1971 Buffalo Bills season
Encyclopedia
The 1971
Buffalo Bills
season was the 12th season for the club and its 2nd in the National Football League
.
For the second time in four seasons, the Bills finished with a 1-13 record. The season began in turmoil when coach John Rauch
resigned, forcing pro personnel director Harvey Johnson
to assume the position for the second time on an interim basis. Lou Saban
, who resigned as coach of the Denver Broncos
after eight games in 1971, returned to Buffalo for 1972. Saban guided the Bills to the American Football League
championship in 1964 and 1965.
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
season was the 12th season for the club and its 2nd in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
For the second time in four seasons, the Bills finished with a 1-13 record. The season began in turmoil when coach John Rauch
John Rauch
John "Johnny" Rauch was an American football player and coach. He was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II in 1968.-Early life:...
resigned, forcing pro personnel director Harvey Johnson
Harvey Johnson (coach)
Harvey Paul Johnson was an American football coach. He served two separate stints as the head coach for the Buffalo Bills, first in the American Football League and then in the National Football League. He first took the reins in 1968, when Joe Collier was fired one game into the season...
to assume the position for the second time on an interim basis. Lou Saban
Lou Saban
Louis Henry Saban was an American football player and coach. Saban played for Indiana University in college and as a pro for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference...
, who resigned as coach of the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
after eight games in 1971, returned to Buffalo for 1972. Saban guided the Bills to the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
championship in 1964 and 1965.
NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | J.D. Hill | Wide Receiver | Arizona State |
| 2 | 29 (3rd in the round) | Jan White | Tight End | Ohio State |
| 3 | 53 (1st in the round) | Bruce Jarvis Bruce Jarvis Bruce Jarvis was a professional American football player who played offensive lineman for four seasons for the Buffalo Bills.-Buffalo Bills:... |
Center | Washington Washington State University Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university... |
| 3 | 57 (4th in the round) | Jim Braxton Jim Braxton James Robert Braxton was a professional American football fullback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.-Collegiate career:... |
Fullback | West Virginia West Virginia University West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;... |
| 5 | 107 (2nd in the round) | Donnie Green Donnie Green Donnie Gerald Green is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Purdue University and was drafted in the fifth round of the 1971 NFL Draft.... |
Offensive Tackle | Purdue |
| 5 | 113 (6th in the round) | Tim Beamer | Defensive Back | Illinois |
| 6 | 145 (10th in the round) | Bill McKinley | Defensive End | Arizona University of Arizona The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885... |
| 7 | 160 (3rd in the round) | Bob Chandler Bob Chandler Robert Donald Chandler was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League.-Professional career:... |
Wide Receiver | Southern California University of Southern California The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university... |
| 8 | 183 (1st in the round) | Louis Ross | Defensive End | South Carolina State |
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Streak | Attendance |
| 1 | Sept. 19 | vs. Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
Loss 49-37 | 0-1 | L1 | 46,206 |
| 2 | Sept. 26 | vs. Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss 29-14 | 0-2 | L2 | 45,139 |
| 3 | Oct. 3 | at Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
Loss 19-0 | 0-3 | L3 | 47,900 |
| 4 | Oct. 10 | vs. Baltimore Colts Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... |
Loss 43-0 | 0-4 | L4 | 46,206 |
| 5 | Oct. 17 | at New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss 28-17 | 0-5 | L5 | 61,948 |
| 6 | Oct. 23 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss 20-3 | 0-6 | L6 | 49,261 |
| 7 | Oct. 31 | vs. St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss 28-23 | 0-7 | L7 | 40,040 |
| 8 | Nov. 7 | at Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss 34-0 | 0-8 | L8 | 61,016 |
| 9 | Nov. 14 | at New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
Loss 38-33 | 0-9 | L9 | 57,446 |
| 10 | Nov. 21 | vs. New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss 20-7 | 0-10 | L10 | 41,577 |
| 11 | Nov. 28 | vs. New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
Win 27-20 | 1-10 | W1 | 27,166 |
| 12 | Dec. 5 | at Baltimore Colts Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... |
Loss 24-0 | 1-11 | L1 | 58,476 |
| 13 | Dec. 12 | vs. Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter... |
Loss 20-14 | 1-12 | L2 | 28,107 |
| 14 | Dec. 19 | at Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
Loss 22-9 | 1-13 | L3 | 48,121 |
Standings
| AFC East AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets... |
||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins 1971 Miami Dolphins season -NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Playoffs:- Standings : -Roster:-Scoring summary:*Dallas Mike Clark, FG 14 yds *Dallas L.Alworth, 9 yd pass from Staubach *Miami Yeprmeniam, FG 23 yds... |
10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 315 | 174 |
| Baltimore Colts 1971 Baltimore Colts season The 1971 Baltimore Colts season was the 19th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1971 season with a record of 10 wins and 4 losses, and finished second in the AFC East.- Schedule :... |
10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 313 | 140 |
| New England Patriots 1971 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1971 season with a record of six wins and eight losses, and finished third in the AFC East division. It was the first season the Patriots played in Schaeffer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts after playing in three different... |
6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 238 | 325 |
| New York Jets 1971 New York Jets season The 1971 New York Jets season was the 12th season for the team and the second in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 4–10 record from 1970 under head coach Weeb Ewbank. Disaster struck before the regular season ever started and it was a remarkable feat... |
6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 212 | 299 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 184 | 394 |