Get Information about the Buffalo Bills Football Team

The Buffalo Bills are an American football team that plays in the National Football League. They play in the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC). The Bills are based in Orchard Park, New York, just outside Buffalo, New York. The current Buffalo Bills were effectively created in 1960 with the merger of the American Football League and the National Football League.
Due to the name of their home city, Buffalo, there is some confusion about the mascot and namesake of the Buffalo Bills. Their logo depicts a Buffalo, but the name "the Bills" is a reference to Buffalo Bill Cody, an American showman and soldier. The mascot of the team is Billy Buffalo, continuing with the Buffalo theme derived from the name of the city. The cheerleaders of the Buffalo Bills are called the Buffalo Jills, which is only a play on words and is not a reference to any historical figure.

Although New York State is home to three National Football League franchises, the Bills are the only team to actually play home games within New York State. The New York Giants and the New York Jets both play their games in a suburb of New Jersey not far from New York City.

Before the merger of the NFL and AFL, the Bills were created as the eighth AFL team on October 28th, 1959. While in the AFL, the Bills set themselves apart by having one of the best defenses in a league which was known primarily for offense. Future Congressmen Jack Kemp played on the Buffalo Bills at this time as quarterback.

In 1969 the Buffalo Bills drafted the now famous O.J. Simpson to be a running back. He was the most recognizable Bill through the 1970s. Simpson was a member of the so-called "Electric Company," a group of players on the Bills. The nickname came from the phrase "turn on the juice," a reference to the Simpson's initials, O.J., which is also an abbreviation for "orange juice." The '70s marked the time when the Bills jointed the NFL, as well.

In 1993 the bills drafted quarterback Jim Kelly, who would become the face of the team through the 1990s. Kelly led the team to four consecutive Super Bowls, though the Buffalo Bills did not win any of them.