AFL with considerable skepticism. Even though the early years of the AFL were at best a struggle and Wilson was losing money, he “never once thought of throwing in the towel or selling the team.” Determined to see the league succeed, Wilson even invested in another AFL team to prevent it from financial collapse. “The Foolish Club” did succeed and following initial talks in January 1965 between Wilson and the late Carroll Rosenbloom, then owner of the NFL’s Baltimore Colts, a full merger plan between the two leagues was developed and implemented.

A former President of the AFL, Wilson served on the Expansion Committee of that league and the AFL-NFL Negotiations Committee. He was also prominent in the negotiations, which resulted in a 1977 agreement between the NFL Management Council and the NFL Players Association.

Once described as the “conscience” of the NFL, Wilson has also served as the Chairman of NFL Pension Committee and Labor Committee and currently serves on the Board of NFL Charities, the Super Bowl Site Selection Committee, and the NFL’s Expansion Committee.

He did more for the NFL then he did he own team and he lucked into the good teams in the 90s and then made sure they sucked when he fired Polian. Where is the write up about have horribles team for the whole decade of the 70's and 00's?

[chernobylwraiths]

No, misinterpretation on your part.

The 4 SB trips were what they were, but if we had a better owner who actually made the team competitive, there is a good chance we would have had more than 4 shots at it.

I contend that even had we won a superbowl or more, you would have *****ed that we didn't win it convincingly enough.

There are plenty of players/owners that don't really deserve to be in the Hall. I don't believe Ralph is at the top of the list.

[Mr. Pink]

My theory:

I'm pretty sure Ralph went in as a "contributor." That's relevant because a person is elected as a "contributor" pretty much every year, like Ed Sabol was this year...

In 2009, the year Wilson got in, there were two finalists who were eligible to be voted in as a "contributor," meaning once Ralph was a finalist, he had a 50/50 shot of getting in... The other finalist that was eligible to be voted in as a "contributor" in 2009? Art Modell.

Canton, Ohio is less than 60 miles from Cleveland... Putting Modell in could have been a major PR nightmare.

-Bill

Spot on and likely 100% accurate. Ralph got lucky with who he was going against.

[OpIv37]

I contend that even had we won a superbowl or more, you would have *****ed that we didn't win it convincingly enough.

There are plenty of players/owners that don't really deserve to be in the Hall. I don't believe Ralph is at the top of the list.

This argument isn't about me and what I may or may not have said in response to a situation that didn't actually happen.

It's really a weak debating technique to rely on your estimation of how I would have reacted in a made-up situation to make your point.

This thread is about whether Ralph belongs in the Hall.

I have always contended that he does not. He's had maybe 12 good seasons out of 50 years as owner, he's never won a SB in 45 tries, hasn't won a championship in 46 years, and has presided over one of the worst teams in the NFL.

As far as the merger stuff... well, again, that was nearly 50 years ago.

I hope I can figure that out. I want to do something really great in the next 2 or 3 years, then proceed to be mediocre for the rest of my life while people heap praises on me for the one great thing I did.

[chernobylwraiths]

This argument isn't about me and what I may or may not have said in response to a situation that didn't actually happen.

It's really a weak debating technique to rely on your estimation of how I would have reacted in a made-up situation to make your point.

This thread is about whether Ralph belongs in the Hall.

I have always contended that he does not. He's had maybe 12 good seasons out of 50 years as owner, he's never won a SB in 45 tries, hasn't won a championship in 46 years, and has presided over one of the worst teams in the NFL.

As far as the merger stuff... well, again, that was nearly 50 years ago.

I hope I can figure that out. I want to do something really great in the next 2 or 3 years, then proceed to be mediocre for the rest of my life while people heap praises on me for the one great thing I did.

I say he DOES deserve to be in as a contributor. Sure, some of it has to do with his being wealthy, but without his contribution to Oakland, the league folds and the NFL isn't what it is today. For being an owner of an original AFL team, he should be in as should many of those original owners, as contributors. They contributed to the game being what it is today.

As an owner, he record has been spotty. But I don't think anybody is in because they were a cool owner. They have gone in because of contributions to the league.

[SABURZFAN]

The Hall of Fame? Beside gamble $25000 on a NFL team and making milliions, what else has he done for the NFL? It can't be what he did for the Bills.


be careful S11. when i said that The Old Fart shouldn't be in the HOF, all of the mental midgets in here jumped all over me for making those comments.