Jack Kemp

Quarterback, 1957, 1960-1969

 Back before Jack Kemp was a leader in U.S. politics, he was championship level quarterback in the American Football league for both the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills.. Born in Los Angeles in 1935 he played college football at Occidental College in Los Angeles and was a 17th-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions in the 1957 NFL draft.  Failing to make the team in Detroit, he had a brief time with the Pittsburgh Steelers that year. In 1958 he spent time on both the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants taxi squads but failed to make his way into a game. In 1959 he managed to play 1 game in the CFL with the Calgary Stampede but was cut from them as well.  

picture of Buffalo Bills quarterback Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp

An Opportunity with the "Other League"

In 1960 he was given a tryout with the newly formed American Football league by the Los Angeles Chargers and his journey changed drastically. He quickly impressed coach Sid Gillman and was named the Chargers starter as he led Los Angles (and later San Diego) to AFL Championship appearances in 1960 and 1961 while ending both seasons as one the AFL’s top passers.

Joining The Buffalo Bills

In 1962, an odd twist of events led Jack Kemp to Buffalo Bills. After breaking a finger in week 2 against the Titans, Kemp was left unprotected while placed on injured reserve and was claimed by Lou Saban and the Buffalo Bills on waivers for a reported $100. Some speculate it was an intentional move by Gillman, others say it was a oversight but whichever it had a very profound effect on the future of the AFL.

By the end of 1962 he would heal up enough to start the final 4 games of the season for the Bills, winning 3 of them and being named to the AFL West All Star team.

Success in the AFL

As the Bills starter in 1963 Jack Kemp would lead Buffalo to a 1st-place tie with Boston for the AFL East Division title. Buffalo would lose the Division playoff game to the Patriots but by the end of the 1964 season they were undisputed East Division winners with a 12-2 record. Kemp would face his former team, the Chargers not once but twice over the next 2 seasons for the AFL Championship. With Kemp’s leadership and a dominating defense, the Bills won handedly in both instances as the Bills were crowned AFL Champions in 1964 and 1965 and Kemp was named MVP both games.

Jack Kemp would remain with Buffalo until 1969, leaving as the Bills All-Time Passer. As of the 2024 season, he is still Buffalo’s #4 Leading Franchise Passing Yardage Leader with 15,134 yards and #5 in Passing Touchdowns with 77 and Completions with 1039. By 1969 he had made All AFL 5 times and was named to AFL All Star team 7 times. He was selected as the AFL league MVP in 1965.

After Football - A New Career in US Politics

After football Jack Kemp enjoyed a very long and successful political career in several roles. As a Conservative Republican he served 18 years in the House of Representatives as a New York Congressman, made a bid for the presidency, served as President George H.W. Bush’s Secretary of Housing and ran for Vice President with Bob Dole.

Jack Kemp Image Gallery

Jack Kemp Football Trading Cards

Jack Kemp All-Time Career Statistics

Regular Season Passing Totals
Season Age Team Games Starts QBrec Att Comp Cmp% Yards Long Y/A TD Int Rating Sacked Yards Lost 4QC GWD
1957 22 PIT 4 0 18 8 44.4 88 21 4.9 0 2 19.9 22 0 0
 
1960+ 25 LAC 14 12 9-3-0 406 211 52.0 3018 69 7.4♦ 20 25 67.1 36♦ 341♦ 4♦ 4♦
1961+* 26 SDG 14 14 12-2-0 364 165 45.3 2686 91♦ 7.4 15 22 59.2 25 245 1 1
1962* 27 2TM 6 5 3-2-0 139 64 46.0 928 67 6.7 5 6 62.3 8 66 0 0
1962 27 SDG 2 2 1-1-0 45 13 28.9 292 67 6.5 2 2 50.4 3 31 0 0
1962 27 BUF 4 3 2-1-0 94 51 54.3 636 31 6.8 3 4 68.4 5 35 0 0
1963* 28 BUF 14 12 5-6-1 384 193 50.3 2910 89 7.6 13 20 65.1 31 274 1 2♦
1964* 29 BUF♚ 14 13 11-2-0 269 119 44.2 2285 94♦ 8.5♦ 13 26 50.9 17 141 0 0
1965+* 30 BUF♚ 14 13 9-3-1 391 179 45.8 2368 78 6.1 10 18 54.8 26 259 2 1
1966+* 31 BUF 14 14 9-4-1 389 166 42.7 2451 55 6.3 11 16 56.2 12 115 1 1
1967 32 BUF 14 11 3-8-0 369 161 43.6 2503 63 6.8 14 26 50.0 38 380♦ 2 2
1968  33  BUF Injured         
1969* 34 BUF 14 11 4-7-0 344 170 49.4 1981 55 5.8 13 22 53.2 21 187 0 0
7½ seasons Bills 88 77 43-31-3 2240 1039 46.4 15134 94 6.8 77 132 55.8 150 1391 6 6
2½ seasons Chargers 30 28 22-6-0 815 389 47.7 5996 91 7.4 37 49 62.6 64 617 5 5
1 season Steelers 4 0 18 8 44.4 88 21 4.9 0 2 19.9 22 0 0
11 Year NFL Career 122 105 65-37-3 3073 1436 46.7 21218 94 6.9 114 183 57.3 214 2030 11 11
Post Season Passing Totals
Season Age Team Games QBrec Att Comp Cmp% Yards TD Int Long Y/A Rating Sacked Yards Lost 4QC GWD
1960+ 25 LAC 1 0-1-0 41 21 51.2 171 0 2 33 4.2 41.8 3 28 0 0
1961+* 26 SDG 1 0-1-0 32 17 53.1 226 0 4 40 7.1 36.2 6 49 0 0
1963* 28 BUF 1 0-1-0 21 10 47.6 133 0 1 27 6.3 48.3 1 13 0 0
1964* 29 BUF♚ 1 1-0-0 20 10 50.0 188 0 0 51 9.4 82.9 3 20 0 0
1965* 30 BUF♚ 1 1-0-0 19 8 42.1 155 1 1 49 8.2 66.8 2 15 0 0
1966* 31 BUF 1 0-1-0 27 12 44.4 253 1 2 69 9.4 59.6 4 38 0 0
Bills Post Season Totals 4 2-2-0 87 40 46.0 729 2 4 69 8.4 63.8 10 86 0 0
Chargers Post Season Totals 2 0-2-0 73 38 52.1 397 0 6 40 5.4 33.9 9 77 0 0
Post Season Totals 6 2-4-0 160 78 48.8 1126 2 10 69 7.0 50.2 19 163 0 0
  • + – All-Pro Selection
  • * – Pro Bowl Selection
  • ♦ – Led the League
  • ♚ – AFL Champion

For some good additional reading:

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