1976 Buffalo Bills season

Before the 1976 season, Buffalo lost some key players, notably wide receivers Ahmad Rashad and J. D. Hill, and defensive linemen Earl Edwards, Walt Patulski and Pat Toomay.

{{main article|1976 NFL expansion draft}}

{{main|1976 NFL draft}}

Note: 1976 was the final year in which the NFL draft was seventeen rounds; it would be reduced to twelve rounds in 1977.

The Bills' 1976 draft produced four long-time starters with their first four picks. First round pick Mario Clark played for seven seasons with the Bills. Offensive guard Ken Jones played for the Bills for eleven years. Offensive tackle Joe Devlin played every game of his 14-year career with the Bills, playing in all 191 regular-season games until his retirement after the 1989 season.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20111121211841/http://databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=DEVLIJOE01 Databasefootball.com: Joe Devlin]}} Defensive end Ben Williams played for the Bills for 10 years; he was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro for the 1982 season.

{{NFL team draft start

| year = 1976

| teamname = Buffalo Bills

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 1

| pick = 18

| player = Mario Clark

| position = Cornerback

| college = Oregon

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 2

| pick = 42

| player = Ken Jones

| position = Guard

| college = Arkansas State

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 2

| pick = 52

| player = Joe Devlin

| position = Offensive tackle

| college = Iowa

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 3

| pick = 78

| player = Ben Williams

| position = Defensive end

| college = Ole Miss

| notes =

| probowl = yes

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 4

| pick = 109

| player = Dan Jilek

| position = Linebacker

| college = Michigan

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 5

| pick = 142

| player = Fred Coleman

| position = Tight end

| college = Northeast Louisiana

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 6

| pick = 164

| player = Leslie Benson

| position = Defensive end

| college = Baylor

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 6

| pick = 171

| player = Scott Piper

| position = Wide receiver

| college = Arizona

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 6

| pick = 175

| player = Darnell Powell

| position = Running back

| college = Tennessee-Chattanooga

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 7

| pick = 195

| player = Jackie Williams

| position = Defensive back

| college = Texas A&M

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 8

| pick = 215

| player = Scott Gardner

| position = Quarterback

| college = Virginia

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 8

| pick = 226

| player = Bobby Joe Easter

| position = Running back

| college = Middle Tennessee State

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 8

| pick = 227

| player = Art Meadowcroft

| position = Guard

| college = Minnesota

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 9

| pick = 241

| player = Jeff Turner

| position = Linebacker

| college = Kansas

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 9

| pick = 255

| player = Bob Kotzur

| position = Defensive tackle

| college = Southwest Texas State

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 10

| pick = 280

| player = Keith Moody

| position = Cornerback

| college = Syracuse

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 11

| pick = 309

| player = Forry Smith

| position = Wide receiver

| college = Iowa State

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 12

| pick = 336

| player = Joe Lowery

| position = Running back

| college = Jackson State

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 13

| pick = 365

| player = Will Wilcox

| position = Guard

| college = Texas

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 14

| pick = 392

| player = Tony Williams

| position = Wide receiver

| college = Middle Tennessee State

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 15

| pick = 421

| player = Arnold Robinson

| position = Linebacker

| college = Bethune-Cookman

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 16

| pick = 448

| player = Gary Gorrell

| position = Linebacker

| college = Boise State

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 17

| pick = 477

| player = Bob Berg

| position = Kicker

| college = New Mexico

| notes =

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft end

| probowl = yes

| hof = no

}}

{{NFL season roster

| year = 1976

| team = Buffalo Bills

| quarterbacks =

{{NFLplayer|17|Gary Marangi}}

{{NFLplayer|14|Sam Wyche}}

| running_backs =

{{NFLplayer|25|Roland Hooks}}

{{NFLplayer|36|Jeff Kinney|d=American football}}

{{NFLplayer|38|Eddie Ray}}

{{NFLplayer|33|Andy Reid|d=running back|rookie=y}}

{{NFLplayer|32|O. J. Simpson}}

| wide_receivers =

{{NFLplayer|81|Bob Chandler}}

{{NFLplayer|86|Emmett Edwards}}

{{NFLplayer|80|John Holland|d=American football}}

| tight_ends =

{{NFLplayer|88|Reuben Gant}}

{{NFLplayer|87|Paul Seymour|d=American football}}

| offensive_linemen =

{{NFLplayer|60|Bill Adams|d=offensive lineman|T}}

{{NFLplayer|68|Joe DeLamielleure|G}}

{{NFLplayer|70|Dave Foley|d=American football|T}}

{{NFLplayer|76|Joe Devlin|d=American football|rookie=y|T}}

{{NFLplayer|74|Donnie Green|T}}

{{NFLplayer|67|Reggie McKenzie|d=guard|G}}

{{NFLplayer|53|Mike Montler|C}}

{{NFLplayer|65|Bob Patton|rookie=y|C}}

| defensive_linemen =

{{NFLplayer|50|Mark Johnson|d=American football|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|69|Ken Jones|d=American football|rookie=y|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|71|Mike Kadish|DT}}

{{NFLplayer|75|Jeff Lloyd|d=American football|rookie=y|DT}}

{{NFLplayer|79|Marty Smith|d=American football|rookie=y|DT}}

{{NFLplayer|85|Tody Smith|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|83|Sherman White|d=American football|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|77|Ben Williams|d=American football, born 1954|rookie=y|DE}}

| linebackers =

{{NFLplayer|30|Bo Cornell|OLB}}

{{NFLplayer|51|Dan Jilek|rookie=y|OLB}}

{{NFLplayer|52|Merv Krakau|MLB}}

{{NFLplayer|56|Bob Nelson|d=linebacker|MLB}}

{{NFLplayer|54|Tom Ruud|OLB}}

{{NFLplayer|55|John Skorupan|OLB}}

| defensive_back =

{{NFLplayer|23|Clifford Brooks|SS}}

{{NFLplayer|29|Mario Clark|rookie=y|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|22|Steve Freeman|d=American football|FS}}

{{NFLplayer|43|Tony Greene|FS}}

{{NFLplayer|28|Dwight Harrison|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|24|Doug Jones|d=American football|SS}}

{{NFLplayer|46|Keith Moody|rookie=y|CB}}

| special_teams =

{{NFLplayer|7|Marv Bateman|P}}

{{NFLplayer|5|George Jakowenko|K}}

| reserve_lists =

{{NFLplayer|34|Jim Braxton|RB|IR}}

{{NFLplayer|85|Fred Coleman|d=tight end|rookie=y|TE|IR}}

{{NFLplayer|12|Joe Ferguson|QB|IR}}

{{NFLplayer|21|Van Green|S|IR}}

{{NFLplayer|20|Robert James|d=defensive back|CB|IR}}

{{NFLplayer|61|Willie Parker|d=offensive lineman|C/G|IR}}

{{NFLplayer|35|Darnell Powell|rookie=y|RB|IR}}

| practice_squad =

}}

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Bills

|V1=0 |V2=7 |V3=0 |V4=7

|Host=Buccaneers

|H1=6 |H2=0 |H3=0 |H4=3

|Date=September 26

|Location=Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FL

|StartTime=1:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=

|Weather={{convert|80|°F|°C|1|disp=or}}; wind {{convert|6|mph|km/h knots}}

|Referee=

|TVAnnouncers=

|TVStation=

}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry=yes |Quarter=Q1 |Time= |Team=TB |Event=Green 39 yard field goal |Score=TB 3–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q1 |Time= |Team=TB |Event=Green 24 yard field goal |Score= TB 6–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q2 |Time= |Team=BUF |Event=Chandler 58 yard pass from Ferguson (Ricardo kick) |Score= BUF 7–6}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q4 |Time= |Team=TB |Event=Green 19 yard field goal |Score= TB 9–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q4 |Time= |Team=BUF |Event= Gant 15 yard pass from Ferguson (Ricardo kick) |Score=BUF 14–9 |LastEntry=yes}}

{{AFB game box end}}

[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197609260tam.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]. Retrieved 2014-Nov-06.

{{-}}

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Chiefs

|V1=0 |V2=10 |V3=7 |V4=0

|Host=Bills

|H1= 16|H2=7 |H3=7 |H4=20

|Date=October 3

|Location=Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

|StartTime=1:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=

|Weather={{convert|55|°F|°C|1|disp=or}}, wind {{convert|7|mph|km/h knots}}

|Referee=

|TVAnnouncers=

|TVStation=

}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry=yes |Quarter=1 |Time= |Team= BUF|Event=George Jakowenko 30 yard field goal |Score= Bills 3–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=1 |Time= |Team=BUF |Event=Bob Chandler 1 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (George Jakowenko kick) |Score=Bills 10–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=1 |Time= |Team=BUF |Event=Bob Chandler 5 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (kick failed) |Score= Bills 16–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=2 |Time= |Team=KC |Event=Henry Marshall 31 yard pass from Tony Adams (Jan Stenerud kick) |Score=Bills 16–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=2 |Time= |Team=BUF |Event=Bob Chandler 7 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (George Jakowenko kick) |Score= Bills 23–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=2 |Time= |Team=KC |Event=Jan Stenerud 33 yard field goal |Score= Bills 23–10}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team=BUF |Event= Jeff Kinney 1 yard run (George Jakowenko kick) |Score= Bills 30–10}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team= KC|Event= Tommy Reamon 49 yard pass from Tony Adams (Jan Stenerud kick) |Score= Bills 30–17}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter= 4|Time= |Team=BUF|Event= O. J. Simpson 1 yard run (kick failed) |Score= Bills 36–17}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=4 |Time= |Team= BUF|Event= O. J. Simpson 5 yard run (George Jakowenko kick) |Score= Bills 43–17}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=4 |Time= |Team=BUF |Event= Tony Greene 101 yard interception return (George Jakowenko kick) |Score=Bills 50–17 |LastEntry=yes}}

{{AFB game box end}}

[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197610030buf.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]. Retrieved April 23, 2013.

{{-}}

O. J. Simpson rushed for 273 yards, setting a Thanksgiving Day record that still holds as of the end of the 2016 season.

{{1976 AFC East standings}}

• O. J. Simpson, Thanksgiving Day Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Game, 273 yards vs. Detroit Lions, November 25 NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, {{ISBN|0-7611-2480-2}}, p. 377

• Electric Company

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1976.htm?redir Bills on Pro Football Reference]
• [http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/1976-buf Bills on jt-sw.com]
• [http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/stats.nsf/Annual/1976-buf Bills Stats on jt-sw.com]

{{Buffalo Bills}}

{{Buffalo Bills seasons}}

{{1976 NFL season by team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1976 Buffalo Bills Season}}

Category:Buffalo Bills seasons

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills