Age: 28
8th
season in pro football, 2nd in AFL & with Bills
College: None
Height: 6’3” Weight: 250
Prelude:
Ever inclined
to follow his own path, Gilchrist showed up at the Cleveland 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 seven years with three
teams in the CFL. Big, fast, and multi-talented, Gilchrist excelled on both
offense and defense, but also wore out his welcome with each club. He came to the
Bills for the 1962 season and moved directly into the starting lineup at
fullback as well as handling the team’s placekicking. Gilchrist led the AFL in
rushing with 1096 yards and scored a total of 128 points on 15 touchdowns, 8
field goals, and 14 PATs. He was named AFL Player of the Year by the Associated
Press and UPI and received consensus first-team All-AFL honors. Injuries
hindered his performance in ’63, although he came on strong in the second half
of the season.
1963 Season Summary
Appeared in
all 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 232
[1]
Most
attempts, game – 36 (for 243 yds.) vs. NY Jets
Yards – 979
[3]
Most yards,
game – 243 yards (on 36 carries) vs. NY Jets
Average gain
– 4.2 [5]
TDs – 12 [1]
200-yard
rushing games – 1
100-yard
rushing games – 3
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 24
Most
receptions, game – 5 (for 36 yds.) vs. San Diego 11/17
Yards – 211
Most yards,
game – 58 (on 3 catches) vs. Denver 11/9
Average gain
– 8.8
TDs – 2
Passing
Attempts – 1
Completions –
1
Yards – 35
[19]
TD passes – 0
Interceptions
– 0
Scoring
TDs – 14 [2]
Points – 84
[4]
Postseason: 1
G (AFL Eastern Division playoff vs. Boston)
Rushing
attempts – 8
Rushing yards
– 7
Average gain
rushing – 0.9
Rushing TDs –
0
Pass
receptions – 1
Pass
receiving yards – 11
Average yards
per reception – 11.0
Pass
receiving TDs – 0
Awards & Honors:
1st
team All-AFL: NY Daily News
2nd
team All-AFL: AP, UPI
AFL All-Star
Game
Bills went 7-6-1
to tie for first place in the AFL Eastern Division. Lost Divisional playoff to
Boston Patriots (26-8).
Aftermath:
Gilchrist led
the AFL in rushing for a second time in 1964 (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, Gilchrist 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). An outstanding blocker as well as runner from scrimmage, he
received consensus first-team All-AFL honors three times and was selected to
four AFL All-Star Games.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were first-team
All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following
statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting: Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
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