One of the great Bills' players passed away at the age of 84 on Saturday.
Middle linebacker Harry Jacobs played in Buffalo from 1963-1969 and passed due to natural causes on Saturday morning. Jacobs was a 2x AFL All-Star and was a member of both Bills AFL Championship teams ('64-'65).
During Jacobs' tenure in Buffalo, he played in 91 games, had eight interceptions and one fumble recovery. Even though sacks were not an official stat prior to 1982, according to Pro Football Reference, he racked up 11 sacks as a member of the Bills. Jacobs is the only player who played in the very first and the very last game in the American Football League and is one of only 20 players who played throughout the AFL's 10-year existence (1960-69).
Jacobs is considered one of the best linebackers of the AFL era. Along with teammates John Tracy and Mike Stratton, they caused problems for offenses. The three were a brick wall for the Bills' defense, stopping opposing offenses from having a 100-yard rusher for seventeen consecutive games through the 1964 and 1965 seasons. The unit also holds the record for most games played with the same linebacker partners (62).
Jacobs stayed local after his playing days and resided in Hamburg. He had a successful family business called "The Jacobs Team", a coaching team located in Hamburg. Jacobs was a member of the 2012 class of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
