Woody Johnson on Ralph Wilson's Passing

Bills owner Ralph Wilson, a pioneer of the game passed away today at age 95. Wilson was the last surviving original American Football League owner. Jets owner Woody Johnson spoke today about Wilson at the NFL owners meeting.

On Wilson’s passing...

It’s the end of a real important era. Ralph was so important in developing football into what it is today. He was the NFL. He was the AFL. He was always a guy that was up to the task. He had a great sense of humor. He was a great speaker. I heard his Hall of Fame speech he gave in 1991. It was better than most people could give at the age of 31. He was really just an incredible leader with great vision and so it’s an end of really a major, major part of American football to lose a guy like Ralph Wilson. He was one of the first guys I met when I decided to pursue this line of work.

Click the link above to read the rest of Woody's remarks.

In being part of the AFL's founding, Mr. Wilson helped give birth to the franchise that would become the New York Jets. Rest in peace, Mr. Wilson.