1970: Kemp and Shaw both retire within days

by MattRichWarren on Jun 11, 2010 3:00 PM EDT in Buffalo Bills History

The Buffalo Bills lost two of the greatest players in franchise history within three days of one another forty years ago this week. On June 11, 1970, guard Billy Shaw retired. Two days later, a retirement dinner was held for quarterback Jack Kemp.

Shaw was drafted in 1961, and he won three straight Eastern Division titles and two American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965 with the team. He played his entire career in the American Football League, and was named a first-team All-AFL selection four times (1963 through 1966) and second team All-AFL in 1968 and 1969. He played in eight AFL All-Star Games, and was named to the All-Time All-AFL Team. He made pro football's All-Decade team of the 1960s, and is the only player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame without playing in the NFL.

After spending time bouncing around various NFL teams, Kemp signed with the San Diego Chargers of the AFL in 1960. After an injury forced him out of the lineup, the Chargers thought they could get away with waiving Kemp to get the roster spot and re-sign him later. The Bills swooped in, though, and Lou Saban claimed the QB for one hundred dollars. Kemp led Buffalo to four straight years in the AFL playoffs, three consecutive Eastern Division titles, and two straight AFL Championships. He led the AFL in career passes attempted, completions, and yards gained passing, played in five of the AFL's ten Championship Games, and holds the same career records (passing attempts, completions, and yardage) for championships. Kemp was named AFL MVP in 1965. He went on to a hugely successful political career after retiring from football, serving as a Congressman, Housing Secretary, and running for President and Vice President of the United States.

Both are members of the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, and the AFL Hall of Fame. Both were also selected to Buffalo's 25th Anniversary team, with Shaw remaining on the 50th Anniversary team while Jim Kelly bumped Kemp from the quarterback position.

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Comments

This is the first of what I hope are many posts highlighting anniversaries in Buffalo Bills history. If it happened in multiples of 5 or 10 years ago, it’s going to be fair game.

The genesis of this came with the 25th anniversary of the 1985 draft a couple months ago.

You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Jun 11, 2010 3:08 PM EDT reply actions

A trip down memory lane...

If you grew up in that era it is hard to forget Kemp & Shaw along with the rest the AFL champion Bills. Kemp had the famous jump pass that as kids we would attempt to duplicate in a pick-up game of tackle. Shaw was a beast leading a sweep for Cookie, Wray Carlton, Billy Joe, Lincoln or who ever was running behind him. Two dynamic players that shaped me into a life long Bills fan no matter where I lived….

"My relationship with death remains the same as ever. I'm strongly against it."
-- Woody Allen, 2010

by Goose22 on Jun 11, 2010 4:07 PM EDT reply actions

Good stuff. Keep them coming.

by Jeff Winters on Jun 11, 2010 4:15 PM EDT reply actions

Is Kemp a member of the Pro Football HOF? I can't remember.

Washington? Check. Pittsburg? Check. Philly? Wont be a pro... errr.... GO BLACKHAWKS!!!

by CanadianBillsFan on Jun 11, 2010 5:00 PM EDT reply actions

No.

You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Jun 12, 2010 7:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Any realistic chance that he ever gets in?

Washington? Check. Pittsburg? Check. Philly? Wont be a pro... errr.... GO BLACKHAWKS!!!

by CanadianBillsFan on Jun 12, 2010 8:08 AM EDT up reply actions

A very very slight chance with the old timers committee.

I don’t believe I’ve even heard Kemp’s name mentioned…

"My relationship with death remains the same as ever. I'm strongly against it."
-- Woody Allen, 2010

by Goose22 on Jun 12, 2010 8:23 AM EDT up reply actions

I don’t see it. He’s one of the guys who will probably always be in the Hall of Really Good with Drew Bledsoe and a bunch of other really good players who are on the outside looking in.

You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Jun 12, 2010 9:01 AM EDT up reply actions

I hate to agree but you are 99.99% correct

"My relationship with death remains the same as ever. I'm strongly against it."
-- Woody Allen, 2010

by Goose22 on Jun 12, 2010 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Thats pretty much where I was seeing him too. Still it would be nice to see two Bills QB’s in the HOF.

My 2 year old decided to introduce himself to coffee this morning. It's been an entertaining day.

PS A Chiuaua cannot outrun a 2 year old when said 2 year old is wired on coffee.

by CanadianBillsFan on Jun 12, 2010 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions

Jack Kemp, the AFL, and the Hall of Fame

Kemp was more than “Really Good”. See http://www.remembertheafl.com/JackFrenchKempAmericanFootballLeague.htm There are less deserving men already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Remember the AFL!!

by Remember the AFL on Jun 12, 2010 6:46 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed. But just like Doug Flutie will never get full credit for his 6 CFL MVP’s, 3 Grey Cup Wins, 3 Grey Cup MVP’s, 41 355 yards and 270 TD’s in the CFL in 8 CFL seasons, Kemp will never get full credit for what he did in the AFL. The Pro-Football HOF has a deffinate biased towards the NFL and doesn’t seem to recognise anything done outside of the NFL as fully legitimate.

My 2 year old decided to introduce himself to coffee this morning. It's been an entertaining day.

PS A Chiuaua cannot outrun a 2 year old when said 2 year old is wired on coffee.

by CanadianBillsFan on Jun 12, 2010 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey Angelo---Remember the AFL

Great to see you post!!

For those of you not familiar with Angelo’s website remembertheafl.com it is fantastic, I push it as much as I can and highly recommend it.

A story about Angelo—-many years ago he discovered that it was better to lose then to win a game (near the end of the season) to be eligible for the NFL playoffs. Due to Angelo’s diligence the NFL had to change it’s playoff format. He is well known for this and every few years he is mentioned in Pro Football Weekly. He sent me a copy of how the playoff format worked out, maybe he would be kind enough to post it on this site….

Plus, (for the Italians) he writes in Per Niente a monthly magazine about Italian/Sicilian heritage in western NY,

He isa remarkable person an a true Buffalonian!!!!

"My relationship with death remains the same as ever. I'm strongly against it."
-- Woody Allen, 2010

by Goose22 on Jun 13, 2010 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Flutie, Gilchrist, Grant and Moon

The PFHOF selectors are arbitrary and capricious. I have heard selectors say that Bud Grant’s CFL coaching and Warren Moon’s CFL stats helped them get selected to the Hall, but where Flutie and Gilchrist are concerned, their Canadian feats don’t count. Bottom line, the selectors put in and keep out whoever THEY want to. The Pro Football Hall of Fame has many who are worthy, and some who are not. The fact that they have left out so many deserving players makes the whole thing a farce, in my eyes.

Remember the AFL!!

by Remember the AFL on Jun 12, 2010 11:25 PM EDT reply actions

Entirely agree. I mean the PFHOF shouldn’t be concidering evey great talent that the CFL and AFL produced, but the truly exceptional cases, such as Cookie Gilchrist, such as Doug Flutie, such as Mike Pringle, such as Jack Kemp, such as Russ Jackson should deffinatly be concidered. Because in the end it is the Pro-Football HOF and not the NFL HOF.

The fact that Russ Jackson was offered what would have been the AFL’s most lucritive contract and decided to stay in the CFL at the time says something. And when you compare his stats to other greats of his era (50’s-60’s) like Otto Graham and Frank Tankenton and realise that Jackson’s production was greater than Graham’s and at par with Tankenton at a time when the difference between the CFL and NFL was MUCH less than it is now it is a travisty that he isn’t concidered among the greats. It’s also a travesty that not a single time has his name even come up for consideration for the PFHOF.

There is something seriously wrong with the way PFHOF selects it’s players.

My 2 year old decided to introduce himself to coffee this morning. It's been an entertaining day.

PS A Chiuaua cannot outrun a 2 year old when said 2 year old is wired on coffee.

by CanadianBillsFan on Jun 12, 2010 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions

There will be an inherent bias towards NFL and AFL players when the votes are from NFL cities. I’m not excusing it, just mentioning it.

You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Jun 13, 2010 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions

I know that. I just fail to understand why the truly outstanding AFL and CFL players do not get any recognition when the PFHOF recognises both as proffesional leagues.

My 2 year old decided to introduce himself to coffee this morning. It's been an entertaining day.

PS A Chiuaua cannot outrun a 2 year old when said 2 year old is wired on coffee.

by CanadianBillsFan on Jun 13, 2010 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions

The CFL

Those players should not get the same recognition. It’s a different game, played in another country with players who couldn’t make it in the NFL. Why should those guys be included on the same ground as NFL greats?

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Jun 13, 2010 10:42 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m not saying that every player should get the same consideration. not even close. I realise that the CFL is an amature league when compared to the NFL. And that the different rules make it a totally different game. But that does not mean that the truly exceptional players from the CFL, such as Flutie, Moon, Pringle, Gilchrist and Jackson, should be excluded from the conversation simply because they played in the CFL.

I’m not saying that any of those guys should be HOFers, I’m simply saying that they should at least be included into the coversation. If they are considered and then turned down then that is fine with me. What bugs me is that they ae not even considered.

And now MRW has us voting for who we want to vote against!

by CanadianBillsFan on Jun 14, 2010 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

At one point in time the NFL and CFL weren’t that far apart talent level wise, not like it is today. Growing up in Buffalo it was fun to watch the CFL in early summer while waiting for the start of NFL camps to open. You had to have a good set of rabbit ears or a rotary antenna to be able to pick up the games without snow.

"My relationship with death remains the same as ever. I'm strongly against it."
-- Woody Allen, 2010

by Goose22 on Jun 14, 2010 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions