1963 Buffalo Bills season
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1963 Buffalo Bills season
| 1963 Buffalo Bills season | |||||||
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| Head coach | Lou Saban | ||||||
| Owner | Ralph Wilson | ||||||
| Home field | War Memorial Stadium | ||||||
| Results | |||||||
| Record | 7–6–1 | ||||||
| Division Place | 2nd AFL Eastern | ||||||
| Playoff finish | did not qualify | ||||||
| Timeline | |||||||
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The 1963 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s fourth season in the American Football League. The Bills finished with their second-consecutive 7-6-1 record, finishing with the same record as the Boston Patriots after winning seven of their final ten games. The Bills lost a one-game playoff with Boston, 26-8, eliminating Buffalo from participation in the 1963 AFL Championship Game.
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Contents
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Personnel
Staff
| 1963 Buffalo Bills staff | ||||||
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Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
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Defensive Coaches
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Season Summary
The Bills were favored by many to win the AFL's Eastern division before the season,[1] but for the second consecutive season, the Bills had a terrible start to the year, going 0-3-1 in their first four games. The Bills would rally to win five of their next six games before going 2-2 in the final four weeks.
Quarterback Jack Kemp was the opening day starter for the first time after an abbreviated 1962 season. By Week Four, however, he was splitting time with rookie Daryle Lamonica.[2] During the middle of the Bills' season (other than two Lamonica starts in Weeks 13 and 14), Kemp established himself as the team's leader and full-time passer. Kemp was conservative, but effective, with only 5.2% of his passes being intercepted.
Wide receivers Elbert Dubenion (53 catches for 959 yards) and Bill Miller (69 for 860) were Kemp's biggest targets in 1963,[3] with Cookie Gilchrist leading the team with 979 rushing yards, third in the league. Gilchrist's 12 rushing touchdowns led the AFL, as did his 256 total touches.[4] Gilchrist set a then-record for yards in a game, with 243 in a blowout win against the Jets in Week Fourteen.
Halfback Wray Carlton was sidelined for most of the season with an injury, forcing Gilchrist to shoulder most of the load.[5]
Going into the final week of the season, the Bills were 6-5-1, whereas the division-leading Patriots were 7-5-1: a Patriots win or a Bills loss would give Boston the division title. Instead, the Patriots were blown out 35-3 at Kansas City, and the Bills rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Jets. The Bills and Patriots, now both 7-6-1, would have to play a one-game play-off to determine who would face the Western Division champion Chargers in the AFL Championship game.
In the play-off, on a freezing day in Buffalo, the Bills trailed 16-0 at halftime, and never held a lead. Buffalo's only score was a 93-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica to Elbert Dubenion in the third quarter, with a successful two-point conversion. The Patriots, however, would tack on another ten unanswered points, winning 26-8, and claiming their spot in the AFL Championship. (Boston would be demolished by San Diego, 51-10).
Offseason
AFL Draft
Season schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8, 1963 | at San Diego Chargers | L 14–10 |
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| 2 | September 15, 1963 | at Oakland Raiders | L 35–17 |
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| 3 | September 22, 1963 | Kansas City Chiefs | T 27–27 |
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| 4 | September 28, 1963 | Houston Oilers | L 31–20 |
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| 5 | October 5, 1963 | Oakland Raiders | W 12–0 |
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| 6 | October 13, 1963 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 35–26 |
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| 7 | October 20, 1963 | at Houston Oilers | L 28–14 |
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| 8 | October 26, 1963 | Boston Patriots | W 28–21 |
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| 9 | November 3, 1963 | at Denver Broncos | W 30–28 |
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| 10 | November 9, 1963 | Denver Broncos | W 27–17 |
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| 11 | November 17, 1963 | San Diego Chargers | L 23–13 |
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| 12 | Bye | |||
| 13 | December 1, 1963 | at Boston Patriots | L 17–7 |
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| 14 | December 8, 1963 | New York Jets | W 45–14 |
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| 15 | December 14, 1963 | at New York Jets | W 19–10 |
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Postseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
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| Playoff | December 28, 1963 | Boston Patriots | L 26–8 |
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Season standings
| Eastern Division | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
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| *Boston Patriots | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 327 | 257 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 304 | 291 |
| Houston Oilers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 302 | 372 |
| New York Jets | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 249 | 399 |
Roster
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Buffalo Bills roster
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| Quarterbacks
Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends |
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen Defensive Backs Special Teams |
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Awards and Records
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References
- ^ [Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, page 66, Martin's Press, August 1994, ISBN 0-312-11073-1
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1963 Buffalo Bills
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1963 Buffalo Bills
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1963 AFL Leaders and Leaderboards
- ^ Neft 1994
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 298
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| Eastern Division | Western Division |
| Boston | Denver |
| Buffalo | Kansas City |
| Houston | Oakland |
| New York Jets | San Diego |
| 1963 AFL Draft • AFL Playoffs • 1963 AFL All-Star game Related: 1963 NFL Season |
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