Athletes are a superstitious bunch, so in honor of the first Friday the 13th of 2009 were going to take a look at the number 13 and the Buffalo Bills.
Only two players in the history of the team have worn the cursed number, Sam Wyche (1976) and Brian McClure (1987).
Wyche came to Buffalo in the 1976 season, from the St. Louis Cardinals. In his final NFL season, he appeared in 0 games for the Buffalo Bills. The Bills went 2-12 that year.
Brian McClure was drafted in 1986 by the Bills in the 12th round; and played in one game in the 1987 season as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL Players Strike. He threw 3 interceptions and 0 touchdowns in a loss against the New York Giants. The Bills would end up 7-8 that year.
The 1973 season was the Bills 13th in the league, and this is what www.sportsecyclopedia.com has to say about that season:
The Bills get the season started in a style as O.J. Simpson sets a single game rushing record in a 31-13 win over the Patriots in New England. Two weeks later it was the Bills defense that came up big in a 9-7 win over the New York Jets in the first game ever at Rich Stadium before a sold out crowd of 77,425. The Bills would continue their strong play until a 27-6 loss to the Dolphins in Miami in Week 6. The loss would start the beginning of 4 losses in 5 games as the Bills dropped to 5-5. The Bills would win their next 3 games but entered their season finale with no shot to make the playoff despite an 8-5 record. However, O.J. Simpson who was well on his way to winning the NFL MVP had an outside shot at history. Playing the Jets in the snow at Shea Stadium O.J. ran for 200 yards to become the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. Other players would later break Simpson’s record, but no one else would rush for 2,000 yards in a 14-game season.
So it would seem that the number13 is not very lucky in the city of Buffalo, especially where the Bills are concerned.
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