1965 Buffalo Bills season

6th season in franchise history, second league championship

1965 Buffalo Bills season

Owner| Ralph Wilson
Head coach| Lou Saban
Home field| War Memorial Stadium
Results
Record| 10–3–1
Division place| 1st AFL Eastern
Playoff finish| Won AFL Championship
(at Chargers) 23–0

* <- 1964
* Bills seasons
* 1966 ->

The 1965 Buffalo Bills season was the team's sixth season in the American Football League. Though not as statistically dominant as the previous season, the Bills won a second consecutive league championship.

Although Buffalo's offense was in the middle of the pack in 1965, it was their dominant team defense that kept them atop the league's standings. Buffalo gave up only 226 points (16.1 per game), fewest in the AFL, and one point fewer than AFL Championship runner-up San Diego.[1] The Bills' opportunistic defense led the league in interceptions, with 32, and gave up a league-low four rushing touchdowns all season. Between week 6 of the 1964 season, through week eight of the 1965 season, including two 1964 playoff games, the Bills' defense did not allow a touchdown by rushing, a Professional Football record that still stands.

The Bills, who had led the AFL in points, rushing yards and total yards the previous season, suffered significantly after losing star running back Cookie Gilchrist in the offseason. Statistically, the Bills dropped to 6th (out of 8) in rushing yards, and 7th in passing yards. Still, they managed to finish 3rd in the AFL in points scored, with 313 (22.3 per game).[2]

The Bills' turnover ratio was +18, best in the AFL, and fourth best in AFL history.[3] Buffalo's +87 point differential was second-best in the league in 1965.

Seven Bills made the 1965 AFL All-Star team: safety George Saimes, cornerback Butch Byrd, linebacker Mike Stratton, defensive tackle Tom Sestak, guard Billy Shaw, kicker Pete Gogolak, and quarterback Jack Kemp.[4]

## Personnel

[edit]

### Coaches/Staff

[edit]

1965 Buffalo Bills staff

Front office

* President/owner – Ralph Wilson
* Vice-president/minority owner – Pat McGroder

Head coaches

* Head coach – Lou Saban

Offensive coaches

* Running backs/wide receivers – John Mazur
* Offensive line – Jerry Smith

|  |  |

Defensive coaches

* Linebackers/Defensive Backs – Joe Collier

### Final roster

[edit]

1965 Buffalo Bills roster

Quarterbacks

*   * 15 Jack Kemp
*   * 12 Daryle Lamonica

Running backs

*   * 43 Joe Auer
*   * 30 Wray Carlton
*   * 34 Cookie Gilchrist FB
*   * 33 Billy Joe HB
*   * 20 Bobby Smith HB
*   * 32 Donnie Stone

Wide receivers

*   * 85 Glenn Bass
*   * 44 Elbert Dubenion
*   * 81 Bill Groman
*   * 48 Pete Mills
*   * 46 Bo Roberson LB/P
*   * 40 Ed Rutkowski QB/RB/SE/KR

Tight ends

*   * 82 Paul Costa
*   * 80 Charley Ferguson
*   * 84 Ernie Warlick

|  | Offensive linemen

*   * 77 Stew Barber T
*   * 60 Dave Behrman C
*   * 50 Al Bemiller G
*   * 73 George Flint G
*   * 79 Dick Hudson T
*   * 67 Joe O'Donnell T/G
*   * 66 Billy Shaw G

Defensive linemen

*   * 88 Tom Day DE
*   * 78 Jim Dunaway DT
*   * 74 Tom Keating DT
*   * 72 Ron McDole DE
*   * 75 Dudley Meredith DT
*   * 76 Henry Schmidt DT
*   * 70 Tom Sestak DT

|  | Linebackers

*   * 64 Harry Jacobs MLB
*   * 52 Bill Laskey
*   * 55 Paul Maguire LB/P
*   * 56 Marty Schottenheimer MLB
*   * 58 Mike Stratton OLB
*   * 51 John Tracey OLB

Defensive backs

*   * 42 Butch Byrd CB
*   * 45 Hagood Clarke SS
*   * 24 Booker Edgerson CB
*   * 49 Floyd Hudlow CB
*   * 26 George Saimes FS
*   * 23 Eugene Sykes FS
*   * 22 Charley Warner CB

Special teams

*   * 3 Pete Gogolak K
*   * 27 Tom Janik SS/P

Note: rookies in italics

## Offseason

[edit]

The Bills lost All-AFL running back Cookie Gilchrist to the Denver Broncos after the 1964 season. Bills running back Wray Carlton would take over as the Bills' lead back.

### AFL Draft

[edit]

Main article: 1965 American Football League draft

## Regular season

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (March 2015)

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## Standings

[edit]

AFL Eastern Division

* view
* talk
* edit

| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK
Buffalo Bills | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 4–2 | 313 | 226 | L1
New York Jets | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 3–3 | 285 | 303 | W1
Boston Patriots | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 2–4 | 244 | 302 | W3
Houston Oilers | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–3 | 298 | 429 | L7

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

### Season schedule

[edit]

Week  | Date  | Opponent  | Result  | Record  | Venue  | Attendance  | Recap

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1  | September 11  | Boston Patriots | W 24–7  | 1–0  | War Memorial Stadium | 45,502  | Recap
2  | September 19  | at Denver Broncos | W 30–15  | 2–0  | Bears Stadium | 30,682  | Recap
3  | September 26  | New York Jets | W 33–21  | 3–0  | War Memorial Stadium  | 45,056  | Recap
4  | October 3  | Oakland Raiders | W 17–12  | 4–0  | War Memorial Stadium  | 41,256  | Recap
5  | October 10  | San Diego Chargers | L 3–34  | 4–1  | War Memorial Stadium  | 45,260  | Recap
6  | October 17  | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 23–7  | 5–1  | Municipal Stadium | 26,941  | Recap
7  | October 24  | Denver Broncos | W 31–13  | 6–1  | War Memorial Stadium  | 45,046  | Recap
8  | October 31  | Houston Oilers | L 17–19  | 6–2  | War Memorial Stadium  | 44,267  | Recap
9  | November 7  | at Boston Patriots | W 23–7  | 7–2  | Fenway Park | 24,415  | Recap
10  | November 14  | at Oakland Raiders | W 17–14  | 8–2  | Frank Youell Field | 19,352  | Recap
11  | Bye
12  | November 25  | at San Diego Chargers | T 20–20  | 8–2–1  | Balboa Stadium | 27,473  | Recap
13  | December 5  | at Houston Oilers | W 29–18  | 9–2–1  | Rice Stadium | 23,087  | Recap
14  | December 12  | Kansas City Chiefs | W 34–25  | 10–2–1  | War Memorial Stadium  | 40,298  | Recap
15  | December 19  | at New York Jets | L 12–14  | 10–3–1  | Shea Stadium | 57,396  | Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

## Player stats

[edit]

### Passing

[edit]

Player  | Comp  | Att  | Yds  | Completion %  | TD  | INT

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Jack Kemp | 179 | 391 | 2368 | 45.8 | 10 | 18
Daryle Lamonica | 29 | 70 | 376 | 41.4 | 3 | 6

[5]

### Rushing

[edit]

Player  | Att  | Yds  | Average  | Long  | TD

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Wray Carlton | 156 | 592 | 3.8 | 80 | 6

[5]

## Postseason

[edit]

Round  | Date  | Opponent  | Result  | Venue  | Attendance  | Recap

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Championship | December 26  | at San Diego Chargers | W 23–0  | Balboa Stadium | 30,361  | Recap

### AFL Championship Game

[edit]

Main article: 1965 American Football League Championship Game

| 1  | 2  | 3  | 4 | Total

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Bills | 0  | 14  | 6  | 3 | 23
Chargers  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0 | 0

Buffalo Bills 23, San Diego Chargers 0

December 26, 1965, at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California
Attendance: 30,361

Scoring

* BUF – Warlick 18 pass from Kemp (Gogolak kick)
* BUF – Byrd 74 punt return (Gogolak kick)
* BUF – Field goal Gogolak 11
* BUF – Field goal Gogolak 39
* BUF – Field goal Gogolak 32

### AFL All-Star Game

[edit]

Season | Date | Winner | Most Valuable Player(s) | Site

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|
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1965 | January 15, 1966 | AFL All-Stars 30,
Buffalo Bills 19 | Offense: Joe Namath, QB, Jets
Defense: Frank Buncom, LB, Chargers | Rice Stadium, Houston

## Awards and Records

[edit]

* Lou Saban, Coach of the Year

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1965 AFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics
2. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1965 AFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics
3. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1960 to 1969, in the AFL, in the regular season, sorted by descending Turnover Margin
4. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1965 AFL All-Pros
5. ^ a b "1965 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

* Buffalo Bills on Pro Football Reference
* Buffalo Bills on jt-sw.com

* v
* t
* e

Buffalo Bills seasons

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
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* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
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* 1978
* 1979
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* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Bold indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl victory
Italics indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl appearance

* v
* t
* e

Buffalo Bills 1965 AFL champions

* 3 Pete Gogolak
* 12 Daryle Lamonica
* 15 Jack Kemp
* 20 Bobby Smith
* 22 Charley Warner
* 23 Gene Sykes
* 24 Booker Edgerson
* 26 George Saimes
* 27 Tom Janik
* 30 Wray Carlton
* 32 Donnie Stone
* 33 Billy Joe
* 40 Ed Rutkowski
* 42 Butch Byrd
* 43 Joe Auer
* 44 Elbert Dubenion
* 45 Hagood Clarke
* 46 Bo Roberson
* 48 Pete Mills
* 49 Floyd Hudlow
* 50 Al Bemiller
* 51 John Tracey
* 52 Bill Laskey
* 55 Paul Maguire
* 56 Marty Schottenheimer
* 58 Mike Stratton
* 60 Dave Behrman
* 64 Harry Jacobs
* 66 Billy Shaw
* 67 Joe O'Donnell
* 70 Tom Sestak
* 72 Ron McDole
* 73 George Flint
* 74 Tom Keating
* 75 Dudley Meredith
* 76 Henry Schmidt
* 77 Stew Barber
* 78 Jim Dunaway
* 79 Dick Hudson
* 80 Charley Ferguson
* 81 Bill Groman
* 82 Paul Costa
* 84 Ernie Warlick
* 85 Glenn Bass
* 88 Tom Day

* Head Coach: Lou Saban

* Assistant Coaches: Joe Collier
* John Mazur
* Jerry Smith

* v
* t
* e

Buffalo Bills

* Founded in 1960
* Based and headquartered in Orchard Park, New York

Franchise|

* Franchise
* History
* Players
* Seasons
* Pro Bowl selections
* First-round draft picks
* Starting quarterbacks
* Coaches
* NFL in Toronto

Stadiums|

* War Memorial Stadium
* Highmark Stadium
* Rogers Centre (Bills Toronto Series)
* New Highmark Stadium (set to open in 2026)

Culture|

* Ralph Wilson
* Billy Buffalo
* Buffalo Jills
* Ken "Pinto Ron" Johnson
* Tim Russert
* Buffalo '66
* Second String
* Flutie Flakes
* "Shout" song
* "3 Acts of God"
* Elway to Marino
* Four Falls of Buffalo
* Zubaz
* "No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills!"

Lore|

* Electric Company
* Wide Right
* No Punt Game
* The Comeback
* Music City Miracle
* Snowvertime
* Hail Murray
* 13 Seconds

Rivalries|

* Kansas City Chiefs
* Miami Dolphins
* New England Patriots
* New York Jets
* Tennessee Titans

Division championships (14)|

* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1980
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1993
* 1995
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

Conference championships (4)|

* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993

League championships (2)|

* 1964
* 1965

Wall of Fame|

* Simpson
* Kemp
* McGroder
* Sestak
* Shaw
* Wilson
* 12th Man
* Dubenion
* Stratton
* Ferguson
* Levy
* DeLamielleure
* James
* Abramoski
* Kalsu
* Saimes
* Kelly
* Smerlas
* Hull
* Talley
* Ritcher
* Thomas
* Reed
* Tasker
* Smith
* Edgerson
* Hansen
* Polian
* Miller
* Saban
* Gilchrist

Media|

* Broadcasters
* Radio
* Radio Network
* WGR 550
* Television
* MSG Western New York
* Personalities:
* Chris Brown
* Van Miller
* Eric Wood
* Steve Tasker

Owners|

* Ralph Wilson
* Pegula family
* Terry
* Kim

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League (1970–present)
* Conference: American Football Conference
* Division: East Division

Former league affiliation|

* League: American Football League (1960–1969)

* Category
* Commons

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Italics indicate future seasons

* v
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1965 AFL season

| Eastern Division| Boston | Houston| Denver| Oakland | Western Division

|
|
|
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Buffalo | New York| Kansas City| San Diego

* 1965 AFL Draft
* AFL Championship
* All-Star Game

* Related: 1965 NFL season

*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[PCT]: Winning percentage
*[DIV]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[PF]: Points For (Total points scored)
*[PA]: Points Against (Total points allowed)
*[STK]: Current Winning or Losing Streak
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template