1. He was a proud member of the "Foolish Club."
2. He was the longest-tenured owner in professional football.
Wilson has been the only owner of the Buffalo Bills in the franchise's history — all 54 years.
3. The Oakland Raiders might not exist without him.
4. He hired the first female scout in the NFL — his daughter.
Linda Bogdan was hired as the first active female scout in pro football in 1986 after she "got tired of too many 2-14 seasons." She also served as the team's corporate vice president until she died of cancer in 2009.
5. Wilson donated two Bills tickets to the Boys and Girls Club for every game in Tim Russert's name.
Dad and Mr. Wilson at #Bills v Skins game. #Buffalo won 24-7.
According to a Tweet from Tim's son Luke, after the Meet The Press host and lifelong Buffalo Bills fan died in 2008, Wilson was also one of the first to send flowers to the Russert family.
6. He was considered by many to be the "conscience" of the NFL.
7. He made sure no AFL games were played the Sunday after JFK's death.
8. He is one of the few owners enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame.
9. Even in his final days he was still giving draft input.
Ralph Wilson called #Bills CEO Russ Brandon four days ago about a safety prospect he believed was a 3rd or 4th rounder. Amazing.
10. His players loved him.
My heart is heavy, buffalo bills community unite. U will always be my boss #ralphwilson god bless the Wilson family
Jus heard the news of Mr. Ralph Wilson passing. Sending Thoughts and Prayers to the Wilson Family! I owe him a tremendous amount for
Opportunity to be a Bill! Mr. Wilson has done a lot for not only me and my teammates, but the entire NFL family. He truly will be missed!
A statement from Eric Moulds via his Facebook on the passing of Mr. Wilson. Good stuff.
11. And so did the rest of Western New York.
@RussBrandon Sad day for the #BillsMafia #RIPRalphWilson
One light left on at the home of the #Bills, Ralph Wilson Stadium. This one's for you.
Adam Zyglis' illustration, which will appear in tomorrow's Buffalo News:
12. He was the Buffalo Bills' biggest fan for 54 years.
As Buffalo Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon said in a statement today: "No one loves this game more than Ralph Wilson. It's very tough. What he's meant to the entire organization. He's our leader, our mentor, our friend. How he loves his players and loved our community. Special guy. They just don't make them like Ralph Wilson."
More than 50 years ago Wilson brought a professional football team to Buffalo, and over that half century he made damn sure it stayed in Buffalo; hopefully it always remains that way.
13. Even though the Buffalo Bills never won a Super Bowl, Ralph Wilson was and always will be a champion.
Rest in peace, Ralph.
CORRECTION: The original version of this post stated that the AFL and the NFL merger occurred in 1966. The merger between the two leagues was agreed upon in 1966, but did not take place until 1970.