1975 Buffalo Bills season


The 1975 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 6th season in the National Football League, and the 16th overall.

Season summary

The Bills led the league in points scored, with 420. This amount is the most points scored by any team in a 14-game season after the merger, and the most points scored by any team in the 1970s.
Buffalo won their first four games by an average of 17 points. They were 5–2 at the halfway point of the season, and one game behind the 6–1 Miami Dolphins in the AFC East. Buffalo then lost four of their final seven games, ultimately falling two games short of the division title.
Bills' running back O.J. Simpson rushed for 1817 yards on the season, and set a then-record with 23 touchdowns scored for the season. Fullback Jim Braxton had 823 yards rushing. Buffalo's ground game dominated the league, with a total of 2974 rushing yards, over 300 yards more than the second best rushing total.
The 1975 Bills have the distinction of giving up the most total passing yards in a 14-game schedule during the merger era. However, the Bills' 45 takeaways on defense led the league in 1975. Defensive back Robert James and safety Doug Jones were lost to the season with knee injuries.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Buffalo's defense gave up the fourth-most yards in the NFL in 1974, and so the Bills' first two picks in the 1975 draft were a pair of Nebraska linebackers – Tom Ruud and Bob Nelson—both of whom played for Buffalo for three seasons. N.C. State running back Roland Hooks played in every Bills game from 1976–1981. He is best known for his "Hail Mary" reception against New England in Week Twelve of the 1981 season, a catch which was instrumental in putting Buffalo into the postseason that year.
RoundPick #PlayerPositionCollege
119Tom RuudLinebackerNebraska
242Bob NelsonLinebackerNebraska
250Glenn LoftDefensive backDrake University
4102Tom DonchezRunning backPenn State
5115John McCrumblyLinebackerTexas A&M
7166Gil ChapmanRunning backMichigan
7174Reggie CherryRunning backHouston
7175Harry BanksDefensive backMichigan
8201John HillDefensive tackleDuke
10253Roland HooksRunning backNorth Carolina State
11279Tom DrakeDefensive backMichigan
12305Mark JohnsonDefensive endMissouri
13331Mark DienhartTackleSt. Thomas
14357Robert EvansWide receiverMorris Brown
15383Chris KupecQuarterbackNorth Carolina
16408Tom FineTight endNotre Dame
17435Jeff TurcotteDefensive endColorado

Personnel

Staff/Coaches

Final roster

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1

Week 3

Week 5

Standings

Awards and honors

All-Pros

First Team
Second Team