The NFL has lost one of their "good guys." Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. passed away yesterday at the age of 95. Wilson was one of the eight brave soles that challenged the NFL in 1959. Those eight men became known as the "Foolish Club." The NFL wouldn't let them in their little club, so Lamar Hunt, Bud Adams, Ralph Wilson and the rest formed their own little club. The American Football League. And, they weren't going away. I've always had a fondness for the resourceful men that started the AFL. Especially Lamar Hunt and Ralph Wilson. I'm not so sure that the AFL would have survived without the leadership, vision, and strength of Hunt and Wilson. The Oakland Raiders wouldn't have made it. Wilson floated the Raiders $400,000 to survive those early years. The AFL did what no other league could. Force the NFL to give in. The NFL may have absorbed the renegade league but the AFL really won the war. Hunt, Adams, Wilson, and the rest got what they wanted from the beginning. Acceptance at the big league table. Ralph Wilson was the last of the "Foolish Club" that stayed in the game. Bud Adams passed away last fall. Barron Hilton still survives but he sold the San Diego Chargers in 1966.
Even as a little kid I noticed something different about Ralph Wilson, Jr. He seemed to nice to be involved in such a violent game. Some considered him the "conscience" of the NFL. Someone had to be and Wilson was perfect for the job. He set an example that all the owners would be wise to follow. They are all in this game together. Among very competitive men, Wilson always thought of the health of the league first.
RIP Ralph Wilson, Jr.
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