Ralph C. Wilson Jr.
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Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. was one of the forward-thinking businessmen contacted by Lamar Hunt, when Hunt formed the American Football League. Wilson was a pillar of the league, fielding the only AFL team that went to post-season play for four consecutive years, 1963 through 1966. The Buffalo Bills won the league championship in 1964 and 1965. Wilson made professional football a resounding success in a "small market", signing such stars as Hall of Famers Cookie Gilchrist, Jack Kemp, and Tom Sestak.
He was a guiding force in AFL policies that insured success, such as gate and television revenue sharing; in 1961, with the rival Oakland Raiders in financial difficulty, Wilson loaned the club $400,000, and also would be willing to loan money to Billy Sullivan of the Patriots. Wilson helped keep those franchises afloat, likely saving the entire league from folding. In November 1963, Wilson lobbied successfully to have American Football League games postponed the Sunday after JFK's assassination, while NFL games went on. Wilson is a member of the American Football League Hall of Fame.
After the original naming rights deal on the Bills' current stadium expired in 1998, the facility's name was changed from Rich Stadium to Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Links
External links
- American Football League Website (http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFLdotcom.htm)
- Wilson's citation on the AFL Hall of Fame website (http://www.conigliofamily.com/Bills.htm#RALPHWILSON)