1966 Buffalo Bills season
| 1966 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Head coach | Joe Collier |
| Home stadium | War Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–4–1 |
| Division place | 1st AFL Eastern |
| Playoffs | Lost AFL Championship (vs. Chiefs) 7–31 |
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.[1]It 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.[2] 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.[3]
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,[4] 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.
Personnel
Staff
| 1966 Buffalo Bills staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
| |||||
Final roster
| 1966 Buffalo Bills roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| ||||
| Note: rookies in italics | ||||||
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
Regular season
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
| AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 6–2 | 358 | 255 | W1 | ||
| Boston Patriots | 8 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 5–1–1 | 315 | 283 | L1 | |
| New York Jets | 6 | 6 | 2 | .500 | 4–3–1 | 322 | 312 | W1 | |
| Houston Oilers | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–7 | 335 | 396 | L8 | |
| Miami Dolphins | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 2–5 | 213 | 362 | W1 | |
Game summaries
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| • Bills | 21 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 58 |
- Date: September 18
- Location: War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, NY
- Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C); wind 3 mph
| 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 | |
Week 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| • Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
- Date: November 13
- Location: War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York
- Game attendance: 45,738
- Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C); wind 10 mph
| 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 | |
Roster
| Buffalo Bills roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen Defensive backs Special teams K-Booth Lusteg | |||||
Postseason
AFL Championship Game
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 York
Attendance: 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
Bills lost and missed the playoffs in 1967
Awards and records
- Bobby Burnett, Rookie of the Year
References
- ^ Collier would coach the Bills for three seasons: 1966–1968
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference: 1966 AFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics
- ^ Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, p.108, Martin's Press, August 1994, ISBN 0-312-11073-1
- ^ 25.6 per game
- ^ "Chargers' tie jolt to Raiders". Oakland Tribune. November 26, 1965. p. 51 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "AFL standings". Lompoc Records. December 19, 1966. p. 2-B – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Jan-06.
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Jan-24.
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.