In 1978, a new era
was on the horizon. Chuck Knox was hired as the new coach of the Buffalo
Bills. Knox had been the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams and had guided
them to five straight NFC Western Division titles in his five year tenure,
there. The Bills, on the other hand, were coming off of a 2-12 season,
in which superstar running back O.J. Simpson injured his knee and was thought
to be finished with his brilliant career. Knox's winning reputation and
fresh approach virtually assured that the Bills would be headed in a different,
more positive direction.
Bills owner Ralph Wilson stated, "Chuck was a solid coach. Getting him gave us credibility, just like getting O.J. had."
One of Knox's first moves, as coach of the Bills, was the trade of Simpson to the San Francisco 49ers for five draft choices, including a first rounder in 1979. Simpson, it turned out, would never regain his All-Pro form and the trade turned out to be a steal, for Knox and the Bills.
In 1978, the Bills improved to 5-11, with six of the losses by only a touchdown or less. In 1979, Knox's rebuilding program began to take shape. In 1978, San Francisco finished last in the NFL, giving the Bills the first pick in the draft. Knox chose Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau, with the pick. Cousineau would elect to play for Montreal of the Canadian Football League, instead. Fan anger over the Cousinaeu debacle was quelled by the emergence of such NFL stars in Jerry Butler, Fred Smerlas, Jim Haslett, Ken Johnson and Shane Nelson. Furthermore, quarterback Joe Ferguson was becoming a star in his own right. Knox had also "stolen" proven, solid, veteran players in linebacker Isiah Robertson, from the Rams and wide receiver Frank Lewis, from the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1979, the Bills would improve to 7-9.
1980 was the breakthrough season for Knox and his young Bills. Knox added veteran characters, Conrad Dobler and Phil Villipiano to a young and talented squad that included Joe Cribbs, Lucious Sanford, Ken Jones, Joe Devlin, Steve Freeman, Ben Williams, Mario Clark and Charlie Romes. In their first game of the season, the Bills would exorcise the 20 year Miami jinx and win 17-7. It was a game in which the fans would tear down the goal posts in a wild celebration. It was also the spark that would ignite the Bills to win its first five games without a loss and finish the season at 11-5 and first in the AFC Eastern Division. Knox was named AFC coach of the year, the first Bills coach to be so named since Lou Saban, in 1965. The Bills would lose in the playoffs to the San Diego Chargers, as Joe Ferguson suffered a fractured ankle and the Bills were without a competent back-up.
In 1981, Knox and the Bills would give their fans more to cheer about as they would finish with a 10-6 record, good enough for a wild-card entry into the playoffs, once again. It was the Bills first back-to-back playoff appearance since 1966. In the playoffs, Knox would coach the Bills to a victory over the New York Jets. It was the Bills first win ever in the NFL playoffs and their first victory in the post season since 1965.
1982 began as a season of great expectations for Chuck Knox and the Buffalo Bills. They were now a veteran team who had become accustomed to winning and Knox was ready to take them to the next level. The Bills would win their first two games in convincing fashion but a players strike had halted their season and momentum. The strike would go on for weeks and it sharply divided the team. By the time the season would resume, Knox had lost control of his team and the Bills would finish the strike abbreviated season at 4-5, losing their last three games in a row.
On January 25, 1983, Chuck Knox resigned as head coach of the Buffalo Bills. He said that 1982 was by far his most difficult season ever. Knox felt that Bills owner Ralph Wilson was unwilling to spend the money necessary to make the Bills a championship team. The next day, Knox was hired as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. He would go on to guide them to unparalleled success, never before seen, (or repeated after Knox would leave there), in that franchises history.
Chuck Knox's record as Bills coach stands at 38-38-0, good for third all-time, behind Lou Saban and Marv Levy.