Buffalo Bills Celebrate 50 Seasons Of “Charging Buffalo” Logo

Photo courtesy of @BuffaloBills on X/Twitter.

The Buffalo Bills are celebrating the 50th season of their “Charging Buffalo” logo this year and unveiled a commemorative logo on Sunday afternoon to mark the occasion.

Cheers to 50 seasons of the charging buffalo logo! 🥳@LabattUSA | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/iLxlw0lBj0
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 12, 2023

The “Charging Buffalo,” which replaced the image of a standing bison, was designed in 1973 by commercial illustrator Stevens Wright, whose wife was a production manager at NFL Properties at the time.

He submitted several variations to the Bills, but the version that resonated with the team included a stripe protruding from the eye and horn, which gave the impression that the animal was charging forward.

The logo appeared on Buffalo’s white helmets beginning with the 1974 season and it remained as the franchise switched to red helmets in 1984 and back to white helmets in 2011, in addition to various stripe and facemask changes.

It has seen more success than any other logo in franchise history, as the Bills made four consecutive Super Bowl appearances from 1991-94 and have reached the playoffs 18 times since it was introduced.

In addition to his work with the Bills, Wright created prototypes for the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers. He also designed logos for the now-defunct World League of American Football, including the Ohio Glory, San Antonio Riders and Sacramento Surge.

As for the commemorative logo, it prominently displays the “Charging Buffalo” inside of a blue circle with red, white and silver accents, as well as the logo’s years of existence.

The blue circle, as well as the red football at the bottom, are somewhat reminiscent of the AFL logo, even though the league merged with the NFL four seasons before the “Charging Buffalo” was unveiled.