1966 Buffalo Bills season
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]
| 1966 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Joe Collier |
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Home field | War Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–4–1 |
| Division place | 1st AFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Lost AFL Championship (Chiefs, 31–7) |
It ended with a loss in the AFL Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs, ending the team's two-year reign as league champions. The score was 31-7 during the time.
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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
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Defensive Coaches
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Final roster
| 1966 Buffalo Bills roster | ||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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| 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 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | at San Diego Chargers | L 7–27 | 0–1 | |
| 2 | September 11 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 20–42 | 0–2 | |
| 3 | September 18 | Miami Dolphins | W 58–24 | 1–2 | |
| 4 | September 25 | Houston Oilers | W 27–20 | 2–2 | |
| 5 | October 2 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 29–14 | 3–2 | |
| 6 | October 8 | Boston Patriots | L 20–10 | 3–3 | |
| 7 | October 16 | San Diego Chargers | T 17–17 | 3–3–1 | |
| 8 | Bye | ||||
| 9 | October 30 | at New York Jets | W 33–23 | 4–3–1 | |
| 10 | November 6 | at Miami Dolphins | W 29–0 | 5–3–1 | |
| 11 | November 13 | New York Jets | W 14–3 | 6–3–1 | |
| 12 | November 20 | at Houston Oilers | W 42–20 | 7–3–1 | |
| 13 | November 24 | at Oakland Raiders | W 31–10 | 8–3–1 | |
| 14 | December 4 | at Boston Patriots | L 14–3 | 8–4–1 | |
| 15 | Bye | ||||
| 16 | December 18 | Denver Broncos | W 38–21 | 9–4–1 | |
Standings
| AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Buffalo Bills | 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 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Game summaries
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
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Week 10
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Roster
| Buffalo Bills roster | ||||||
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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)
- BUF – Dubenion 69 pass from Kemp (Lusteg kick)
- KC – Taylor 29 pass from Dawson (Mercer kick)
- KC – Field goal Mercer 32
- KC – Garrett 1 run (Mercer kick)
- KC – Garrett 18 run (Mercer kick)
Awards and Records
- Bobby Burnett, Denver, 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
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Jan-06.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Jan-24.
