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From NFL.com:
Ralph Wilson Jr., the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, has died, team president Russ Brandon announced at the NFL Annual Meeting on Tuesday. Wilson was 95 years old.
Wilson was one of the original founders of the American Football League and was instrumental in the early days of the league. The Bills made the Super Bowl four consecutive times in the 1990s under his watch, though the team never won a Super Bowl championship. The Bills did, however, win two AFL championships (1964 and 1965).
"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 Mr. Wilson," Brandon said. "We have lost our founder, our mentor, our friend, and this is a very difficult time for us all. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Mary, his daughters Christy and Dee Dee (Edith), his niece Mary and his entire family.
"Mr. Wilson had a relentless passion, a deep love for his Buffalo Bills, the City of Buffalo and the National Football League," Brandon continued. "He also loved the Bills fans and all of the people of Western New York who embraced the Bills.
"This incredible man was the personification of the Buffalo Bills. His life was grit, determination and resolve. He was bigger than life in many ways and yet he was the everyday man, driving his Ford Taurus to the local store and greeting everyone as they called out 'hi Ralph!' He will be greatly missed by those in our community whose lives he touched."
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reflected on the life of one of the architects of the AFL-NFL merger.
"His legacy is great," Ross said. "He led a good life, made his mark. He was somebody very well respected."
Wilson served the AFL and NFL in a variety of roles. He was president of the AFL, served on the AFL's Expansion Committee and also on the AFL-NFL Negotiations Committee.
He also held the roles of chairman of the NFL Pension Committee and Labor Committee, and was on the board of NFL Charities, the Super Bowl Site Selection Committee and the NFL's Expansion Committee.
Wilson was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
RIP Mr. Wilson
Ralph Wilson Jr., the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, has died, team president Russ Brandon announced at the NFL Annual Meeting on Tuesday. Wilson was 95 years old.
Wilson was one of the original founders of the American Football League and was instrumental in the early days of the league. The Bills made the Super Bowl four consecutive times in the 1990s under his watch, though the team never won a Super Bowl championship. The Bills did, however, win two AFL championships (1964 and 1965).
"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 Mr. Wilson," Brandon said. "We have lost our founder, our mentor, our friend, and this is a very difficult time for us all. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Mary, his daughters Christy and Dee Dee (Edith), his niece Mary and his entire family.
"Mr. Wilson had a relentless passion, a deep love for his Buffalo Bills, the City of Buffalo and the National Football League," Brandon continued. "He also loved the Bills fans and all of the people of Western New York who embraced the Bills.
"This incredible man was the personification of the Buffalo Bills. His life was grit, determination and resolve. He was bigger than life in many ways and yet he was the everyday man, driving his Ford Taurus to the local store and greeting everyone as they called out 'hi Ralph!' He will be greatly missed by those in our community whose lives he touched."
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reflected on the life of one of the architects of the AFL-NFL merger.
"His legacy is great," Ross said. "He led a good life, made his mark. He was somebody very well respected."
Wilson served the AFL and NFL in a variety of roles. He was president of the AFL, served on the AFL's Expansion Committee and also on the AFL-NFL Negotiations Committee.
He also held the roles of chairman of the NFL Pension Committee and Labor Committee, and was on the board of NFL Charities, the Super Bowl Site Selection Committee and the NFL's Expansion Committee.
Wilson was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
RIP Mr. Wilson
