1961 Buffalo Bills season

1961 Buffalo Bills season
Head coach	Buster Ramsey
Owner	Ralph Wilson
Home field	War Memorial Stadium
Results
Record	6–8
Division place	4th Eastern
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1961 Buffalo Bills season was the team's second year in the American Football League. The Bills played in the Eastern division, winning six games, losing eight, and missing the postseason.

The Bills didn't have a winning record at any point in the season; they played their final five games of the season on the road.

Season summary

The Bills had a problematic quarterback situation, with former Redskin M.C. Reynolds, second-year Bills QB Johnny Green and ex-Lion Warren Rabb all struggling at the passer position. None completed more than 46% of their passes, and only Reynolds had a winning record (2–1) and threw for more than 1,000 yards.

Punter Billy Atkins led the league in punts, with 85; he also led the league with 44.5 yards per punt. Atkins also played safety for the Bills in 1961, and led the league with 10 interceptions, and was 2nd-Team All-AFL on defense.

Middle linebacker Archie Matsos was 1st-Team All-AFL for the second consecutive year, as was defensive tackle Chuck McMurtry. Defensive tackle LaVerne Torczon was 2nd-Team All-AFL in 1961.

Personnel

Staff

1961 Buffalo Bills staff
Front Office President – Ralph Wilson Head Coaches Head Coach – Buster Ramsey Offensive Coaches Offensive Backfield – Floyd Reid Ends – Bob Dove			Defensive Coaches Defensive Backs – Harvey Johnson

AFL Draft

Main article: 1961 American Football League Draft

The Bills amassed a great deal of talent on their offensive line in the 1961 draft. Four of their first seven picks—Rice, Shaw, Barber and Bemiller, all offensive linemen—would go on to make at least one All-AFL team in the next five years. This draft would form the nucleus for the Bills' power running game over the next five years.

Rice was All-AFL as a rookie in 1961.

= All-AFL

Round	Player	Position	College
1	Ken RiceKen Rice	Tackle	Auburn
2	Billy ShawBilly Shaw	Tackle	Georgia Tech
3	Art BakerArt Baker	Fullback	Syracuse (from New York)
3	Tom GilburgTom Gilburg	Tackle	Syracuse
4	Stew BarberStew Barber	Tackle	Penn State
5	Norm SneadNorm Snead*
6	Fred BrownFred Brown	Halfback	Georgia
7	Albert BemillerAlbert Bemiller	Center	Syracuse
8	Charles LinningCharles Linning	Tackle	Miami
9	William MajorsWilliam Majors	Halfback	Tennessee
10	Don KernDon Kern	Halfback	VMI
11	Roy WallRoy Wall	Halfback	North Carolina
12	Floyd PowersFloyd Powers	Guard	Mississippi State
13	Tom CauseyTom Causey	Offensive end	Louisiana Tech
14	Ron KostelnikRon Kostelnik*	Tackle	Cincinnati
15	Jerry FryeJerry Frye	Offensive end	South Carolina
16	Vincent ScottVincent Scott	Offensive end	Maryland
17	Wayne WolffWayne Wolff	Tackle	Wake Forest
18	John BodkinJohn Bodkin	Guard	South Carolina
19	Charles BarnesCharley Barnes	Offensive end	NE Louisiana State
20	Everett CloudEverett Cloud	Halfback	Maryland
21	Larry VargoLarry Vargo	Offensive end	Detroit
22	Charles BakerCharles Baker	Tackle	Tennessee
23	William MackWilliam Mack	Halfback	Notre Dame
24	Frank JackunasFrank Jackunas	Center	Detroit
25	Jack HarbaughJack Harbaugh	Halfback	Bowling Green
26	Lorenzo StanfordLorenzo Stanford	Tackle	North Carolina A & I
27	Bob AllenBob Allen	Offensive end	Wake Forest
28	Jason HarnessJason Harness	Offensive end	Michigan State
29	Mike StockMike Stock	Halfback	Northwestern
30	William MartinWilliam Martin	Halfback	Minnesota

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
Houston Oilers	10	3	1	.769	4–1–1	513	242	W9
Boston Patriots	9	4	1	.692	2–3–1	413	313	W4
New York Titans	7	7	0	.500	3–3	301	390	L2
Buffalo Bills	6	8	0	.429	2–4	294	342	L1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Game-by-game results

The 1961 preseason was notable for the Bills as they became the only AFL (or NFL) team to lose to a CFL team, and it was the last game between the CFL and AFL/NFL met in history.

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Stadium	Attendance
	August 8, 1961	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL)	L 38–21	Ivor Wynne Stadium	12,000

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Stadium	Record	Attendance
1	September 10, 1961	Denver Broncos	L 22–10	War Memorial Stadium	0–1	16,636
2	September 17, 1961	New York Titans	W 41–31	War Memorial Stadium	1–1	15,584
3	September 23, 1961	Boston Patriots	L 23–21	War Memorial Stadium	1–2	21,504
4	September 30, 1961	San Diego Chargers	L 19–11	War Memorial Stadium	1–3	20,742
5	October 8, 1961	at Houston Oilers	W 22–12	Jeppesen Stadium	2–3	22,761
6	October 15, 1961	Dallas Texans	W 27–24	War Memorial Stadium	3–3	20,678
7	October 22, 1961	at Boston Patriots	L 52–21	Boston University Field	3–4	9,398
8	October 29, 1961	Houston Oilers	L 28–16	War Memorial Stadium	3–5	21,237
9	November 5, 1961	Oakland Raiders	L 31–22	War Memorial Stadium	3–6	17,027
10	November 12, 1961	at Dallas Texans	W 30–20	Cotton Bowl	4–6	15,000
11	November 19, 1961	at Denver Broncos	W 23–10	Bears Stadium	5–6	7,645
12	November 23, 1961	at New York Titans	L 21–14	Polo Grounds	5–7	12,023
13	December 3, 1961	at Oakland Raiders	W 26–21	Candlestick Park	6–7	8,011
14	December 10, 1961	at San Diego Chargers	L 28–10	Balboa Stadium	6–8	24,486