1974 Buffalo Bills season

15th season in franchise history; first NFL playoff appearance

1974 Buffalo Bills season

Owner| Ralph Wilson
Head coach| Lou Saban
Home field| Rich Stadium
Results
Record| 9–5
Division place| 2nd AFC East
Playoff finish| Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Steelers) 14–32

* <- 1973
* Bills seasons
* 1975 ->

The 1974 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 5th season in the National Football League, and the 15th overall. Buffalo made the NFL playoffs for the first time and reached the postseason for the first time in eight seasons. In the playoffs, they lost to the eventual champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, 32-14 in Pittsburgh.

This was O. J. Simpson's only playoff game of his career, as the Bills did not have another playoff team with him on the team. Simpson would be traded to the 49ers in 1978, but the 49ers did not make the playoffs that season nor the 1979 season, Simpson's final season in the NFL. In the game, Simpson would only rush for 49 yards on 11 carries and did not score a touchdown. He did, however, catch a touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Ferguson late in the 3rd quarter.

Buffalo debuted their new uniforms and helmets in 1974, replacing the red "standing buffalo" with the "streaking bison."[1] This updated look was first displayed before a national audience on the first Monday Night Football game of the season, in a dramatic 21–20 victory over Oakland.[2]

Star running back O. J. Simpson, coming off consecutive rushing titles, did not lead the league in 1974, but did cross the 1,000-yard barrier despite a sore knee.[3]

Buffalo's defense was far more stout than it had been in previous years, as it gave up 3,489 yards in 1974, fifth-fewest in the NFL. The Bills' 1,611 passing yards allowed were the third-best in the league.[4]

The 1974 Bills have the odd distinction of being the last team to go a full game without completing a pass,[5] in Week Three of the season against the New York Jets. Despite this, they still managed to defeat the Jets, behind 223 combined Buffalo rushing yards—as well as only 2 completions by Jets quarterback Joe Namath in 18 attempts.[6][7]

## Offseason

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### NFL draft

[edit]

Main article: 1974 NFL draft

Oklahoma State tight end Reuben Gant played his entire seven-year career with the Bills. Quarterback Gary Marangi was the Bills' backup quarterback for three seasons; in 1976, he started the final seven games of the season when starter Joe Ferguson was injured for the season with a back injury.

1974 Buffalo Bills draft

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | College  | Notes
1  | 18  | Reuben Gant | Tight end | Oklahoma State |
2  | 27  | Doug Allen | Linebacker | Penn State |
3  | 70  | Gary Marangi | Quarterback | Boston College |
4  | 95  | Carlester Crumpler | Running back | East Carolina |
5  | 106  | Gary Hayman | Wide receiver | Penn State  |
5  | 122  | Tim Guy | Offensive tackle | Oregon |
8  | 203  | Greg Hare | Quarterback  | Ohio State |
9  | 226  | Brian Doherty | Punter | Notre Dame |
10  | 241  | Art Cameron | Tight end  | Albany State |
10  | 249  | Don Calhoun | Running back  | Kansas State |
11  | 278  | Rod Kirby | Linebacker  | Pittsburgh |
12  | 303  | Dave Means | Defensive end | Southeast Missouri State |
13  | 331  | Ed Gatewood | Linebacker  | Tennessee State |
14  | 339  | Phil Lamm | Defensive back | North Carolina |
14  | 355  | Phil Gurbada | Defensive back  | Mayville State |
15  | 382  | Ken Williams | Linebacker  | Southwestern Louisiana |
16  | 406  | Sanford Qvale | Offensive tackle  | North Dakota State |
17  | 434  | Sal Casola | Placekicker | Cincinnati |
Made roster

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## Personnel

[edit]

### Staff/Coaches

[edit]

1974 Buffalo Bills staff |

Front office

* President – Ralph Wilson
* Vice President and General Manager – Bob Lustig
* Vice President – Pat McGroder

Head coaches

* Head Coach – Lou Saban

Offensive coaches

* Receivers – Bob Shaw
* Offensive Line – Jim Ringo

|  |  | Defensive coaches

* Defensive Line – Stan Jones
* Linebackers – John Ray
* Defensive Backfield – Bill Atkins

Special teams coaches

* Special Teams – Ed Cavanaugh

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### Roster

[edit]

1974 Buffalo Bills roster Quarterbacks (QB)

* 12 Joe Ferguson

* 16 Scott Hunter

* 17 Gary Marangi

Running backs (RB)

* 34 Jim Braxton FB

* 29 Don Calhoun

* 21 Gary Hayman

* 32 O. J. Simpson

* 36 Larry Watkins

Wide receivers (WR)

* 81 Bob Chandler

* 89 Wallace Francis

* 47 Clint Haslerig

* 40 J. D. Hill

* 27 Ahmad Rashad

Tight ends (TE)

* 88 Reuben Gant

* 87 Paul Seymour

|  | Offensive linemen (OL)

* 60 Bill Adams G

* 68 Joe DeLamielleure G

* 70 Dave Foley T

* 74 Donnie Green T

* 76 Halvor Hagen T

* 67 Reggie McKenzie G

* 53 Mike Montler C

* 65 Nick Nighswander C

* 61 Willie Parker G

Defensive linemen (DL)

* 64 Dave Costa DT

* 72 Don Croft DT

* 74 Earl Edwards DE

* 71 Mike Kadish DT

* 77 Dave Means DE

* 85 Walt Patulski DE

* 62 Jeff Yeates DE

|  | Linebackers (LB)

* 59 Doug Allen

* 50 Jim Cheyunski

* 30 Bo Cornell

* 52 Merv Krakau

* 55 John Skorupan

* 86 Dave Washington

Defensive backs (DB)

* 22 Bill Cahill CB

* 42 Neal Craig SS

* 43 Tony Greene FS

* 28 Dwight Harrison CB

* 20 Robert James CB

* 45 Rex Kern FS

* 26 Donnie Walker CB

Special teams

* 11 Spike Jones P

* 3 John Leypoldt K

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Rookies in italics

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## Regular season

[edit]

### Schedule

[edit]

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

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1  | September 16  | Oakland Raiders | W 21–20  | 1–0  | Rich Stadium | Recap
2  | September 22  | Miami Dolphins | L 16–24  | 1–1  | Rich Stadium  | Recap
3  | September 29  | New York Jets | W 16–12  | 2–1  | Rich Stadium  | Recap
4  | October 6  | at Green Bay Packers | W 27–7  | 3–1  | Lambeau Field | Recap
5  | October 13  | at Baltimore Colts | W 27–14  | 4–1  | Memorial Stadium | Recap
6  | October 20  | New England Patriots | W 30–28  | 5–1  | Rich Stadium  | Recap
7  | October 27  | Chicago Bears | W 16–6  | 6–1  | Rich Stadium  | Recap
8  | November 3  | at New England Patriots | W 29–28  | 7–1  | Schaefer Stadium | Recap
9  | November 10  | Houston Oilers | L 9–21  | 7–2  | Rich Stadium  | Recap
10  | November 17  | at Miami Dolphins | L 28–35  | 7–3  | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap
11  | November 24  | at Cleveland Browns | W 15–10  | 8–3  | Cleveland Stadium | Recap
12  | December 1  | Baltimore Colts | W 6–0  | 9–3  | Rich Stadium  | Recap
13  | December 8  | at New York Jets | L 10–20  | 9–4  | Shea Stadium | Recap
14  | December 15  | at Los Angeles Rams | L 14–19  | 9–5  | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Recap

### Game summaries

[edit]

#### Week 1

[edit]

*     * Buffalo Snaps the Raiders MNF winning streak**

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Raiders | 0 | 3| 7| 10 | 20
• Bills | 0 | 7| 0| 14 | 21

* Date: September 16
* Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
* Game start: 9:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), wind 13 mph (21 km/h)
* Referee: Ben Dreith
* TV announcers (ABC Monday Night Football): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Alex Karras

| Scoring summary

2| | BUF| J.D. Hill 24 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick)| Bills 7–0
2| | OAK| George Blanda 34 yard field goal| Bills 7–3
3| | OAK| Clarence Davis 15 yard run (George Blanda kick)| Raiders 10–7
4| | OAK| George Blanda 41 yard field goal| Raiders 13–7
4| | BUF| Ahmad Rashad 8 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick)| Bills 14–13
4| | OAK| Art Thoms 29 yard fumble return (George Blanda kick)| Raiders 20–14
4| | BUF| Ahmad Rashad 13 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick)| Bills 21–20

[9]

#### Week 8

[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Bills | 6 | 13| 7| 3 | 29
Patriots | 7 | 14| 7| 0 | 28

* Date: November 3
* Location: Schaefer Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
* Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C), wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
* Referee: Ben Dreith

* Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

| Scoring summary

1| | Bills| John Leypoldt 45 yard field goal| Bills 3–0
1| | Patriots| Mack Herron 43 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (John Smith kick)| Patriots 7–3
1| | Bills| John Leypoldt 20 yard field goal| Patriots 7–6
2| | Patriots| Mack Herron 20 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (John Smith kick)| Patriots 14–6
2| | Bills| Ahmad Rashad 25 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (kick failed)| Patriots 14–12
2| | Patriots| Sam Cunningham 31 yard run (John Smith kick)| Patriots 21–12
2| | Bills| O. J. Simpson 1 yard run (John Leypoldt kick)| Patriots 21–19
3| | Bills| Dave Washington 72 yard interception return (John Leypoldt kick)| Bills 26–21
3| | Patriots| Mack Herron 2 yard run (John Smith kick)| Patriots 28–26
4| | Bills| John Leypoldt 47 yard field goal| Bills 29–28

### Standings

[edit]

AFC East

* view
* talk
* edit

| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK
Miami Dolphins | 11  | 3  | 0  | .786  | 6–2  | 9–2  | 327  | 216  | W3
Buffalo Bills | 9  | 5  | 0  | .643  | 5–3  | 7–4  | 264  | 244  | L2
New York Jets | 7  | 7  | 0  | .500  | 4–4  | 5–6  | 279  | 300  | W6
New England Patriots | 7  | 7  | 0  | .500  | 4–4  | 4–7  | 348  | 289  | L3
Baltimore Colts | 2  | 12  | 0  | .143  | 1–7  | 1–10  | 190  | 329  | L4

## Playoffs

[edit]

AFC Divisional Playoff: Buffalo Bills (9–5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10–3–1)

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Bills | 7 | 0 | 7| 0| 14
Steelers | 3 | 26 | 0| 3| 32

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

* Date: December 22
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Light snow, 33 °F (1 °C)
* Game attendance: 48,321
* Referee: Norm Schachter
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and John Brodie
* Box Score

Game information

First quarter

* PIT – Roy Gerela 21-yard field goal. Steelers 3–0.
* BUF – Paul Seymour 22-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick). Bills 7–3.

Second quarter

* PIT – Rocky Bleier 27-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw. Steelers 9–7.
* PIT – Franco Harris 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 16–7.
* PIT – Franco Harris 4-yard run. Steelers 22–7.
* PIT – Franco Harris 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 29–7.

Third quarter

* BUF – O. J. Simpson 3-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick). Steelers 29–14.

Fourth quarter

* PIT – Roy Gerela 22-yard field goal. Steelers 32–14.

Top passers

* BUF – Joe Ferguson – 11/26, 164 yards, 2 TD
* PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 12/19, 203 yards, TD

Top rushers

* BUF – O. J. Simpson – 15 rushes, 49 yards
* PIT – Franco Harris – 24 rushes, 74 yards, 3 TD

Top receivers

* BUF – J.D. Hill – 4 receptions, 59 yards
* PIT – Lynn Swann – 3 receptions, 60 yards

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## References

[edit]

1. ^ The Gridiron Uniforms Database: Buffalo Bills
2. ^ Video: Oakland at Buffalo, Week 1, 1974, highlights at YouTube
3. ^ Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, p. 270 Martin's Press, August 1994, ISBN 0-312-11073-1
4. ^ "1974 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
5. ^ as of 2011 regular season
6. ^ "New York Jets at Buffalo Bills - September 29th, 1974". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
7. ^ "1974 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
8. ^ "1974 Buffalo Bills draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
9. ^ "Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills - September 16th, 1974". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

## External links

[edit]

* 1974 Buffalo Bills at Pro-Football-Reference.com

* v
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Buffalo Bills

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

Franchise|

* Franchise
* History
* All-time roster
* 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
* Bills Mafia
* Ken "Pinto Ron" Johnson
* Tim Russert
* Buffalo '66
* Second String
* Flutie Flakes
* "Shout" song
* "Mr. Brightside"
* "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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Buffalo Bills seasons

* 1960
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* 1968
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Bold indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl victory
Italics indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl appearance

* v
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* e

1974 NFL season

| AFC| East | Central| West| East| Central| West | NFC

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Baltimore | Cincinnati| Denver| Dallas| Chicago| Atlanta
Buffalo | Cleveland| Kansas City| NY Giants| Detroit| Los Angeles
Miami | Houston| Oakland| Philadelphia| Green Bay| New Orleans
New England | Pittsburgh| San Diego| St. Louis| Minnesota| San Francisco
NY Jets | | | Washington| |

* 1974 NFL Draft
* 1974 NFL strike
* NFL playoffs
* Pro Bowl
* Super Bowl IX

*[FB]: Fullback
*[G]: Offensive guard
*[T]: Ties
*[C]: Center
*[DT]: Defensive tackle
*[DE]: Defensive end
*[CB]: Cornerback
*[SS]: Strong safety
*[FS]: Free safety
*[P]: Punter
*[K]: Kicker
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[PCT]: Winning percentage
*[DIV]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[CONF]: Win–Loss record within their conference
*[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