Bills 1st Coach Passes Away at 87

Posted by Miguel Rodriguez on September 18th, 2007 filed in News

SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, Tenn. - Family members say Garrard “Buster” Ramsey, the first coach of the Buffalo Bills, has died at the age of 87.

Nephew Knox Wagner Ramsey Jr. says the former All-American died Sunday from pneumonia at a Chattanooga-area retirement center where he had been living.

Ramsey played guard at the College of William and Mary, where he was named the school’s first All-American. He was part of the Chicago Cardinals team that won the 1947 NFL Championship.

In 1959, he was named coach of the newly formed Bills team, where he was 11-16-1 in two seasons before being fired in 1962. He also held coaching positions with the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers.