During
his career with the Bills, Jim Kelly had only one center snap him the ball,
and that was Kent Hull. A native of Mississippi, Kent Hull came to the
Buffalo Bills as a free agent from the USFL's New Jersey Generals on August
18, 1986, the same day as Jim Kelly. For the next 11 seasons, Hull would
become the cornerstone on which the feared no-huddle offense would be built.
It was Kent Hulls responsibility to call the blocking assignments, that were made on the fly, that were necessary for the no-huddle to work efficiently. He was the main man in the offensive line and was "the guy" that the whole line would look to and look up to. The NFL recognized Hull as one of the best by electing him to the Pro Bowl 3 consecutive years in a row from 1988-1990. He was also the only Bills center ever so honored. A rare honor, considering the Bills history of solid centers.
Considered one of "the leaders" of the Super Bowl era Bills, Kent Hull was well respected on as well as off of the field by every player, coach and member of the Buffalo Bills organization, as well as the Western New York media and every single Buffalo Bills fan throughout the world. No other player in Bills history carried himself with more class, exhibited more sportsmanship, or was more respected than Kent Hull.
He retired in January of 1997, the same as Jim Kelly. It was only fitting. They came in together, they built a dynasty together, and then they departed together; center and quarterback, quarterback and center, forever linked, as it should be.