BUFFALO – Public Officials, past and present players and thousands of fans are remembering Ralph Wilson Jr. today – the longtime owner of the Buffalo Bills who died Tuesday at the age of 95.
Wilson, a World War II veteran and Michigan businessman, founded the team in 1960 with a cost of just $25,000, joining seven other franchises in the fledgling American Football League.
In the 1960s the Bills won two AFL championships and in 1970, Wilson played a key role in merging the AFL with the NFL. His team saw little success in the 70s and 80s, but went to four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s, remaining the only team to have pulled off four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
A small-market franchise, the Bills were valued in August 2013 at $870 million by Forbes magazine, 30th among the N.F.L.’s 32 teams.
On the news of his passing, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “Wilson gave us a team that has been the pride of Western New York for the past 54 years. The Bills remain, to this day, an economic engine for the region, generating revenue and providing jobs at a stadium that will bear Mr. Wilson’s name for years to come. Wilson’s passion for football and dedication to his community epitomized the spirit of the Buffalo Bills and their fans.”
On the news of his passing, flags flew at half-staff and a small memorial had formed at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park.
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