Buffalo Bills
Franchise Overview 1960-2021 (62 seasons)

Teams Buffalo Bills History Franchise Overview

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Founded in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), they joined the NFL in 1970 following the AFL–NFL merger. The Bills' name is derived from an All-America Football Conference (AAFC) franchise from Buffalo that was in turn named after western frontiersman Buffalo Bill. Drawing much of its fanbase from Western New York, the Bills are the only NFL team that plays home games in that state. The franchise is owned by Terry and Kim Pegula, who purchased the Bills after the death of original owner Ralph Wilson in 2014. The Bills won consecutive AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965, the only major professional sports championships from a team representing Buffalo. After joining the NFL, they became perennial postseason contenders during the late 1980s and 1990s. Their greatest success occurred between 1990 and 1993 when they appeared in a record four consecutive Super Bowls; an accomplishment often overshadowed by them losing each game. From 2000 to 2016, the Bills endured the longest active playoff drought of the four major North American professional sports, making them the last NFL franchise and the last in the four leagues to qualify for the postseason in the 21st century. They returned to consistent postseason contention by the late 2010s, although the Bills have not returned to the Super Bowl. Alongside the Minnesota Vikings, their four Super Bowl losses are the most among NFL franchises that have not won the championship.

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Founded in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), they joined the NFL in 1970 following the AFL–NFL merger. The Bills' name is derived from an All-America Football Conference (AAFC) franchise from Buffalo that was in turn named after western frontiersman Buffalo Bill. Drawing much of its fanbase from Western New York, the Bills are the only NFL team that plays home games in that state. The franchise is owned by Terry and Kim Pegula, who purchased the Bills after the death of original owner Ralph Wilson in 2014. The Bills won consecutive AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965, the only major professional sports championships from a team representing Buffalo. After joining the NFL, they became perennial postseason contenders during the late 1980s and 1990s. Their greatest success occurred between 1990 and 1993 when they appeared in a record four consecutive Super Bowls; an accomplishment often overshadowed by them losing each game. From 2000 to 2016, the Bills endured the longest active playoff drought of the four major North American professional sports, making them the last NFL franchise and the last in the four leagues to qualify for the postseason in the 21st century. They returned to consistent postseason contention by the late 2010s, although the Bills have not returned to the Super Bowl. Alongside the Minnesota Vikings, their four Super Bowl losses are the most among NFL franchises that have not won the championship.

1974 Buffalo Bills

1960-2021 (62 seasons)

Buffalo Bills Team History

All-time franchise record

449-492 (.477)

2 championships in 6 appearances

Franchise History

1970-2021

Buffalo Bills (NFL)

1960-1969

Buffalo Bills (AFL)

Top Seasons

Year Record Result

1993 12-4 Lost Super Bowl

1992 11-5 Lost Super Bowl

1991 13-3 Lost Super Bowl

1990 13-3 Lost Super Bowl

1965 10-3 Won AFL Championship

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Last 5 Seasons

Year Record Result

2021 11-6 Lost Division Championship

2020 13-3 Lost Tiebreaker Game

2019 10-6 Lost Wild Card Game

2018 6-10 Missed Playoffs

2017 9-7 Lost Wild Card Game

View All Bills Seasons

1st Round Draft Picks

Year Rd/Pick Player

2021 1 / 30 Gregory Rousseau DL

2019 1 / 9 Ed Oliver DT

2018 1 / 7 Josh Allen QB

2018 1 / 16 Tremaine Edmunds LB

2017 1 / 27 Tre'Davious White CB

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Longest Serving GM's

Tenure Years General Manager

1967-78 12 Bob Lustig

1993-03 11 John Butler

1960-66 7 Richard Gallagher

1986-92 7 Bill Polian

2017-21 5 Brandon Beane

View All Bills General Managers

Team Owners

Tenure Years Owner

2014-21 8 Terrence Pegula

2014 1 Mary Wilson

1960-13 54 Ralph Wilson

View All Bills Owners

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F i l t e r & S o r t

Buffalo Bills Media Guidepublication

Buffalo Bills Media Guide

65 issues 1960-2024

This media guide is a comprehensive resource created by the team to provide detailed information about its players, coaches, history,...