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The NFL has lost one of the most influential figures in shaping what the league is today.
Buffalo Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson, Jr., has died. He was 95.
A co-founder of the American Football League, Wilson is credited with initiating talks in 1965 with Baltimore Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom that led to the AFL-NFL merger. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
"No one loved this game more than Ralph Wilson," said Bills president/CEO Russ Brandon, who learned of the news from Wilson's widow, Mary, on Tuesday afternoon.
Wilson "passed away peacefully, with his beautiful wife Mary and his daughters by his side," Brandon said, calling his boss of 18 years "a great man, an unbelievable leader."
Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the news to other owners at the NFL meetings Tuesday, shortly before Brandon addressed the media.
"Ralph Wilson was a driving force in developing pro football into America's most popular sport," Goodell said in a statement issued by the league.
"He loved the game and took a chance on a start-up league in 1960 as a founding owner of the American Football League. He brought his beloved Bills to western New York and his commitment to the team's role in the community set a standard for the NFL."
The Bills won consecutive AFL championships after the 1964 and '65 seasons. They also were among the most successful teams of the 1990s, winning four straight AFC titles though no Super Bowls after the 1990 through '93 seasons.
Wilson was responsible for keeping the Bills in western New York, where they play in a stadium bearing his name.
"It's always a sad thing to have a fellow owner pass," Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf told USA TODAY Sports. "He was very important to the Buffalo area and maintaining their stadium in Buffalo."
Wilson's passing comes just weeks after the passing of Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford, Sr., who died March 9 at age 88. Another long-tenured owner, Bud Adams of the Tennessee Titans, passed away Oct. 21 at age 90.
Wilson "was a great owner who was there from the beginning," Wilf said. "As a new owner, I learned a lot from him. I spoke to him probably a year ago. We'll miss him."
Born Oct. 17, 1918, in Columbus, Ohio, Wilson served in the Navy during World War II. In 2011, the National World War II museum in New Orleans honored him along with fellow NFL owners and WWII veterans Adams, Ford, Tom Benson of the New Orleans Saints and Alex Spanos of the San Diego Chargers with the American Spirit Award.
At his hall of fame enshrinement speech, Wilson recalled becoming a fan after attending his first pro football game in 1935 between the Chicago Bears and Lions, in whom he later bought a minority share. In 1959, Wilson read that Adams and Lamar Hunt were starting a new league and reached out to Hunt, who initially granted Wilson a franchise in Miami.
"The city fathers would not let a new league lease the Orange Bowl, because they had a bad time with another new league that came before us. So, I flew home and forgot about it," Wilson said.
"About four or five days later I got a call from Lamar, and he said, Ralph, we need an eighth franchise to balance out this new league one from the east and one from the west and I'll give you your choice of five different cities where you can place your franchise. And I picked Buffalo.
"It was a lucky pick, because over the years, they have supported the team in Buffalo beyond our fondest dreams. And without the support, I wouldn't be on this platform tonight."
Wilson served on numerous NFL committees, including the board of charities, the Super Bowl site selection committee, the expansion committee, the pension committee and the labor committee.
"As a trusted advisor to his fellow league owners and the commissioner, Ralph always brought a principled, common-sense approach to issues," Goodell said in the statement.
"His lifelong loyalty to the game was instrumental in his richly deserved induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We are grateful for his many contributions to the NFL and offer our heartfelt sympathy to the Wilson family."
Contributing: Lindsay H. Jones, Jim Corbett
Ralph C. Wilson Jr.
Oct. 17, 1918 Born in Columbus, Ohio.
1959 Founded the Buffalo Bills as an expansion team in the fledgling American Football League.
1962 Lent money to the Oakland Raiders franchise in order to keep it solvent, and was given a 25 percent ownership stake. When he was re-paid, he relinquished his share in the team.
1964 The Bills won the AFL championship, 20-7 over the San Diego Chargers. Wilson helped negotiate the AFL's first big-money television contract.
1965 The Bills won their second AFL Championship, 23-0, also over the Chargers. Wilson conducted merger talks with Baltimore Colts' owner Carroll Rosenbloom, laying the groundwork for the historic union of the AFL and NFL which took place in 1970.
1966 Bills lost AFL title game to Kansas City and missed out on chance to play in Super Bowl I against Green Bay.
1973 Bills moved into new Rich Stadium, an 80,000-seat state-of-the-art facility that replaced dilapidated War Memorial Stadium as the Bills' home stadium.
1977 Wilson played a key role in labor negotiations that helped the NFL avert a players strike.
1986 Wilson paid quarterback Jim Kelly what was then the most lucrative contract in NFL history.
1990-93 The Bills won four consecutive AFC championships, though they lost the Super Bowl each time, an NFL record.
1995 The team moved into its new practice field house in administration building.
1998 Rich Stadium was renovated and dozens of luxury suites were added which helped keep the team in Western New York. The stadium was also renamed in honor of Wilson.
2000 Wilson agreed to move the team's training camp base from SUNY Fredonia to St. John Fisher College.
2006 Wilson was one of two owners who voted against the NFL's new CBA because he felt it was short-sighted and did not take care of small-market teams. In 2008, all 32 owners agreed with Wilson and opted out of the agreement.
2008 Under Wilson's guidance, the Bills became the first team in NFL history to play home games outside the United States as the team moved games to Toronto's Rogers Centre.
2009 At age 90, Wilson became the oldest person inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8, 2009.
March 25, 2014 Wilson dies at age 95.
Buffalo Bills founder Ralph Wilson dies at 95
