1963 Buffalo Bills season

1963 Buffalo Bills season
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

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.

Personnel

Staff

1963 Buffalo Bills staff
Front Office President – Ralph Wilson Head Coaches Head Coach – Lou Saban Offensive Coaches Running Backs/Wide Receivers – John Mazur Offensive Line – Herman Ball			Defensive Coaches Defensive Line – Jerry Smith Linebackers/Defensive Backs – Joe Collier

Season Summary

The Bills were favored by many to win the AFL's Eastern division before the season, 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. 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, 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. 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.

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 in the final sporting event played at the Polo Grounds. 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).

Season schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 8, 1963	at San Diego Chargers	L 14–10	22,344
2	September 15, 1963	at Oakland Raiders	L 35–17	17,568
3	September 22, 1963	Kansas City Chiefs	T 27–27	33,487
4	September 28, 1963	Houston Oilers	L 31–20	32,340
5	October 5, 1963	Oakland Raiders	W 12–0	24,486
6	October 13, 1963	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 35–26	25,519
7	October 20, 1963	at Houston Oilers	L 28–14	23,948
8	October 26, 1963	Boston Patriots	W 28–21	27,243
9	November 3, 1963	at Denver Broncos	W 30–28	19,424
10	November 9, 1963	Denver Broncos	W 27–17	30,989
11	November 17, 1963	San Diego Chargers	L 23–13	38,592
12	Bye
13	December 1, 1963	at Boston Patriots	L 17–7	16,981
14	December 8, 1963	New York Jets	W 45–14	20,222
15	December 14, 1963	at New York Jets	W 19–10	6,526

Postseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Playoff	December 28, 1963	Boston Patriots	L 26–8	33,044

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
New England Patriots	7	6	1	.538	4–2	327	257	L1
Buffalo Bills	7	6	1	.538	3–3	304	291	W2
Tennessee Titans	6	8	0	.429	3–3	302	372	L4
New York Jets	5	8	1	.385	2–4	249	399	L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends		Offensive Linemen Defensive Linemen Defensive Backs Special Teams

References

• Buffalo Bills on jt-sw.com