1968 Raiders at Bills Video

~ Of ‘firsts’ & ‘deja vu’ ~

… wins, losses, rookies, seasons, debuts & tds

KC’s Mike Garrett returned a punt 79 yards for a td in his first pro game which opened the 1966 season vs the Bills in BUFF, leaving Paul McGuire sprawled on the ground/faked out in about three different directions at once by Mike.

Two years later, George Atkinson playing in his first pro game and the Raiders 1968 season opener, went 86 yards for a td vs the Bills in BUFF, McGuire left in Atkinson’s wake.

… and of Championship’s won & lost, ascent & demise

BUFF was defending AFL Champion to begin ’66…they had joy they had fun they had seasons in the sun, but it was the beginning of the end for the once proud thundering herd, mediocrity’s arrival.

BUFF started that ’68 season 0-3… then went out and beat the eventual World Champion New York Jets – NY’s first loss of the season, go figure. It proved to be the Bills first and only win of the entire season.

On any given Sunday…

Haven Moses attended San Pedro HS and teamed at Harbor College and San Diego State with Don Horn, I’ve seen mention that Haven briefly attended now closed Fermin Lausen. I mentioned Al Brenner the brilliant former Michigan State star who disappeared in 1983 and did not reappear until 1991, Brenner was the 170 player taken in the 1969 Draft picked after UCLA star receiver and NCAA hurdles champion Ron Copeland who the Bears selected and was the 169th player taken.
Copeland played only six games and was diagnosed with early onset congenital heart disease and at 22 years of age was forced to retire. At the age of 28 a week after his father died of heart failure he died as well. In 1989 Ron’s 17 year old son Kevin a star wide receiver playing for Dorsey HS, the school his father and Frank Buncom both attended, when during a game at San Pedro HS, Haven’s old school, Kevin went into cardiac arrest and died on the playing field.