Revisiting the Bills -1964 season

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BillsZone.com recalls and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Buffalo Bills and their 1964 AFL Championship Season. </I> </center>

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The Buffalo Bills opened their season hosting the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs were and up-and-coming squad coached by future Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram and led ably by veteran signal caller Len Dawson. They were the 1962 league champions and brought with them one of the AFL’s stiffer defenses. 4 weeks previous, the Chiefs beat the Bills 24-21 in the home preseason opener. What was billed as an early season test for both teams turned into a rout of historic proportions. Buffalo was also concerned about getting the season off to a good start. In their four previous seasons, their September record was a dismal 2-12-1.........MORE (http://www.billszone.com/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?action=YourSite_content&month=6&state=news&nid=9911)

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BillsZone.com recalls and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Buffalo Bills and their 1964 AFL Championship Season. </I> </center>

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Buffalo entertained western division cellar dweller Denver Broncos at home for the second game of the season before a War Memorial Stadium crowd of 28,501. The Bills were riding high off of a first quarter dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs the week before. Denver was struggling, having been drubbed 30-6 in their season opener as the first visiting team to Jet’s brand new Shea stadium.
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The first quarter was a complete reversal from the previous week when the Bills lit up a respectable Chiefs team for a franchise record 31 points. Both teams defenses held each other in check with Denver’s Gene Mingo and Buffalo’s Pete Gogolak trading field goals- with Mingo nailing it from over the midfield stripe- a distance of 51 yards. Late in the first the opportunistic Bills defense struck. Safety George Saimes intercepted a Denver QB Jacky Lee setting the Bills up at the 49. The Bills then turned the offense over to FB Cookie Gilchrist. The drive ended with a bruising 15 yard Gilchrist TD run to make the score 10-3 on the first play of the 2nd quarter. Midway through the 2nd quarter QB Jack Kemp engineered another scoring drive. Elbert “Golden Wheels” Dubenion caught a 29-yard pass from Kemp, followed up with TE Ernie Warlick’s 20-yard reception. The drive would stall at the Denver 13 necessitating a 21 –yard Gogolak kick........MORE... (http://www.billszone.com/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?state=news&action=YourSite_content&month=6&nid=9919)

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BillsZone.com recalls and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Buffalo Bills and their 1964 AFL Championship Season. </I> </center>


After a 2-0 start, the schedule wasn’t going to get any easier. With their third consecutive home game to start the season, the Buffalo Bills would entertain the cream of the crop of the AFL- the 1-1 defending champion San Diego Chargers. The Chargers had played in 3 of the first 4 AFL championship games, winning the 1963 game by the score of 51-10 over the Boston Patriots. This game would draw the biggest crowd ever to witness a Bills game in Buffalo to date- filling the recently expanded War Memorial stadium to the capacity of 40, 167including over 2,000 standing room only tickets. Hundreds who turned out hoping to buy a seat went home disappointed.
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The battle would pit the league’s most explosive offense against the stingiest defense. In Buffalo’s favor the Chargers were hurting- future NFL Hall of Fame WR Lance Allworth and the Charger’s leading rusher- RB Paul Lowe, were sidelined with injuries. But the Chargers were still the defending champions, and they were still dangerous. ....MORE... (http://www.billszone.com/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?action=YourSite_content&month=6&state=news&nid=9941)

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BillsZone.com recalls and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Buffalo Bills and their 1964 AFL Championship Season. </I> </center>


Buffalo had opened the season with 3 straight home wins over AFL West division teams and wound up an unusual 4th consecutive home game against yet another AFL Western team, Al Davis’ Oakland Raiders. Back in 1964, the Raiders were far from the intimidating “Just Win , Baby” Raiders that would dominate the football landscape of the late 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. Struggling ownership, a shaky product on the field, and small crowds threatened the Raiders with mere survival. The newly expanded War Memorial Stadium would hold 36,461 Bills fans on this day- and it would be the largest crowd ever to witness the Raiders in their team’s 5 year history.........MORE... (http://www.billszone.com/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?state=news&action=YourSite_content&month=6&nid=9970)

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BillsZone.com recalls and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Buffalo Bills and their 1964 AFL Championship Season. </I> </center><P>
The Buffalo Bills opened the schedule with an unusual 4 game home stand in which the entire AFL West division came through. Buffalo disposed of their west coast guests by a combined score of 117-53, compiling an undefeated record of 4-0, and tied with the Boston Patriots on top of the Eastern division.
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While the Buffalo defense dominated the opposition, not everything was sunny in Buffalo. The team’s leader on and off the field, QB Jack Kemp- was struggling miserably. After a hot start in the first quarter of game 1 against the Chiefs, flat performances the following 3 weeks brought the flashy and younger Daryle Lamonica off the bench. Each appearance by the 2nd year QB sparked a lethargic Buffalo offense and helped direct a pair of comebacks against vastly inferior teams. While Kemp was again named starter in game 5, head coach Lou Saban let it be known that he would not hesitate to pull out the quick hook....MORE... (http://www.billszone.com/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?action=YourSite_content&month=7&state=news&nid=9982)