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The 1973 Buffalo Bills season was the 14th season for the team and their fourth season in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills finished in second place in the AFC East division and finished the 1973 NFL season with a record of 9 wins and 5 losses, the team's first winning record since 1966. Head coach Lou Saban began the second season of his second tenure with the Bills.〔 Saban had previously led the team to the 1964 and 1965 AFL championships. It was the first season that the team played in Rich Stadium (now "Ralph Wilson Stadium") after thirteen years playing at War Memorial Stadium. The Bills' were coming off of 1–13 and 4–9–1 records in 1971 and 1972, respectively. Incumbent starting quarterback Dennis Shaw found himself in a battle with rookie Joe Ferguson for the starting job. The season was defined by O.J. Simpson becoming the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. Behind Simpson's record-setting season, the Bills set an NFL record for most team rushing yards in a 14-game season, with 3,088.〔(Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, sorted by descending Rushing Yds )〕 Simpson was coming off of his best professional season, in which he earned his first All-Pro recognition and first rushing title. In addition to establishing a then-record for single-season rushing yardage, with 2,003,〔The record was later broken by Eric Dickerson in 1984)〕 Simpson established the single-season record for rushing yards gained per game, which still stands. The explosive offense centered around O.J. Simpson was nicknamed the "Electric Company" for its ability to turn on "The Juice" (i.e. "O.J." Simpson) ==Electric Company Era Begins== Although some describe the entire 1970s decade as the Electric Company era, the 1973 season marked a new era in Bills history and is regarded by many as the beginning of the Electric Company era of the mid-1970s. The team ushered in a new stadium, new uniforms and a transformed team built through the draft and a few key trades. With all the emphasis on rushing the team would only post two 100-yard receiving efforts.〔 The Bills started the season 4–1 and then lost four of their next five before winning their final 4 games.〔 Rookie quarterback Joe Ferguson, who eventually would be the Bills starting quarterback for 12 seasons, started all 14 games at quarterback. Dennis Shaw who had been the starter the previous three season, saw action in four games. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「1973 Buffalo Bills season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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