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The Pro Football Researchers Association began naming a class to their Hall of Very Good in 2002. In that time, their goal has been to honor very good players in pro football history, but not the best of the best that make it into the Hall of Fame.
This year, several former Bills joined the ranks of the Hall of Very Good in voting concluded at the end of May. In the class of 2013, two AFL-era Buffalo Bills were added to the ranks of the Very Good: running back Cookie Gilchrist and Daryle Lamonica.
Gilchrist played in Buffalo for three seasons after coming south from the Canadian Football League. The rumbling fullback was named to three All-Star teams and two All-AFL teams in his three years in Buffalo before finishing his career in Miami and Denver.
Lamonica platooned with Jack Kemp (himself a Hall of Very Good inductee in 2012) for four years in Buffalo before exploding following a trade to the Oakland Raiders. He started just four games in those four seasons but ended with 24 total touchdowns as an in-game spark plug and injury replacement for Kemp.
Other Bills in the Hall of Very Good include Kemp, head coach Lou Saban and defensive tackle Tom Sestak. Older Buffalo teams are also represented as the Buffalo All-American/Bisons of the have guard Adolf "Swede" Youngstrom representing the first NFL team to reside in the Queen City.
According to their website, the Professional Football Researchers Association was founded in 1979 as a 501(c)(3) educational organization dedicated to research into and the preservation of the history of pro football. You can become a member on their website if you are interested in preserving football history.