Tài liệu Rockin'''' the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League pot

Jeffrey J. Miller
ECW Press
Copyright © Jeffrey J. Miller, 2007
Published by ecw press
2120 Quee
n Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada m4e 1e2
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
st
or
ed in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process — electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise — without the prior written permission
of the copyright owners and ecw press.
library and archives canada cataloguing in publication
Miller, Jeffrey
R
oc
kin’ the rockpile : the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League / Jeffrey J. Miller.
Includes bibliographical references.
isbn
978-1-55022-797-0
1.
Buffalo Bills (Football team)—History. I. Title. II. Title: Rocking the rockpile.
GV956
.B83M54 2007 796.332’6409
74797 C2007-903490-X
Typesetting: Gail Nina
Production: Rachel Brooks

Front & back cover photos by Robert L. Smith, Orchard Park, NY
Printed by Thomson-Shore Inc.
dist
ribution
cana
da: Jaguar Book Group, 100 Armstrong Avenue, Georgetown, on, l7g 5s4
united states:
Independent Publishers Group, 814 N
orth Franklin Street,
Chicago, Illinois 60610
print
ed and bound in the u.s.a.
Contents
v
Acknowledgments vii
Foreword xi
My Path to Buffalo . . . 1
The Birth of the American Football League 65
1960 The Beginning 73
1961 Growing Pains 117
1962 The Arrival 151
1963 Prelude 187
1964 Champions! 227
1965 Repeat! 277
1966 A Game Short 315
1967 The Slippery Slope 355
1968 Disaster 385
1969 As One Era Ends, Another Begins 427
Points After 463
Where Are They Now? 471

Buffalo Bills AFL Player Register 521
Buffalo Bills All-Time Coach Register 535
Buffalo Bills Yearly Statistics 537
Buffalo Bills AFL Records 557
Buffalo Bills Drafts 1960–69 563
AFL Yearly Standings 569
Sources 575
About the Author 577
vi
RO
CKIN’ THE ROCKPILE
There are many people to thank for their help and support in making this book
a reality. First and foremost are the members of the Bills’ family—the players,
coaches and administrators who gave so generously of their time in sharing
their personal stories, memories and memorabilia. The first player I inter-
viewed was quarterback Warren Rabb back in June of 2005, and the last was
fullback Billy J
oe in F
ebruary 2007. In between, I had the great pleasure of
speaking w
ith more than 60 men connected with the Bills during the 1960s.
Sev
eral indulged me by sitting for two or three separate sessions. Many loaned
articles from their personal archives. Their willingness to be a part of this
project made it a more complete and colorful telling of the story.
Special thanks to Billy Shaw, the Bills’ Hall of Fame guard, for writing the
foreword for this book (Great job, Billy!).
I respectfully extend my sincerest gratitude to Denny Lynch, retired archivist
for the Buffalo Bills; Todd Tobias, author of Charging Through the AFL: Los
Angeles and San D

ieg
o Chargers Football in the 1960s; Bob Carroll, football his-
tor
ian, author, and Executive Director of the Professional Football Researchers
Association; Dan DiLandro and Peggy Hatfield from the E.H. Butler Library at
Buffalo State College; Ange Coniglio, die-hard fan of the Buffalo Bills and the
American Football League; Randy Schultz, author of Legends of the Buffalo
Bills; P
at Abramoski and Sophie Canahai, wife and daughter of long-time Bills
tr
ainer Eddie Abramoski; Greg Tranter, owner of the largest collection of
Buffalo Bills memorabilia on the planet; Roy Sheppard, the computer wizard;
Scott Berchtold, Bills’ vice president of communications; my friends Michael
Powers and Craig T. Irish for their sage advice; and Mr. Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.,
without whom …
My undying thanks to Jack David, the publisher and president of ecw Press,
f
or b
elieving in this project, and for providing encouragement and gentle prod-
ding. Thanks also to Tania Craan and all of the fine folks at ecw who worked
so har
d to g
et this book ready for publication.
Thanks to my father, Joe Miller, Sr., and Charlie Weidinger, my little league
football coach, for taking my sister, Nancy, and me to our first Bills game at the
Rockpile back in 1971. The Bills lost to the hated Dolphins that day, but it was
vii
Acknowledgments
a thrill nonetheless! This project is the culmination of a lifelong passion that
began that day.

Thanks to my mother, Dorothy Miller, for supporting and encouraging me
throughout this project. I love you.
And to my wife, Cathaline. You are not unappreciated or unrecognized—
sometimes I simply fail to acknowledge. Thank you for your love and support.
I love you, too. And Ben, it’s finally done!
A c
omple
te bibliography appears in the back of this book, but the following
sources were indispensable in forming the framework of this project: Total
F
oo
tball II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (Bob
Carr
oll, et al.); Relentless: The Hard-Hitting History of Buffalo Bills Football (Sal
Maiorana);
and Tale of the Tape: A History of the Buffalo Bills from the Inside
(Eddie Ab
ramoski). Also the Buffalo Bills Media Guides (1960–1970), and the
articles and columns appearing dail
y in the local newspapers of the day,
including the Buffalo Evening News, the Buffalo-Courier Express, the Olean
T
imes-He
rald, the East Aurora Advertiser and the Holland Orbit.
The book you now hold in your hands is the result of more than two years’
w
or
k. The manuscript went through numerous changes before emerging in its
final form. I wish to thank the friends who either offered advice or were kind
enough to proofread the text—either in part or in whole—before I felt confi-

dent enough to send it to the publisher, but I also wish to point out that any
errors in content, omission, grammar, typography, etc., are the exclusive prop-
erty of this writer. A heartfelt “thank you” to John C. Gethicker VI, Robin
Carter, Bill Litz, and Bob Carroll for their time and suggestions, regardless of
whether I had learned from past experience and listened to them.
viii
ROCKIN’ THE ROCKPILE
Eddie Abramoski, Trainer (1960–96)
Glenn Bass, Wide Receiver (1961–66)
Al Bemiller, Center/Guard (1961–69)
Gary Bugenhagen, Tackle (1967)
Bobby Burnett, Halfback (1966–67)
Chuck Burr, Bills Public Relations Director (1960–65)
Butch Byrd, Cornerback (1964–70)
Bob Cappadona, Fullback (1968)
Wray Carlton, Running Back (1960–67)
Don Chelf, Guard/Tackle (1960–61)
Hagood Clarke, Safety (1964–68)
Paul Costa, Tight End/Tackle (1965–72)
Dick Cunningham, Tackle/Linebacker (1967–72)
Hilton Crawford, Cornerback (1969)
Dan Darragh, Quarterback (1968–70)
Elbert Dubenion, Wide Receiver (1960–68)
Bob Dugan, Guard (1964 Taxi Squad)
Booker Edgerson, Cornerback (1962–69)
Bill Enyart, Fullback (1969–70)
Wolfgang Felgemacher, Kicker (1966 Training Camp)
Ralph Felton, Linebacker (1961–62)
Charley Ferguson, Wide Receiver/Tight End (1963–69)
George Flint, Guard (1962–65, 1968)

Willmer Fowler, Halfback (1960–61)
Pete Gogolak, Kicker (1964–65)
Johnny Green, Quarterback (1960–61)
Joe Hergert, Linebacker/Kicker (1960–61)
Bob Hight, Kicker (1966 Training Camp)
Dick Hudson, Tackle (1963–68)
Harry Jacobs, Middle Linebacker (1963–69)
Billy Joe, Fullback (1965)
Jack Kemp, Quarterback (1962–69)
ix
Listed below are the names of the individuals who lent their
voices to this project …
Mailon Kent, Quarterback (1964–66 Taxi Squad)
Howard Kindig, Defensive End/Center/Tackle (1967–71)
Joe Kulbacki, Halfback (1960)
Roger Kochman, Halfback (1963)
Daryle Lamonica, Quarterback (1963–66)
Jack Laraway, Linebacker (1960)
Richie Lucas, Quarterback/Halfback/Defensive Back (1960–61)
Billy Masters, Tight End (1967–69)
Mike McBath, Defensive End/Tackle (1968–72)
Ron McDole, Defensive End (1963–70)
Pat McGroder III, son of Patrick J. McGroder, Jr. (Bills Vice President)
Mike Mercer, Kicker (1967–68)
Van Miller
, Radio Announcer (1960–
71, 1979–03)
Chuck Muelhaupt, Guard (1960–61)
Joe O’Donnell, Guard (1964–71)
Warren Rabb, Quarterback (1961–62)

Gary Ramsey, son of Buster Ramsey (Bills Head Coach)
Perry Richards, Wide Receiver (1961)
Ed Rutkowski, Wide Receiver/Quarterback/Cornerback (1963–68)
Lou Saban, Head Coach (1962–65, 1972–76)
George Saimes, Safety (1963–69)
Bob Schmidt, Center (1966–67)
Billy Shaw, Guard (1961–69)
Robert L. Smith, Bills Photographer (1960–2002)
Mike Stratton, Linebacker (1962–72)
Gene Sykes, Safety (1963–65)
Bob Tatarek, Defensive Tackle (1968–72)
LaVerne Torczon, Defensive End (1960–62)
Richard Trapp, Wide Receiver (1968)
Jim Wagstaff, Safety (1960–61)
Chuck Ward, Bills Beat Reporter (Wellsville Daily Reporter, Olean Times-Herald)
Ernie Warlick, Tight End (1962–65)
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., President and Owner (1960–present)
Mack Yoho, Defensive End/Kicker (19
60–63)
x
RO
CKIN’ THE ROCKPILE
by Billy Shaw
(Billy Shaw was a perennial All-AFL selection during his nine-year career with the
Buffalo Bills, and is the only member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to have
played his entire career in the American Football League.)
It was a hot August day in Canton,
Ohio, in 1999. As I stepped to the
pod
ium at the center of the Pro

Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement
Ceremony stage, all sorts of thoughts
raced through my mind. Looking out
and seeing my family in the audience
reminded me that nothing I’d accom-
plished would have been possible
without their love and support.
Seeing my former teammates looking
back at me with admiration in their
eyes humbled me in a way I can’t
describe. Friends from my past and
present called my name and waved to
let me know they were there. And
fans I’d never even met traveled from
Western New York to Canton to show
their support too. All I could think
was, “Oh, what a lucky man I am.”
Of course being elected to the Pro
Football Hall of Fame is the highest honor a player can ever
hope to achieve. But for me—the only player elected to the
Hall of Fame who played his entire career in the American
Football League—it was more than personal recognition. I
xi
FOREWORD
Billy Shaw, War Memorial
Stadium, December 2, 1962
Photo by Robert L. Smith,
Orc
hard Park, NY
truly felt that day that I was there not just to accept the honor bestowed upon me,

but to share my moment in the sun with all my former teammates and with all
those who like me grew up in the afl. My nine seasons with the afl’s Buffalo Bills
p
ro
vided me with the fondest of memories and lasting friendships, and rein-
forced my belief that if you work hard and have the will to succeed, nothing is
impossible.
My football odyssey in Buffalo began in 1961. Although I was drafted by both
the B
ills in the
afl and the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League, I
chose Buffalo b
ecause the Cowboys wanted me to play linebacker. The Bills, to
my delight, wanted a lineman. To some it probably didn’t make much sense for
a kid from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to shun the opportunity to play in Dallas in
the established nfl, b
ut Ralph Wilson and his staff convinced me otherwise. It
was the rig
ht decision and one I’ve never regretted.
The afl gave young playe
rs a c
hance to play and sometimes an nfl castoff
a second chance to prove he could play. My friend and former teammate, Jack
Kemp, bounced around in the nfl with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York
Giants p
rio
r to joining the Los Angeles (San Diego) Chargers. In his first year
in the afl he led the league in passing. What a break for the Bills when we were
ab
le to g

et Jack off the Chargers’ waiver wire.
Although the afl was perceived as a pass-happy league with little defense,
that wasn
’t al
ways the case. In point of fact, in Buffalo, we were primarily a run-
ning team with a strong defense. But with Kemp throwing to the likes of Elbert
“Golden Wheels” Dubenion, Glenn Bass and Ernie Warlick, we could light it up
with the best of them.
The Bills’ defense of my era was more than outstanding. Guys like Tom
Sestak, Mike Stratton, Ron McDole and Butch Byrd could have played in any
league. There is no denying, however, the league as a whole preferred to play a
wide-open style of football. And as history now proves, fans preferred the afl’s
b
rand o
f football as evidenced by today’s wide-open offensive attacks.
As a player in the afl, you not only represented a team, you represented an
e
ntir
e league. You were a member of a football fraternity that was unique.
Constantly compared to the older more established nfl, the afl was looked at
as “the othe
r league.”
In fact, as I understand it, “the other league” phrase was a
description the afl owners bestowed upon themselves in 1960 when Lamar
H
unt, R
alph Wilson, and a handful of other entrepreneurs formed the league.
Whatever its roots were, the phrase, like the constant comparison to the older
league, only served to strengthen the bond felt by afl players. When the nfl
said, “Jim Brown,” the afl countered on “Cookie Gilchrist.” When the nfl said,

“Charley Ta
ylo
r,” the afl offered “Lance A
lworth.” We had pride in ourselves,
our team and our league. It was a football family affair.
xii
ROCKIN’ THE ROCKPILE
After the Bills’ first championship season in 1964, I remember homemade
signs decorating the rumbling walls of War Memorial Stadium that pro-
claimed, “Bring on the nfl.” The fans weren’t just Bills fans; they were “afl
fans” too. And we agreed with them. After just a few short seasons, the Bills and
se
ve
ral other afl teams were clearly the equal of any nfl team. Without a
doubt,
our 1964 team would have matched up nicely against any of the top-
flight nfl teams.
Imagine the excitement we felt as players at the prospect of
playing in o
ne of those first four Super Bowls.
Although the pain we felt as players after afl losses in Super Bowls I and II
was s
ubstantial,
it didn’t even compare to the jubilation we felt after wins in
Super Bowls III and IV. It was as if each and every afl player participated in
those games,
and in a sense,
we did. The Super Bowl wins were league wins—a
tribute to all that players, coaches, owners and fans had accomplished together.
To understand that feeling is to understand exactly how I felt that day in

Canton in 1999, when I stepped to the podium. It was a tribute to the afl and
the B
uffalo Bil
ls.
xiii
For Benjamin and Cathaline . . .
. . . my home team
Dedication
Eddie Abramoski
1960–97
Athletic Trainer
Purdue University
A lot of schools were interested in me as a football player. I was a center my first two
years at Erie East High, and I played tackle in my senior year. Playing tackle, I made
All-City and honorable mention All-State in Pennsylvania. After the season, I had
offers from a lot of colleges—Princeton, Wisconsin, Harvard, North Carolina and
Purdue. I decided to go to Purdue because of the “Erie Connection.” Bernie
Flowers, Joe Suminski, Jack Konkol and Frankie Angelotti—all from Erie—were
playing there. Stu Holcomb was the coach, and he was from Erie, too.
My first roommate was Walt Cudzik, who later played center for the Bills.
My college football career ended early. At the beginning of spring practice in
1953, I hurt m
y back blocking on a sweep. Even though I couldn’t play anymore,
I wanted t
o be around the team. So in my sophomore year, I took a job as a stu-
dent trainer to keep my scholarship and be around the boys. That’s when Pinky
Newell took me under his wing.
Pinky was one of the finest trainers in the country. He was one of the leaders
in making it a true profession. Working in the training room, I learned to tape
very fast and got pretty good at it. Pretty soon, a lot of guys were coming to me

to tape them.
Pinky was like a father to me, especially in my senior year after my dad, Alex,
died. He died at age 62. Pinky gave me a lot of good advice as I looked ahead to
a caree
r as an athlet
ic trainer. One thing he taught—and it stayed with me as
long as I was a trainer—was that you treat every guy on a team the same, from
the number 1 to number 53, or whatever you have. If you start showing
fa
vo
ritism, guys will lose respect for you.
When I finished at Purdue, I was supposed to go to physical therapy school
at the University of Pennsylvania. Because my dad had died in my senior year,
I needed to help my mom and sister at home. I decided to take a job rather than
go on to graduate school.
1
My Path to Buffalo…
During my time at Purdue, Stu Holcomb had left and gone on to
Northwestern. I was offered the assistant trainer’s job at Northwestern, and I
had offers from Western Illinois and from West Point. The job at West Point
paid $300 more. Also, West Point was closer to home in Erie, so I took the West
P
oint jo
b.
I worked a year at West Point, and I just wasn’t cut out to be regimented like
the Army is down there. I found out the University of Detroit job was opening
up, so I applied for it and I got it. It just so happened that the trainer for the
Lions was also a Purdue graduate two years ahead of me, Millard Kelly. The
University of Detroit in those days was trying to upgrade their football, and
they were trying to get bigger and better, maybe get games scheduled with the

University of Kentucky, instead of playing Xavier and Canisius. They didn’t
want to compete with Michigan and Michigan State on Saturdays and the
Lions on Sundays, so we played on Fridays. That way I could go to all of the
home games with the Lions, and Millard liked to have me there because I did
everything the same way that he was taught because we were taught by the
same guy, Pinky Newell at Purdue. He knew that I knew how to do it the same
way, so we were very compatible. So I got to know all of the coaches, Buster
Ramsey and Buddy Parker and Bob Dove.
When Mr. Wilson bought the team, he hired Buster. Millard told Buster,
“Why don’t you get Eddie?” It was right close to home, I grew up in Erie. I said,
“This is the closest I’m ever going to come.” All of my family—who were either
Cleveland Browns or Pittsburgh fans—said, “There’s no chance that they can
compete with the nfl.”
I said, “Well, it will look good on my resume—a profes-
sional foot
ball team. I’m young.” So I took the job. I left the University of
Detroit with some regret. It was a good job, but they never gave you any raises.
Mr. Wilson gave me a three-year contract. It was actually double what school-
teachers were starting at in those days—$7,000 pe
r year—and I was only
wo
rking six months. In the off-season I worked as a substitute physical educa-
tion teacher in the Buffalo school district—I worked at South Park.
Chuck Burr
1960–65
Director of Public Relations
By profession, I was a teacher—History and English. I graduated from Buffalo
State. When I got out of Buff State, I wound up signing a contract with Corning
North Side Junior High for the magnificent sum of $2,500 a year, plus $300 to
c

oa
ch the basketball team. My father was in construction, and one day—I was
2
ROCKIN’ THE ROCKPILE
still in college—my father had asked me to bring him a set of plans up to
Niagara Falls for the Hotel Niagara, where they were doing some renovating.
On the mezzanine floor where I took the plans to him, there was the station
whld, the Niagara Falls station, and a sign on the door saying, “Announcers’
A
uditio
ns.” For some silly reason, I decided to go in there for an audition. They
gave me one and I came out of there with a job on their fm affiliate—it was one
o
f the fir
st fm stations. This would have been 1948. I was dee-jaying and reading
the news at nig
ht, and I did one sports column. I was the only announcer on
duty. I worked from 6:00 until they went off the air at 11:00. At Buff State, I had
tak
en so
me journalism classes. I worked there for six months and got a call
from wxra, a new station in town out on Niagara Falls Boulevard. A guy I went
to hig
h scho
ol with was the general sales manager at the station, and I went to
work there as the sports director. We were the “Home of Champions” network,
and we used to carry the New York Yankee games with Mel Allen during their
heyday. I worked there for five years, enjoyed it very much, and all of a sudden
I got a call from the athletic director from the University of Buffalo, wanting to
know if I would be interested in coming to the university to be interviewed for

a job as sports information director. They had just hired Dick Offenhamer, who
was my football coach at Kenmore High School, as their head football coach.
So I went and was interviewed, found that out, and talked with Dick, and by
the time I walked out of there I was seriously considering the job because it
paid a hell of a lot more money. So I talked it over with my wife and agreed that
maybe it would be a good place to go, and radio being radio, you’re always at
the mercy of the ratings. So in 1955, I w
ent with the University of Buffalo. In
1958, we
won the Lambert Cup.
I wor
ked there until 1960. The Bills came to town, and Dick Gallagher, the
gene
ral manager, called me and asked me if I’d be interested in talking to him
about going with the Bills. I had never met him before. He’d heard about the
University of Buffalo program, and I think Jack Horrigan, who worked at the
Buffalo Evening News, mentioned my name.
Wray Carlton
1960–67
Running Back
Duke University
Ht: 6’2” Wt: 225
I was drafted by Philadelphia and didn’t hear from them after the draft. Back in
those days, they didn’t wait until April for the draft, they did it as soon as the
3
college season was over. After a month, I didn’t get a phone call, so Toronto was
calling me, and they came down to see me, made me an offer. Well I heard from
Philadelphia, and it was Norm Van Brocklin. He was like a player-coach. He
said, “What is this, you’re talking to Toronto?” I said, “Well, they came down to
see me.” He lit into me. “Who do you think you are?! Blah, blah, blah!” So I was

thinking, “I’m not going to go there.” I had an offer from Toronto in the
Canadian league—they gave me a good contract and a paid honeymoon trip to
Nassau. I was getting married in the summer, so I jumped all over that and I
went to Canada. I was up there for four games and then they traded me to
Vancouver, and I looked at my wife and said, “I don’t even know where
Vancouver is.” So we decided to come home.
I went back to North Carolina and worked for a bank. Lou Saban called me
and told me about the American Football League just starting up, and said,“Do
you want to play anymore?” And I said, “Well, I don’t know.” I just didn’t have
a good experience up in Canada. But he sold me on the idea. He was the head
coach in Boston at the time. So I signed with the Patriots, and went up there
and played during the exhibition season. The first exhibition game we played
in Buffalo, and I didn’t have a real good game, but I wasn’t bad, but the next day
I was traded to Buffalo for Al Crow, a defensive tackle. Made the team with
Buster and was there ever since.
In 1960 I sig
ned, I think it was $10,
000. I got a $2,500 bonus. But at the time,
I had to ask around, “What do guys make when they play?” The salaries just
weren’t there, but I thought I was a rich man. I remember buying a brand new
Chevrolet for $2,250.
Don Chelf
1960–61
Guard/Tackle
Iowa
Ht: 6’3” Wt: 235
I went into the service for two years, and I was in Washington, D.C., at the Air
Force base. I played there. We had thirteen pros on the team there, as a matter
of fact Tommy O’Connell was on the team, and Ernie Warlick was on the team.
We were undefeated—it was a pretty good team.

When I went to the Baltimore Colts’ camp, I was there for a week, and I was
one of the smallest linemen there. I didn’t know whether I was going to make
it. Then a job opened up at North Dakota State, and Bucky O’Connor called
and wanted to know if I was interested in going up there, and I told him I was.
4
ROCKIN’ THE ROCKPILE
I told Weeb Ewbank, the coach at Baltimore that year, I was going to take a col-
lege coaching job rather than take a chance on playing with the Colts. So I went
up there for a year, then I went back to Iowa and got my Master’s, and then I
went to the University of Mexico.
In 1958 and ’59, I was coaching out at the University of New Mexico with
M
arv L
evy, and we had a couple of winning seasons. Don Perkins played on the
team. At the end of that year, Marv got the California job, and I decided to go
back and play with the Bills. It was a last-minute situation. I was back home in
Iowa, and Buster Ramsey had coached Detroit the year before, and one of the
assistant Iowa coaches, who later became head coach for the Minnesota Vikings,
was a friend of Buster’s because he had been in Detroit when Buster was
coaching there. I went up to Iowa and asked him if anybody had any contacts in
the new afl, and he knew Buster. So he called Buster, and Buster told me to be
there two days late
r be
cause we were starting practice. It was a real quick thing.
I just wanted to play some ball, enjoy it and make a little money, which was
a little as it turned out.
Elbert Dubenion
1960–68
Wide Receiver
Bluffton College

Ht: 5’11” Wt: 187
I signed to go to Canada. Of course, I wasn’t good enough in the first place, to
be honest about it. At Bluffton, whoever went out for the team, made it. We had
a 35- or
40-man rost
er. My backup one year didn’t play high school football. I
was an offensive specialist. I didn’t mind getting hit—I don’t hit anybody. I was
a running back. I just wasn’t good enough. But I signed to go to the
Saskatchewan Roughriders—the general manager talked me into signing. He
talked to me and my coach and had us convinced: “Who would draft you in the
nfl? Y
ou’re not big enough, you come from a small college.” Sounded good to
me, so w
e signed.
Then when the nfl draft came along, I told the guy that was scouting me,
D
ick Gal
lagher, that I was going to Canada, but they still drafted me in the 14th
round. H
e was the scout for the Browns that covered me in Bluffton. Then
when the afl started he went to Buffalo as the general manager. I was one of
the fir
st guy
s he signed—$7,000, no bonus. Make the team—meal money. I had
been out of fo
otball for a year and worked. It could have been a jfl team—I
didn’t car
e—I worked for a living for a year!
5
Willmer Fowler

1960–61
Halfback
Northwestern
Ht: 5’10” Wt: 185
I got off on the wrong foot [in Philadelphia]. I played in the 1958 College All-
Star Game against the Baltimore Colts—they were the nfl champs the year
bef
ore. As soon as I got to camp in Hershey, Pennsylvania, we had a meeting.
They had drafted me to play defense mainly, but also to play some offense as
well. We had a meeting with the defensive backfield coach, I think the guy’s
name was Jerry Williams—he later became a head coach. They went over all the
defensive calls and alignments. A short time after that he wanted to see us again
and test us on what we knew, and I spoke up—that’s the way I am. I said, “How
the hell do you expect me to remember shit that you just gave me an hour ago?”
And he didn’t like that. So I got off on the wrong foot with him. It was all
downhill after that.
I could have went to Canada and played football. I was recruited by the B.C.
Lions in Vancouver. I chose to sign with Philadelphia. I spent a week in
Vancouver—I went out there and they treated me like a king. But nfl football
was w
hat I wante
d to play, not Canadian. They offered me a hell of a lot more
money than I would have made playing with Philadelphia.
So I was released, and I went back to Evanston, and I said, “The hell with
football—I’m done with it.” I got a job—I worked for a recreation center in
Evanston. I was assistant to the director and I helped coordinate all the activ-
ities with the kids, and I enjoyed that. Plus I had a radio program with a sta-
tion out of Evanston—a fifteen-minute sports show every morning. I would
get the sports news off the teletype and I would go on my program and cover
sports. As a matter of fact, when the American Football League started, I made

the announcement on my program that the new league was starting up, and
some of the people that had been hired with the different franchises, and my
friend Dick Gallagher was hired with the Bills. I didn’t know him then, but
later on, my parents called me and told me that the Cleveland Browns were
trying to get in touch with me. They were interested in talking to me about
possibly playing football for them. So I contacted Cleveland, and Dick was the
guy that was handling the negotiations. He and I met, we got a chance to know
each other, and he signed me to a contract with the Browns. I went in the mil-
itary in January. I had to report to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for my training. Went
away for the six months and got out a little early. I got out before camp opened
in July. I had a good camp with the Browns and thought I had made the team,
6
ROCKIN’ THE ROCKPILE
and I was the last guy that was released. I was the final cut before the season
started.
Dick Gallagher contacted me and told me that he had a job for me in Buffalo
if I wanted to come. So that’s how I got to the Bills. I came here and they signed
me to a contract—$7,500, no bonus. I thought I had a good contract.
Johnny Green
1960–61
Quarterback
University of Chattanooga
Ht: 6’3” Wt: 198
I attended high school at West Point, Mississippi, West Point High. Then went
to college at Chattanooga. At the time, it was the University of Chattanooga. A
guy named Jack Gregory, who played there and played for the Browns, took me
and another guy up there. I was recruited by Mississippi State, Memphis State,
Mississippi Southern and the University of Kentucky. But I didn’t run well—I
had a slight case of polio as a kid. My coach at Chattanooga was E.C.“Scrappy”
Moore, who was there about 30 years.

I ha
d some inf
ormation from a couple of teams that looked at my scholastic
records. A few of them came to practice and to games. The Bears did, the Rams.
Actually, I went to Canada—Toronto—my first year, and didn’t get to play very
much. When I did play, we didn’t do very well, so I got released. I went to
Pittsburgh because they drafted me. At Pittsburgh I was ruled ineligible that
year because I’d played in Canada and had been picked up on waivers up there
but didn’t know about it.
In ’60 I came bac
k to Pittsburgh, and was the last cut at the end of the exhi-
bit
ion season. They were going to keep me on the taxi squad, but Buddy Parker
was the coach at Pittsburgh at the time, and he and Buster Ramsey were good
buddies from Detroit days. So Buddy called me in and said, “You can go to
Buffalo if you want to, or you can stay with us if you want, but you’re not gonna
get to play here.” They had Bobby Layne and Rudy Bukich, so I went to Buffalo.
Joe Hergert
1960–61
Linebacker/Kicker
University of Florida
Ht: 6’1” Wt: 216
7
I played at Florida and was drafted by the Packers. I went in the service for six
months. I went into the reserve program, and I was supposed to get out a lot
earlier than I did. I thought I’d be able to get to Green Bay, but as it worked
out I didn’t get out until the middle of the season. They wouldn’t let me go. So
Lombardi told me to wait and just come next year, which I did. I was one of
the last two or three to get cut from Green Bay. One of the coaches was a friend
of Buster Ramsey’s, and they weren’t too fond of the afl starting up at that

t
ime, and aft
er lunch he caught me in the hall and asked me if I’d be interested.
And he’s the one who called up Buster, and that’s how I ended up there.
Bernie Buzyniski got his elbow dislocated in practice the week that I got
there. I had to practice a week or so to learn defenses before I started playing.
Joe Kulbacki
1960
Halfback
Purdue University
Ht: 6’ Wt: 185
I graduated from Purdue in 1960, and was drafted by Boston in the afl, and
also the Washington Redskins. The offer from the Redskins was $6,500.Never
rec
eived an offer from the Patriots because their whole organization wasn’t pre-
pared to even talk about players. I had an offer from the Canadian league for
around $10,000 to $10,500, and t
ook that. They also gave me a bonus plus an
off-season job in engine
ering. At that time I think the philosophy of most of
the ballplayers was the same experience as you have in the Army—it was expe-
rience in life. But you went to school to get an education, and at Purdue most
of us were engineers. When I was a freshman at Purdue, my backfield coach was
George Steinbrenner.
I signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders, and was injured right before the reg-
ular season started. I played all the exhibition games and was injured the last
exhibition game. It wasn’t a serious injury. Came back home to Pennsylvania,
got a call from Buster. Buster said, “I need a halfback.” I said, “You got to get me
a release from the Patriots.” And he did and I came up here. I said give me the
same as I got in Canada, and they did.

Dick Gallagher was the General Manager. My connection with Gallagher
was that he was affiliated with Ottawa in the Canadian league. Same with
Harvey Johnson. Harvey was also from the Canadian league. In fact, Harvey
was the one who came to Purdue to interview me for the Canadian league.
8
ROCKIN’ THE ROCKPILE
Jack Laraway
1960
Linebacker
Purdue University
Ht: 6’ Wt: 220
I grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, which is the hometown of Eddie Abramoski,
and we were friends at that time. We both ended up at Purdue University. I did
a pretty good job in high school football and was recruited by Stu Holcomb,
who was also from Erie—that gave us a little “in” at Purdue University. I fol-
lowed Eddie there. I was playing fullback and linebacker at Purdue—of course
we were going both ways at that time. Joe Kulbacki was in the same backfield.
We had a trememndous experience there because we knocked off both Mich-
igan State and Notre Dame. Had a lot of good times and good experiences
while there. I was a Mid-West All-American.
I’d always wanted to play for the Detroit Lions, and I knew they were
looking at me. I was a red-shirt draft choice. Eddie was up there at the time, and
maybe had some influence—I don’t know. I was in love with Detroit. I was a
starter at that time along with Wayne Walker and Joe Schmidt—I was on the
strong side. I was on top of the world. Don Shula was our linebacker coach. We
were running through a tackling drill and I hit Jim Martin, and when I turned,
I came down on my shoulder and dislocated it. I was done at the time. I tried
to rehabilitate it, but it just kept popping out. Eventually they had to release me.
I was sitting at home when Dick Gallagher called, and he asked me if I
wanted to come up to Buffalo and how my shoulder was. They needed a strong-

side linebacker. I said, “Well, I want to play.” So I had the opportunity to go up
there and reunite with Eddie. Got up there about two or three games into the
season. Dennis Remmert was here and I took his spot.
Richie Lucas
1960–61
Quarterback/Halfback
Penn State
Ht: 6’ Wt: 190
In Glassport, if you play one sport, you generally play three or four sports. I
played basketball, football, baseball and volleyball too at some point in time. I
enjoyed the athletic experience. Al Bruce was the first one to call—the recruiter
at Glassport from Penn State. I think Joe Paterno came down, or Rip Engle
9