Ron McDole

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Ron McDole started his pro football career with the St. Louis Cardinals of the NFL in 1961, then jumped to the AFL's Houston Oilers the next year. He tried his luck with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings in 1963 but was cut and the Bills were quick to snatch him up. McDole went on to anchor the left side of the line for the next eight seasons.

"McDole and I had a saying; 'See you in the backfield,'" said Tom Day, the Bills right defensive end in those days. "We had a good crew back then."

The Bills finished tied with the Boston Patriots for the Eastern Division title in 1963, losing to the Pats in a playoff game. They would win the division for the next three years, winning two championships in 1964-65. Mc Dole was the defensive team captain during those years. He played in the AFL pro bowl in 1965 and 1967. He was nick-named the "Dancing Bear" by teamates because for a big man, he had nimble feet and ample speed.

In 1971 McDole was traded to the Washington Redskins for three draft picks. George Allen, the Hall of Fame coach of the Redskins, was building his "over the hill gang" in Washington.

"I was glad to be traded," McDole said. "Ralph Wilson and Pat McGroder did me a favor. John Rauch was not playing me. We had a lot of communication problems. The players kept getting younger and younger. I don't begrudge a young fellow a job if he earns it, that's the way the game works. But I don't think anyone should be handed a job just because he's young. One week we'd look like superman the next week we'd look like nothing. It seemed like all the guys around me were young kids."

Rauch tells a different story on the McDole trade.

"The first time I had an inkling that McDole wanted to be traded was the early part of February. He called me at the Bill's office and said he wanted to talk with me. We met at a coffee shop close to the Bill's office and over a beer Ron told me he would like to move on...too many of his friends had retired and he would like to make a fresh start somewhere else. As soon as he finished I immediately suspicioned that someone was tampering with him. I told him I had no thought of trading him, he was under contract to the Bills and the coaching staff would make every effort to build around him. We enjoyed our beer and I thought the two of us got our thought out into the open and we would go on from there...rebuilding. Ralph Wilson was the one that traded Ron McDole to George Allen for three draft choices - -against my wishes."

For what ever reason McDole was traded, it was another sad day in a long line of sad days for Bills fans.

He wasn't sad to be traded but he was sad about leaving Buffalo.

"Buffalo and the fans were just super to me," he said. "I will never forget that special something that the players, especially myself, had with the fans."

McDole at 31, fit in perfectly with the Redskins, becoming an all-pro and playing for eight more seasons in Washington. He played in Super Bowl VII. It was one of the worst trades in Bills history. McDole was named to the Bills' Silver Aneversary Team in 1985. A few years later he made the Redskins' all-time team, as well.