Ralph Wilson Ralph C . Wilson , Jr . ( born October 17 , 1918 ) is the founder , owner and president of NFL ' s Buffalo Bills . He was one of the founding owners of the American Football League , the league that the NFL merged with in 1970 , and is the last of the original AFL owners still owning his team in its original city . He is the oldest owner in the National Football League , at age . He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 8 , 2009 . Biography . Wilson grew up in Detroit , Michigan , graduated from the University of Virginia and attended the University of Michigan Law School . At the University of Virginia he joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity . He is a World War II veteran . After the war ended , he took over the successful insurance business of his father and invested in Michigan area mines and factories . He eventually purchased several manufacturing outlets , construction firms , and radio stations , and founded Ralph Wilson Industries . A minority owner of the Detroit Lions , Wilson got wind of Lamar Hunt ' s plans for a new league , the American Football League , to challenge the NFL . He tried to put together a team in Miami , but was turned down . His next choice was Buffalo . In September 1959 , Wilson sent Hunt a telegram with the words , " Count me in with Buffalo . " He named his new team the Bills , after a previous team that had played in the All - America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949 . On October 28 , 1959 the Buffalo Bills officially became the seventh AFL team . Wilson made Professional Football a resounding success in a " small market , " signing such stars as Cookie Gilchrist , Jack Kemp , Orenthal James " O . J . " Simpson ' and Tom Sestak and Hall of Famer Billy Shaw . He was a guiding force in AFL policies that ensured success , such as gate and television revenue sharing . As one of only three AFL owners to be on relatively solid financial ground ( along with Hunt and Bud Adams ) , Wilson lent the financially troubled Oakland Raiders $ 400 , 000 and was also willing to lend money to Billy Sullivan of the Patriots . Wilson helped keep those franchises afloat , likely saving the entire league from folding ( the AFL was unique among professional football league in that not a single AFL franchise folded in its history ) . In November 1963 , Wilson lobbied successfully to have AFL games postponed the Sunday after President John F . Kennedy ' s assassination ; NFL games were played as scheduled . After the original naming rights deal on the Bills ' current stadium expired in 1998 , the facility ' s name was changed from Rich Stadium to Ralph Wilson Stadium . According to an article on msn . com , Wilson , described as " stubborn " , has turned down numerous naming rights deals for the stadium . Wilson continues to be one of the league ' s most outspoken owners . He was one of only two owners ( the Cincinnati Bengals ' Mike Brown being the other ) to oppose the league ' s current collective bargaining agreement . ( Wilson and Brown were commended for their foresight when the agreement later led to the 2011 NFL Lockout . ) He also negotiated a deal to have his team play home games in Toronto beginning in 2008 . Wilson maintains a permanent residence in Grosse Pointe Shores , Michigan with his wife , Mary . He has three daughters , two of whom became involved in team business . Linda Bogdan ( 1948 – 2009 ) , Pro Football ' s first female scout , was the franchise ' s Corporate Vice President up until her death . Another daughter , Christy Wilson Hofmann , currently serves as a consultant in the area of merchandising . The third daughter , Edith Wilson , is not involved with the franchise . Wilson broke his hip in a fall at his home in July 2011 , causing him to miss the Bills ' home opener for the first time in franchise history . He issued a statement saying that he was undergoing physical therapy and hoped to attend at least one game during the season . Wilson also stated that he was " very surprised " at the team ' s 41 - 7 victory over Kansas City in Week 1 . Ralph Wilson is a 1992 inductee of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame . Pro Football Hall of Fame . On January 31 , 2009 , Ralph Wilson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with former Buffalo Bills great Bruce Smith . Joining the two legendary Buffalo Bills icons in Canton for enshrinement are defensive back Rod Woodson , offensive lineman Randall McDaniel , wide receiver Bob Hayes , and linebacker Derrick Thomas . The Hall of Fame game , played the day after the 2009 inductions , strayed from the usual AFC - NFC format and instead was contested by two original American Football League teams : the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans ( formerly the Houston Oilers ) . This matchup was announced after Wilson was elected . The Titans ' owner , Bud Adams , is also the only owner his team has ever had , and the two are the only living members of the " Foolish Club " , the founders of the original eight AFL teams . Wilson and Adams are the two of only three men who have owned a Professional Football franchise continuously for fifty years ( George Halas , who owned the Chicago Bears from 1920 until his death in 1983 , is the third ) . The Hall of Fame game on Sunday , August 9 , was a kickoff to the 2009 season , which would have been the 50th season of play for the AFL , if the NFL had not merged with it . However , the Buffalo Bills will be celebrating 50 years of playing professional football in Buffalo during the 2009 season . Mr . Wilson was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday , August 8 , 2009 with ESPN Sports icon Chris Berman acting as his " presenter " . Wilson was scheduled to receive his Hall of Fame ring in a halftime ceremony during the Bills game against the Cleveland Browns on October 11 , 2009 . However , Wilson cancelled the event at the last moment , without notifying the press or fans , and no explanation was given . It was widely speculated that Wilson cancelled the event out of fear of being booed by Bills fans for the team ' s chronic poor performance on the field and a series of highly unpopular managerial decisions . Thoroughbred racing . Ralph Wilson has also been involved for a number of years in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing both as a breeder and as an owner in France and the United States . He notably bred Santa Anita Derby winner , Jim French as well as two - year - old European susperstar Arazi , winner of the 1991 Breeders ' Cup Juvenile and European Horse of the Year . Another horse , Outta Here , raced in the 2003 Kentucky Derby and finished in seventh place .