A blast from the past, Jack Kemp was the first true Buffalo Bill great. During their AFL days, he was named to four-straight All-Star games as he led the team to the playoffs each season, after missing Year 1 due to injury. The pinnacle came in the latter two years of that run, as he led Buffalo to back-to-back AFL titles in 1964 and 1965.
Protecting Jack Kemp on the offensive line was Billy Shaw, an eight-time All-Star in his career who also made the AFL All-Time team of 1970. His success can be simplified with one simple fact: He is the only player in league history to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame without playing in the NFL.
With many clamoring for him to earn his spot in the Hall of Fame, Steve Tasker's contributions as a special teamer somehow still stand out. Five All-Pro and seven Pro Bowl selections littered his resume, as his gunning (204 tackles) and punt blocking (seven career punt blocks) were crucial to the 1990s Bills squad that made four -straight Super Bowl appearances.
Bringing sustained success for the first time since 1990, Josh Allen has re-elevated the Buffalo Bills franchise with five-straight AFC East titles. A constant threat for a deadly scramble, he has the second-most rushing touchdowns for a quarterback with 65, with three Pro Bowls to his name. He is also the favorite to win MVP this season, which could further bolster his case.
OJ Simpson might get more accolades, but the contribution of Joe DeLamielleure on the offensive line was hard to ignore. He was the centerpiece of the Electric Company offensive line, earning six Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections in his career.
One of the most dominant running backs in league history, OJ Simpson had a string of five-straight All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections as he also finished top-five in MVP voting four times, before winning it in 1973. That year, he had 2,003 yards, the most all-time in a 14-game season and ended his career with the second-most rushing yards of all-time with 11,236.
A dominant playoff performer, Andre Reed was exceptionally consistent during the regular season that had seven Pro Bowl selections. But in the playoffs, he went to a different level, recording at least two touchdowns in their first three Super Bowl trips, including a three-touchdown explosion against the Houston Oilers in a 32-point comeback victory. At the time of retirement, he was second all-time in receptions and third in Super Bowl receptions and yards as well.
One of the original dual-threat running backs, Thurman Thomas led the league in total scrimmage yards in four of his first five seasons. As a result, he won the NFL MVP and OPOY award in 1991 as he totaled over 2,000 total yards, in the midst of five straight Pro Bowl selections. He was the catalyst for their four-straight Super Bowl appearances.
Arguably the greatest pass-rusher of all-time, Bruce Smith spent 15 seasons with the Bills, recording double-digit sacks 12 times in 13 seasons, with injuries leading him to miss the mark in the exceptional year. Two DPOY awards paved the way for a resume that also includes 11 Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, as he finished his career with 200 sacks, the most in NFL history.
The quarterback for the legendary late 1980s-early 1990s Buffalo Bills team, Jim Kelly was slinging it all over the field as a Bill. Earning five Pro Bowl honors, Kelly finished top 10 in passing touchdowns nine times, while finished in the top-10 of passing yards for six. He was the catalyst for four-straight AFC titles to begin the 1990s, as he led the team to the playoffs eight times in 11 years.
