Buffalo Bills History: Who Wore Number 7

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(7) Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

We have looked at 32 players so far that have worn jersey numbers from 1-6. The next 11 players all wore the number 7, for the Buffalo Bills, at some point during their football careers.

The first came during the 1967-68 seasons by kicker Mike Mercer. He began his career in 1961 with the Minnesota Vikings and ended in 1970 with the San Diego Chargers.

Grant Guthrie wore number 7 for the Bills during his only two seasons in the NFL, 1970-1971.

Mike Clark was the next to don the number during the 1972 season. He played for 10 seasons, the majority with Dallas from ’68-’71 and then in ’73.

Punter Marv Bateman is the next in our list of 11 to wear number 7. Bateman started his career as a 3rd round draftee in the 72 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He was released by the Cowboys and signed by the Bills in 1974 and played until being released in 1978. He finished his career with the Saint Louis Cardinals in 1980.

#5 for #7 is punter Greg Cater. Cater played for 6 seasons, 4 with the Bills and 2 with the Cardinals. He played for the Bills during the 1980-1983 seasons.

Bruce Mathison is our next Bills player to wear the number 7. He is the first of 5 QBs to wear that number. He played for 3 teams during his 5 year stint in the NFL. He played for the Bills during the 1985 season.

Our next Bill is the second QB with this number and he came 4 years after Mathison. Gale Gilbert is the 7th player to tote the number 7. He came into the league as an undrafted free agent by the Seahawks and then came to the Bills in 1989 and played until 1993. He backed up Jim Kelly during his time here and only saw time in two games.

The next Bills players is the only player to have a cereal named after him while wearing the red, white, and blue. Doug Flutie. Flutie went back and forth between the NFL and the CFL. He came to Buffalo in 1998 and played until 2000. While with the Bills he was elected to the Pro Bowl and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He finished his career out in 2005 with the New England Patriots.

Number 9 on our list of 11 is that of J.P. Losman. Losman was drafted in the 2004 draft by the Bills as the 22nd overall pick. He was released by the Bills in 2008. Losman was the first QB to be selected in the first round by the Bills since Jim Kelly in 1983. With Trent Edwards being drafted in 2007 and an ankle injury suffered late in September, Losman lost the job to Edwards that season. Losman stated his displeasure and wanted to be traded but that never came about. Losman finished out his contract in Buffalo and the two parted ways.

Tarvaris Jackson is the 10th Bill to wear the number 7. Jackson was drafted by the Vikings in 2006. In 2011, Jackson signed with the Seahawks as the starting QB. Traded to Buffalo the following year, 2012, Jackson didn’t see any time on the field. He was released and was re-signed by the Seahawks for the 2013 season.

The final player is that of 2013 undrafted free agent Jeff Tuel. Tuel was one of two rookie QBs brought in by the rookie coaching staff of Doug Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett. For part of the season he was the backup to EJ Manuel and then moved to third string, because of injuries, when Thad Lewis was brought in as an additional QB. Tuel originally wore the number 8 but when longtime Bills punter, Brian Moorman, was re-signed by the Bills, Tule graciously gave up the number 8 and took number 7.