1966 Buffalo Bills season

7th season in franchise history November 2013 February 2026 Buffalo Bills 1966 9–4–1 1st AFL Eastern Joe Collier Ralph Wilson War Memorial Stadium Lost AFL Championship(vs. Chiefs) 7–31 Bills seasons The 1966 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s seventh season in the American Football League. It was the first season for head coach Joe Collier, who had been the Bills' defensive coordinator for the previous four seasons.Collier would coach the Bills for three seasons: 1966–1968It ended with a 31–7 loss in the AFL Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs, ending the team's two-year reign as league champions. The Bills allowed the fewest points in the AFL for the third consecutive year.Pro-Football-Reference: 1966 AFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics Although defensive tackle Tom Sestak hampered by a bad knee, defensive linemen Jim Dunaway and Ron McDole took a leadership position. Linebackers Mike Stratton, Harry Jacobs and John Tracey, and defensive backs George Saimes, Butch Byrd, Hagood Clarke and Tom Janik provided a strong defensive foundation.Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, p.108, Martin's Press, August 1994, 0-312-11073-1 Halfback Bobby Burnett and split end Bobby Crockett joined long-time Bills running back Wray Carlton and quarterback Jack Kemp, leading Buffalo's offense to scoring 358 points,25.6 per game second-most in the AFL in 1966. Burnett's 1,185 total yards from scrimmage were 5th in the AFL, and garnered AFL Rookie of the Year honors for Burnett. Offseason Lou Saban, who had coached the Bills to consecutive AFL Championships, left the team after the 1965 season to coach at the University of Maryland. AFL draft 1966 American Football League draft Personnel Staff 1966 Buffalo Bills staffFront office President/owner – Ralph Wilson Vice-president/minority owner – Pat McGroder Head coaches Head coach – Joe Collier Offensive coaches Running backs/wide receivers – John Mazur Offensive line – Jerry Smith Defensive coaches Linebackers/Defensive Backs – Richie McCabe Final roster 1966 Buffalo Bills roster Quarterbacks 15 Jack Kemp 12 Daryle Lamonica Running backs 21 Bobby Burnett 30 Wray Carlton 34 Allen Smith 23 Jack Spikes Wide receivers 85 Glenn Bass 83 Bobby Crockett 44 Elbert Dubenion 40 Ed Rutkowski Tight ends 82 Paul Costa 80 Charley Ferguson Offensive linemen 77 Stew Barber T 50 Al Bemiller C 71 Wayne DeSutter T 79 Dick Hudson T 67 Joe O'Donnell G 65 Remi Prudhomme G 57 Bob Schmidt C 66 Billy Shaw G Defensive linemen 73 Dave Costa DT 88 Tom Day DE 78 Jim Dunaway DT 72 Ron McDole DE 75 Dudley Meredith DT/DE 70 Tom Sestak DT Linebackers 59 Paul Guidry OLB 64 Harry Jacobs MLB 56 Marty Schottenheimer MLB 58 Mike Stratton OLB 51 John Tracey OLB Defensive backs 42 Butch Byrd CB 45 Hagood Clarke SS 24 Booker Edgerson CB 27 Tom Janik CB 47 Charlie King CB/S 26 George Saimes FS 22 Charley Warner CB/S Special teams 49 Booth Lusteg K 55 Paul Maguire PTaxi squad 35 Doug Goodwin RB -- Mailon Kent QB 46 Tony King S 48 Greg Lashutka TE 48 Pete Mills WR Reserve List 33 Teddy Bailey RB (IR) 7px 60 Dave Behrman C (IR) 7pxNote: rookies in italics Regular season March 2015 Season schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 4 at San Diego Chargers L 7–27 0–1 Balboa Stadium 27,572 Recap 2 September 11 Kansas City Chiefs L 20–42 0–2 War Memorial Stadium 42,023 Recap 3 September 18 Miami Dolphins W 58–24 1–2 War Memorial Stadium 37,546 Recap 4 September 25 Houston Oilers W 27–20 2–2 War Memorial Stadium 42,256 Recap 5 October 2 at Kansas City Chiefs W 29–14 3–2 Municipal Stadium 43,885 Recap 6 October 8 Boston Patriots L 10–20 3–3 War Memorial Stadium 45,542 Recap 7 October 16 San Diego Chargers T 17–17 3–3–1 War Memorial Stadium 45,169 Recap 8 Bye 9 October 30 at New York Jets W 33–23 4–3–1 Shea Stadium 61,552 Recap 10 November 6 at Miami Dolphins W 29–0 5–3–1 Miami Orange Bowl 37,177 Recap 11 November 13 New York Jets W 14–3 6–3–1 War Memorial Stadium 45,738 Recap 12 November 20 at Houston Oilers W 42–20 7–3–1 Rice Stadium 27,312 Recap 13 November 24 at Oakland Raiders W 31–10 8–3–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 36,781 Recap 14 December 4 at Boston Patriots L 3–14 8–4–1 Fenway Park 39,350 Recap 15 Bye 16 December 18 Denver Broncos W 38–21 9–4–1 War Memorial Stadium 40,583 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings Game summaries Week 1 January 2015 Week 2 January 2015 Week 3 Dolphins 3 7 0 14 Bills 21 27 3 7 September 18 War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, NY 61 F; wind 3 mph yes Q1 BUF Kemp 1 yard run (Lusteg kick) BUF 7–0 Q1 BUF Byrd 60 yard interception return (Lusteg kick) BUF 14–0 Q1 BUF Byrd 72 yard punt return (Lusteg kick) BUF 21–0 Q1 MIA Mingo 24 yard field goal BUF 21–3 Q2 BUF Crockett 26 yard pass from Kemp (Lusteg kick) BUF 28–3 Q2 BUF Burnett 1 yard run (Lusteg kick) BUF 35–3 Q2 BUF Burnett 3 yard run (kick failed) BUF 41–3 Q2 MIA Roderick 4 yard pass from Wilson (Mingo kick) BUF 41–10 Q2 BUF Spikes 11 yard run (Lusteg kick) BUF 48–10 Q3 BUF Lusteg 13 yard field goal BUF 51–10 Q4 MIA Roberson 66 yard pass from Wilson (Mingo kick) BUF 51–17 Q4 BUF Spikes 18 yard pass from Lamonica (Lusteg kick) BUF 58–17 Q4 MIA Kocourek 13 yard pass from Wilson (Mingo kick) BUF 58–24 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Jan-06. Week 10 Jets 0 0 3 0 Bills 0 0 0 14 November 13 War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York 45,738 33 F; wind 10 mph yes Q3 NYJ Jim Turner 43 yard field goal NYJ 3–0 Q4 BUF Elbert Dubenion 14 yard pass from Jack Kemp (Booth Lusteg kick) BUF 7–3 Q4 BUF Jim Dunaway 72 yard blocked field goal return (Booth Lusteg kick) BUF 14–3 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Jan-24. Roster Buffalo Bills roster Quarterbacks  - Daryle Lamonica  15 Jack Kemp Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends Offensive linemen Defensive linemen Defensive backs Special teams K-Booth Lusteg Postseason AFL Championship Game 1966 AFL Championship Game Chiefs 7 10 0 14 31 Bills 7 0 0 0 7 Kansas City Chiefs 31, Buffalo Bills 7 January 1, 1967, at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New YorkAttendance: 42,080 The Bills entered the AFL championship game seeking their third consecutive title. Though the game was played in Buffalo, the visiting Kansas City Chiefs were three-point favorites, mainly because of their explosive and innovative offense led by head coach Hank Stram. The Bills were a more conventional team with a solid defensive line and a running mindset on offense. Buffalo found no offensive rhythm in the second half, and the Chiefs closed the game out in the fourth quarter with Dawson found Chris Burford for a 45-yard gain, setting up a one-foot touchdown run by rookie Mike Garrett. Less than two minutes later, Garrett scored a second touchdown following another Bills fumble. Scoring KC – Arbanas 29 pass from Dawson (Mercer kick) 7-0 BUF – Dubenion 69 pass from Kemp (Lusteg kick) 7-7 KC – Taylor 29 pass from Dawson (Mercer kick) 14-7 KC – Field goal Mercer 32 17-7 KC – Garrett 1 run (Mercer kick) 24-7 KC – Garrett 18 run (Mercer kick) 31-7 Awards and records Bobby Burnett, Rookie of the Year 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 Category:1966 in sports in New York (state)