1960 Buffalo Bills season

Inaugural season in franchise history November 2013 February 2026 Buffalo Bills 1960 5–8–1 3rd AFL Eastern Buster Ramsey Ralph Wilson War Memorial Stadium Did not qualify None true Bills seasons The 1960 Buffalo Bills season was the club's first season in the American Football League (AFL) and their first overall season as a pro-football franchise. Home games were played at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York. Head Coach Buster Ramsey's Bills compiled a 5–8–1 record, placing them third in the AFL Eastern Division. Unlike most of the offensive-minded AFL, the Bills focused on defense, allowing the third-fewest points in the league (303). Their defensive line boasted Laverne Torczon and Chuck McMurtry (both of whom were 1st Team All-AFL in 1960),https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1960_AFL/allpro.htm 1960 AFL All-Pros - Pro-Football-Reference.com as well as a mobile, hard-hitting middle linebacker in Archie Matsos, who was AFL All-Star in each of the three seasons he spent in Buffalo. The Bills' defense led the league in fewest passing yards allowed (2,130) and most passes intercepted (33),https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1960_AFL/opp.htm 1960 AFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com with NFL veterans Richie McCabe and Jim Wagstaff in their secondary.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1960_roster.htm 1960 Buffalo Bills Starters, Roster, & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com The Bills' offense, however, was not as competent. The 1960 Bills had the worst passing attack in the AFL, throwing for 2,346 yards.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1960_AFL/ 1960 AFL Standings & Team Stats - Pro-Football-Reference.com Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Tommy O'Connell started the season 1–3 before being replaced by Johnny Green. Green would go 3–3 as a starter, despite only completing 39% of his passes.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GreeJo00.htm Johnny Green Stats - Pro-Football-Reference.com Richie Lucas, the Bills' first ever draft pick, was a bust, both at quarterback and at halfback,[Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition Martin's Press, August 1994, 0-312-11073-1 throwing only 49 passes all season.Lucas was not on the team after the following season The Bills did show glimmers of hope on offense, however, by showcasing running back Wray Carlton and flanker Elbert Dubenion, who would later go on to be AFL All-Stars for the Bills in the mid-1960s. Uniforms In their first season, the Bills wore silver helmets and royal blue home jerseys. Their road jerseys were white with royal blue letters. The team wore white pants both at home and on the road. The Bills' helmets displayed the player's number in royal blue on the side where the logo would normally be (much like the Alabama Crimson Tide's helmets).A look back at Bills uniform changes https://www.buffalobills.com/news/a-look-back-at-bills-uniform-changes-16272466 NFL Enterprises, LLC BuffaloBills.com November 11, 2015 June 18, 2024http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?id=6396 Buffalo Bills Primary Logo - American Football League (AFL) - Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net The uniforms, not coincidentally, resembled those of the National Football League (NFL)'s Detroit Lions. Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. grew up in Detroit and had once been a minority owner in the Lions. Offseason History of the Buffalo Bills When Lamar Hunt announced formation of the American Football League in the summer of 1959, Buffalo was one of the target cities Hunt sought, based on its previous success with the Bills in the AAFC. His first choice of owner, however, turned him down; Pat McGroder (then a liquor store owner and sports liaison with the city of Buffalo) was still hopeful that the threat of the AFL would prompt the NFL to come back to Buffalo to try and stop the AFL from gaining a foothold there (as the NFL would do with teams in Minnesota, Dallas, St. Louis and later Atlanta). McGroder's hopes never came to fruition, and in 1961, he took a position in the new Bills organization. Harry Wismer, who was to own the Titans of New York franchise, reached out to insurance salesman and automobile heir Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. to see if he was interested in joining the upstart league. (Both Wismer and Wilson were minority owners of NFL franchises at the time: Wilson part-owned the Detroit Lions, while Wismer was a small partner in the Washington Redskins but had little power due to majority owner George Preston Marshall's near-iron fist over the team and the league). Wilson agreed to field a team in the new league, with the words "Count me in. I'll take a franchise anywhere you suggest."http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1134343/index.htm Texan millions are behind the American Football League - 01.25.60 - SI Vault October 26, 2012 bot: unknown https://web.archive.org/web/20121026074333/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1134343/index.htm October 26, 2012 Hunt gave him the choice of six cities: Miami, Buffalo, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Atlanta, or Louisville, Kentucky; after being turned down in his effort to put a team in Miami, he consulted with Detroit media, who connected him with McGroder and The Buffalo News managing editor Paul Neville;http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2014/03/25/bills-founder-ralph-ilson-dies.html Buffalo Bills founder Ralph Wilson dies; Hall of Famer founded team 55 years ago http://buffalonews.com/2014/03/26/fathers-example-inspired-wilson-in-football-and-business/ Father’s example inspired Wilson in football and business Mark Gaughan March 26, 2014 their efforts to lobby Wilson to come to Buffalo were successful, and Wilson sent Hunt a telegram with the now-famous words, "Count me in with Buffalo." The Buffalo Bills were a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. After a public contest, the team adopted the same name as the AAFC Buffalo Bills, the former All-America Football Conference team in Buffalo. 1960 AFL draft 1960 American Football League draft Two Rounds of draft were held, the first round called "First Selections", the second round "Second Selections". First Selections Charles Bevins, HB, Morris Brown Don Black, E, New Mexico Bill Burrell, G, Illinois Paul Choquette, FB, Brown Mike Connelly, C, Utah State Jim Conroy, FB, USC Bob Coogan, T/G, Utah Louis Cordileone, G, Clemson Ted Dean, FB, Wichita Willie Evans, HB, Buffalo Ross Fichtner, QB, Purdue Jon Gilliam, C, E. Texas State Al Goldstein, E, North Carolina James Houston, E, Ohio State Ray Jauch, HB, Iowa Robert Khayat, T, Mississippi Ken Kirk, C, Mississippi Jim Leo, E, Cincinnati Richie Lucas, QB, Penn State Charles McMurtry, T/G, Whittier Bubba Meyer, E, TCU Ron Miller, E, Vanderbilt Gale Oliver, T, Texas A&M Harold Olson, T, Clemson Ray Peterson, HB, West Virginia Vince Promuto, G, Holy Cross Rene Ramirez, HB, Texas Len Rohde, T, Utah State Joe Schaffer, T, Tennessee Wayne Schneider, HB, Colorado State Ivan Toncic, QB, Pittsburgh Larry Wilson, HB, Utah Second Selections Dwight Baumgartner, E, Duke Tom Day, T/G, North Carolina A&T Babe Dreymala, T/G, Texas Joe Gomes, HB, South Carolina Mike Graney, E, Notre Dame Pete Hall, QB, Marquette Jim Hanna, E, USC Ernie Hanson, C, Arizona State John Littlejohn, HB, Kansas State Marvin Luster, E, UCLA Dwight Nichols, HB, Iowa State Merlin Priddy, HB, TCU Gary Ratkowski, HB, Citadel Dale Rems, T/G, Purdue Carl Robison, T/G, S. Carolina State Bob Sliva, T/G, Stephen F. Austin James Sorey, T/G, Texas Southern Jerry Thompson, T/G, Oklahoma Royce Whittington, T/G, Southwestern Darrell Harper, HB, Michigan Personnel Staff/Coaches 1960 Buffalo Bills President – Ralph Wilson Vice-President/Minority Owner – Pat McGroder General Manager – Dick Gallagher Head Coach – Buster Ramsey Offensive Backfield – Floyd Reid Ends – Bob Dove Defensive backs – Harvey Johnson Roster 1960 Buffalo Bills 18 Johnny Green American football 14 Tommy O'Connell 30 Wray Carlton 23 Willmer Fowler y 43 Joe Kulbacki y 11 Richie Lucas y QB 35 Carl Smith running back y no 44 Elbert Dubenion y 88 Al Hoisington y 81 Tom Rychlec 84 Dan Chamberlain y 80 Monte Crockett y 60 Phil Blazer y G 77 Don Chelf y G/T 62 Tony Discenzo y T 52 Dan McGrew y C 70 Chuck Muelhaupt y G 74 Harold Olson y T 75 Robert Sedlock y T 78 Gene Grabosky y DT 73 Chuck McMurtry y DT 76 Jack Scott defensive tackle y DT no 79 Jim Sorey y DT 87 LaVerne Torczon y DE 71 Mack Yoho DE/K 55 Bernie Buzyniski y OLB 54 Joe Hergert y OLB/K 57 Jack Laraway y OLB 56 Archie Matsos y MLB 67 Joe Schaffer y OLB 20 Billy Atkins American football CB/K/P 42 Jack Johnson defensive back CB/S 24 Billy Kinard CB 45 Dick McCabe American football CB 22 Jim Wagstaff SS Season schedule Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 July 30 Boston Patriots L 7–28 0–1 War Memorial Stadium 16,474 2 August 13 Denver Broncos W 31–14 1–1 Aquinas Stadium 6,200 3 August 21 at Boston Patriots L 7–21 1–2 Fitton Field 7,000 4 August 24 Oakland Raiders L 21–26 1–3 War Memorial Stadium 17,071 5 September 4 New York Titans L 31–52 1–4 War Memorial Stadium 6,821 Regular season Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Game Recap 1 September 11 at New York Titans L 3–27 0–1 Polo Grounds 10,200 Recap 2 September 18 Denver Broncos L 21–27 0–2 War Memorial Stadium 15,229 Recap 3 September 23 at Boston Patriots W 13–0 1–2 Boston University Field 20,732 Recap 4 October 2 Los Angeles Chargers L 10–24 1–3 War Memorial Stadium 15,821 Recap 5 Bye 6 October 16 New York Titans L 13–17 1–4 War Memorial Stadium 14,988 Recap 7 October 23 Oakland Raiders W 38–9 2–4 War Memorial Stadium 8,876 Recap 8 October 30 Houston Oilers W 25–24 3–4 War Memorial Stadium 23,001 Recap 9 November 6 Dallas Texans L 28–45 3–5 War Memorial Stadium 19,610 Recap 10 November 13 at Oakland Raiders L 7–20 3–6 Kezar Stadium 8,800 Recap 11 November 20 at Los Angeles Chargers W 32–3 4–6 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 16,161 Recap 12 November 27 at Denver Broncos T 38–38 4–6–1 Bears Stadium 7,785 Recap 13 December 4 Boston Patriots W 38–14 5–6–1 War Memorial Stadium 14,335 Recap 14 December 11 at Houston Oilers L 23–31 5–7–1 Jeppesen Stadium 25,243 Recap 15 December 18 at Dallas Texans L 7–24 5–8–1 Cotton Bowl 18,000 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Season summary Week 1: at New York Titans 1960 New York Titans season Buffalo Bills 1960 2; text-align:center collapsed Week One: Buffalo Bills (0–0) at New York Titans (0–0) September 11 Bills 3 0 0 0 Titans 0 17 3 7 Polo Grounds, New York, New York 10,200 65 F C Box Score First quarter BUF – Darrell Harper 35-yard field goal. Bills 3-0. Drive: Second quarter NY – Bill Shockley 15-yard field goal. Tie 3–3. Drive: NY – Al Dorow 2-yard run (Bill Shockley kick). Titans 10–3. Drive: NY – Al Dorow 15-yard run (Bill Shockley kick). Titans 17–3. Drive: Third quarter NY – Bill Shockley 39-yard field goal. Titans 20–3. Drive: Fourth quarter NY – Art Powell 13-yard pass from Dick Jamieson (Bill Shockley kick). Titans 27–3. Drive: Top passers BUF – Tommy O'Connell – 2/10, 37 yards, INT NY – Dick Jamieson – 9/18, 152 yards, TD Top rushers BUF – Bob Brodhead – 4 rushes, 42 yards NY – Pete Hart – 11 rushes, 66 yards Top receivers BUF – Elbert Dubenion – 1 reception, 22 yards NY – Don Maynard – 4 receptions, 116 yards Week 3 Bills 6 7 0 0 Patriots 0 0 0 0 September 23 Nickerson Field 20,732 60 F, wind 11 yes Q1 BUF Smith 65 yard pass from O'Connell (kick failed) BUF 6–0 Q2 BUF Carlton 2 yard run (Atkins kick) BUF 13–0 yes https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196009230nwe.htm Buffalo Bills at Boston Patriots - September 23rd, 1960 - Pro-Football-Reference.com Buffalo's first win in franchise history. Week 6: vs. New York Titans Buffalo Bills 1960 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Six: New York Titans (3–2) at Buffalo Bills (1–3) October 16 Titans 7 3 0 7 Bills 6 0 0 7 War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York 14,988 58 F C Box Score First quarter NY – Thurlow Cooper 3-yard pass from Al Dorow (Bill Shockley kick). Titans 7–0. Drive: BUF – Wray Carlton 54-yard run (kick failed). Titans 7–6. Drive: Second quarter NY – Bill Shockley 43-yard field goal. Titans 10–6. Drive: Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter BUF – Elbert Dubenion 32-yard pass from Johnny Green (Billy Atkins kick). Bills 13–10. Drive: NY – Al Dorow 1-yard run (Bill Shockley kick). Titans 17–13. Drive: Top passers NY – Al Dorow – 16/35, 158 yards, TD, 3 INT BUF – Johnny Green – 10/24, 127 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers NY – Al Dorow – 18 rushes, 72 yards, TD BUF – Wray Carlton – 9 rushes, 98 yards, TD Top receivers NY – Don Maynard – 6 receptions, 82 yards BUF – Elbert Dubenion – 3 receptions, 46 yards, TD Week 7: vs. Oakland Raiders Raiders 0 7 0 2 Bills 14 14 3 7 October 23 War Memorial Stadium 8,876 50 F; wind 17 yes Q1 BUF Carlton 38 yard pass from Green (Atkins kick) BUF 7–0 Q1 BUF Carlton 23 yard pass from Green (Atkins kick) BUF 14–0 Q2 BUF Dubenion 55 yard pass from Green (Atkins kick) BUF 21–0 Q2 OAK Smith 1 yard run (Barnes kick) BUF 21–7 Q2 BUF Carlton 32 yard pass from Green (Atkins kick) BUF 28–7 Q3 BUF Hergert 26 yard field goal BUF 31–7 Q4 BUF Green 2 yard run (Atkins kick) BUF 38–7 Q4 OAK Safety, center snap out of end zone BUF 38–9 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Apr-19. Standings References 35em Further reading Jeffrey J. Miller, Rockin' the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League. Toronto, ON: ECW Press, 2007. Jeffrey J. Miller and Greg D. Tranter, Relics: The History of The Buffalo Bills in Objects and Memorabilia. Haworth, NJ: St. Johann Press, 2021. Sal Maiorana, Buffalo Bills: The Complete Illustrated History. Minneapolis, MN: MVP Books, 2010. Buffalo Bills Category:Buffalo Bills seasons Buffalo