Age: 27
7th season in pro football, 1st in AFL & with Bills
College: None
Height: 6’3” Weight: 246
Prelude:
Ever inclined to follow his own path, Gilchrist showed up at the Browns’ training camp directly out of high school. He failed to make the team and, foregoing college, went to Canada instead where he played for six years with three teams in the CFL. Big, fast, and multitalented, Gilchrist excelled on both offense and defense, but also wore out his welcome with each team. He came to Buffalo for the ’62 season and moved directly into the starting lineup at fullback as well as handling the team’s placekicking.
1962 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 214 [3]
Most attempts, game - 25 (for 124 yds.) vs. San Diego 10/13
Yards – 1096 [1]
Most yards, game – 143 yards (on 19 carries) vs. Oakland 10/20, (on 17 carries) at NY Titans 12/8
Average gain – 5.1 [4]
TDs – 13 [1, tied with Abner Haynes]
100-yard rushing games – 6
Pass Receiving
Receptions – 24
Most receptions, game – 4 (for 48 yds.) vs. Denver 9/14, (for 42 yds.) at Boston 11/23, (for 69 yds.) vs. Dallas Texans 12/2
Yards – 319
Most yards, game – 76 (on 2 catches) at Denver 10/28
Average gain – 13.3
TDs – 2
Kickoff Returns
Returns – 7 [20, tied with Art Baker & Elbert Dubenion]
Yards – 150
Average per return – 21.4
TDs – 0
Longest return – 34 yards
All-Purpose Yards – 1565 [5]
Kicking
Field goals – 8 [7]
Most field goals, game - 2 at San Diego 11/11, at NY Titans 12/8
Field goal attempts – 20 [6, tied with George Blair]
Most field goal attempts, game – 4 at Oakland 11/18
Field goal percentage – 40.0 [7]
PATs – 14 [8]
PAT attempts – 17 [8]
Longest field goal – 42 yards at NY Titans 12/8
Scoring
TDs – 15 [2]
Field Goals – 8
PATs – 14
Points – 128 [2, tied with Gino Cappelletti]
Awards & Honors:
AFL Player of the Year: AP, UPI
1st team All-AFL: League, AP, UPI
AFL All-Star Game
Bills went 7-6-1 to finish third in the AFL Eastern Division and led the league in rushing (2480 yards). It was the franchise’s first winning record.
Aftermath:
Gilchrist was slowed by injuries in 1963, but still set a single-game rushing record with 243 yards against the Jets, led the AFL in rushing attempts (232) and rushing TDs (12) and gained 979 yards. He led the AFL in rushing for a second time in ’64 (981 yards) in a title-winning year for the Bills, but became embroiled in conflict with Coach Lou Saban, was briefly suspended from the team, and in the offseason was dealt to the Denver Broncos. He again led the AFL in rushing attempts (252) as he ran for 954 yards in 1965. However, there was more turmoil and Gilchrist was traded to the expansion Miami Dolphins during the ’66 season where, playing on bad knees, he gained 262 yards in eight games. He returned to Denver in 1967 but saw scant action and retired. Altogether, he rushed for 9204 yards (4911 in the CFL, 4293 in the AFL), caught 196 passes for 2203 more yards (86 for 1068 yards in the CFL, 110 for 1135 yards in the AFL), and scored 78 TDs (35 in the CFL, 43 in the AFL). He was also an outstanding blocker as well as runner from scrimmage.
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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).
[Updated 4/12/12]
[Updated 2/10/14]
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