As fans of the Buffalo Bills we all share wonderful memories of the team that has brought us together on Sundays in the fall since 1960. Since this team’s inception, there have been many players who have thrown on the Buffalo helmet and ran out on that field to give us memories that would last a lifetime.
But as time goes on you may forget exactly who has donned that helmet and pads for our beloved Buffalo Bills. That is where I come in. Let this be a stroll down memory lane to remember a former player. Not a star or Hall of Famer necessarily, but someone who makes you pause and say, “Hey, I remember him.”
Sam Gash, was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round in 1992 out of Penn State. He is a two-time AFC conference champion with the 1996 New England Patriots and 2000 Baltimore Ravens. As well as a Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens, and he possesses one of the coolest names for a football player this side of Natrone Means.
Sam Gash was one of the best fullbacks in Buffalo Bills history
Sam Gash played for the Buffalo Bills in 1998 and 1999, then again in 2003. His numbers as a Buffalo Bill will astound you. Across those three seasons in Buffalo, Sam Gash had 12 carries for 35 yards, and 50 receptions for 411 yards and 5 touchdowns, for a fullback! Also, as a Bill, Gash was a two-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro.
In retirement, Sam Gash started his coaching career as an assistant running backs coach for the New York Jets in 2005. He then went to Detroit in 2007 as an assistant special teams coach, then in 2008 was made running backs coach.
The Lions fired Gash in December of 2012. Gash spent 2014-2016 as running backs coach of the Green Bay Packers. In October of 2020 Gash was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Within the following two years, Gash was also going to battle throat and kidney cancer. His resolve and fighting spirit with the help from his doctors Sam Gash beat his cancer.