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Shutdown Corner

Sun May 03, 2009 5:09 am EDT

A salute to Jack Kemp, the football player

By MJD

Jack Kemp, former Congressman, Buffalo Bills quarterback and 1996 candidate for vice president, passed away Saturday at the age of 73.

Of course, his life's greatest contributions came in politics and public service, but I'd like to focus on his football career, because, well, that's what we do here. If you, like me, are too young to have experienced Kemp's football career, here are some highlights from the Bills' 1964 AFL championship season.

Kemp led the Bills to another championship in 1965, and won the AFL's Most Valuable Player award that year, too. He retired in 1969 and got into politics, winning a seat in Congress in 1971. Think of him as an old-school Heath Shuler, except, you know, Kemp was good at playing football.

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20 Comments

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  1. Brian F
    1. Posted by Brian F Sun May 03, 2009 5:37 am EDT

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    Once again another standup guy representing the Buffalo area......thank you for everything you did for the Bills, WNY, and our country!!! Rest in Peace!!!!
  2. Possum
    2. Posted by Possum Sun May 03, 2009 5:50 am EDT

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    I saw him play. Class act. R.I.P.
  3. Derrick C
    3. Posted by Derrick C Sun May 03, 2009 8:50 am EDT

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    Kemp was a class act. We had him come through and sign autographs at our church as kids. If only the rest of our Bills QB's could finish like the great Jack Kemp! God Bless Him!
  4. mike K
    4. Posted by mike K Sun May 03, 2009 9:20 am EDT

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    I remember meeting him a few times at my uncle's house and watching him play. A class act!! God rest his soul.
  5. STEVE WING
    5. Posted by STEVE WING Sun May 03, 2009 12:38 pm EDT

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    All the NFL Teams should wear his initials on their jerseys.
    We lost a great American and football player.
    Oh and by the way...it sure does look like the modern day football we watch today in the old AFL video than the boring product the NFL had to offer back then.
  6. swish
    6. Posted by swish Sun May 03, 2009 1:58 pm EDT

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    i agree. teams should wear his initials this season to honor him. rip mr kemp.
  7. joe belowme
    7. Posted by joe belowme Sun May 03, 2009 2:37 pm EDT

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    Jack Kemp: The Greatest Buffalo Bills Quarterback! 2 Championships!
    (he should've been voted to the Bills 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
    in place of 4 time loser jim kelly)
    Great old school hi-light reel footage, ...60 yard on the button passes!
    nice to see the Old RockPile Stadium in all its muddy winter glory!
    he was a class act as a politician and as a Man.
    (while he was a bit conservative, he was approachable, listened and really cared.)
    #15 will be truely missed!
  8. Meyer
    8. Posted by Meyer Sun May 03, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

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    a great leader of men.a great all time bill
  9. DAVID
    9. Posted by DAVID Sun May 03, 2009 5:48 pm EDT

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    those were the days back in 64 and 65 when buffalo ruled the old afl. with kemp and lamonica at the helm, the games were exciting, with many games decided by long passes in the final minutes. both in football and politics, mr. kemp respresented western n.y. well. his family, congressional district, and country can be proud of his many accomplishments.
  10. patklly
    10. Posted by patklly Sun May 03, 2009 8:39 pm EDT

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    I think Jack Kemp deserves a place on the Bills wall of fame. He represented the Bills and our country well.
  11. Travis
    11. Posted by Travis Mon May 04, 2009 1:04 am EDT

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    Kemp's best contributions to society were on the football field. He should have never gone into politics. Same with people like Largent--if you are conservative like Kemp was, you cannot govern with a compassionate heart.
  12. politicsarefunny
    12. Posted by politicsarefunny Mon May 04, 2009 2:48 am EDT

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    "A salute to Jack Kemp, the football player"
    Do you really have to go out of your way to dismiss his political career? Oh that's right, he was a republican. And he probably didn't support gay marriage which you MJD are the poster boy for. Ah, how you must yearn for the sensation of Joe Buck's fireman exploding in your wrinkly rear end.
  13. Dignan
    13. Posted by Dignan Mon May 04, 2009 5:54 am EDT

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    In addition to being a better football player than Heath Shuler, Jack Kemp also had at least 40 more IQ points than Shuler.
  14. brian b
    14. Posted by brian b Mon May 04, 2009 10:10 am EDT

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    From the looks of it MJD, you weren't too young to see Kemp's accolades.
  15. William C
    15. Posted by William C Mon May 04, 2009 10:26 am EDT

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    Leave it to a Liberal PIG to bring politics into a conversation about a true great american whom probably didn't cheat on his wife have sex with another woman while he was in politics and raise a great productive family!
  16. lamaragain
    16. Posted by lamaragain Mon May 04, 2009 12:52 pm EDT

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    Travis must be one of the lesser intelligent people of his generation. Mr. Kemp was a fiscal conservative but did not follow party lines when it came to governing. If he and Bob Dole had beaten that reprobate in the presidential election we wouldn't be embroiled in a divisive war and 911 wouldn't have happened because the president wouldn't have had his pants down around his ankles getting BJ's from a fat girl in the Oval Office and Bin Laden would be dead!
    Jack Kemp didn't need to campaign on a morals platform, he exemplified what moral propriety entails and his constituents knew him as a true leader! When you met him he treated you like an old friend and had a great personality and raised a fine family. WNY has lost a true champion!
  17. brian b
    17. Posted by brian b Mon May 04, 2009 4:30 pm EDT

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    RIP Kemp. I was just joking with the liberal pig guy about you being gay. I still respect what you have done for this country.
  18. Young Fresh
    18. Posted by Young Fresh Mon May 04, 2009 6:57 pm EDT

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    Wow lamaragain you must only watch Fox News huh. Clinton was criticized for doing too much against Bin Laden and couldn't get approval from the C.I.A. or F.B.I for his plan. At least get your facts straight. You shouldn't have put politics in a Football Blog but...
  19. point g
    19. Posted by point g Tue May 05, 2009 12:19 am EDT

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    Kemp was a great American and a great football player, not to mention he was the only QB to actually bring champsonship wins to Buffalo. My dad got to meet him a few times and got an autographed football from him (way cool) back in the 70's. Saw it coming when I heard about his cancer a few months ago, sorry to see it come!! and as far as Clinton doing to much against Bin Laden (what a joke), they tried to hand him over to Clinton and he didn't want him! It would have been an honor to see a man of Kemps carracter taking over for Al Gore as VP!!!
    R.I.P. Jack, we will miss you.
  20. Edward M
    20. Posted by Edward M Tue May 05, 2009 12:19 pm EDT

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    I too have great memories of Jack Kemp as the quarterback that won the AFL championships for Buffalo. Not only was he the team leader, he was a man, that I as a child, respected. My greatest memory, was when I met him and he signed my autograph book at a Quarterback club meeting. He was a promoter of Buffalo and will be truely missed.

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