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The greatest Buffalo Bills players to don 31-50

By Aarron Van Buren

Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith tries to get past Buffalo Bills free safety Mark Kelso (38) during Super Bowl XXVII, a 55-17 Cowboys victory on January 31, 1993, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Peter Brouillet/Getty Images)
Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith tries to get past Buffalo Bills free safety Mark Kelso (38) during Super Bowl XXVII, a 55-17 Cowboys victory on January 31, 1993, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Peter Brouillet/Getty Images) /
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Buffalo Bills
ORCHARD PARK, NY – OCTOBER 7: Defensive back Terry Schmidt #44 of the Chicago Bears tackles Curtis Brown #47 of the Buffalo Bills as linebacker Gary Campbell #59 pursues the play during a game at Rich Stadium on October 7, 1979, in Orchard Park, New York. The Bears defeated the Bills 7-0. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

The greatest Buffalo Bills player to wear #47:

A third-round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft, Curtis Brown had a quiet time in the NFL. Listed as a running back, he took reps at fullback before Simpson’s retirement forced the Bills to change Brown’s main position in the offense. In 1978 and 1979, he had his best two years as a pro.

Brown combined for 1,165 yards rushing and 357 receiving yards in those two years. Brown didn’t live up to the expectations for being the replacement for O.J. Simpson. Brown, unfortunately, had concussion problems and was being evaluated for dementia in 2016 at a hospital when he had a sudden heart attack and died.

Tony Hunter was a close second, but he only wore 47 for one season. Brown wore the 47 during his entire 6-year career before spending a very short time with the Houston Oilers. Other unique names that shared the same number: Roscoe Word, Lucious Smith, and Kirby Jackson.

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