Buffalo Bills Announce Passing of Owner Ralph Wilson

Buffalo Bills sole owner Ralph Wilson has died at the age of 95, the team announced late Tuesday. 

Wilson purchased the club in 1959 for $25,000 as part of the American Football League, which began play in 1960 and later merged with the NFL.

The Bills, which were valued by Forbes magazine last year at $870 million, play in a home stadium that bears Wilson’s name. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

“I speak for everyone within the Bills organization when I say that we are all suffering a deep and profound sadness with the passing of our Hall of Fame owner,” Bills President Brandon said in a statement released on the team’s website.

“We have lost our founder, our mentor, our friend and this is a very difficult time for us all.”

Wilson’s greatest impact might have been in bringing together the flashy upstart AFL and the NFL to create the Super Bowl and usher in the modern gridiron era, helping guide the league’s rise into America’s most popular sports league and one with global awareness and aspirations.

“He was a pioneer in the American Football League. He was instrumental in forging the merger between the AFL and the NFL,” Brandon said.

The Bills reached the Super Bowl four years in a row, a feat unmatched before or since, but lost each time.

“More than anything, he wanted to bring a Super Bowl Championship to Western New York,” Brandon said. “He wanted it for the players, the coaches and the franchise. But mostly he wanted it for the fans.

“No owner has wanted a title more for these reasons than Mr. Wilson. In the end, he was extremely proud that his Bills are the only team to have played in four consecutive Super Bowls.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gave his condolences to Wilson’s family and praised the owner for his accomplishments.

He said: ““Ralph Wilson was a driving force in developing pro football into America’s most popular sport. He loved the game and took a chance on a start-up league in 1960 as a founding owner of the American Football League. He brought his beloved Bills to western New York and his commitment to the team’s role in the community set a standard for the NFL.

“As a trusted advisor to his fellow league owners and the commissioner, Ralph always brought a principled and common-sense approach to issues. His lifelong loyalty to the game was instrumental in his richly deserved induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We are grateful for his many contributions to the NFL and offer our heartfelt sympathy to the Wilson family.”

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