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The Buffalo Bills are a professional Football team based in Buffalo, New York. They play their home games in the suburb of Orchard Park, and since 2008 have played one home game per season in Toronto. They are members of the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills began competitive play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger.
The Bills won two consecutive American Football League titles in 1964 and 1965, but the club has not won a league championship since the merger. Buffalo is also the only team to win four consecutive American Football Conference Championships -- and the only team ever to play in four consecutive Super Bowl games. Since the NFL's expansion to 32 teams in 2002 the Bills are the only AFC non-expansion team to not make the playoffs.[citation needed]
The Bills were named as the result of the winning entry in a local contest, which named the team after the AAFC Buffalo Bills, a previous football franchise from the All-America Football Conference that merged with the Cleveland Browns in 1950. That team, in turn, was named after William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The Bills' cheerleaders are known as the Buffalo Jills. The official mascot is Billy Buffalo.
The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, a suburb of Rochester.
They are the only NFL team to play their home games within New York State. Both the New York Jets and the New York Giants play in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York City. On October 2, 2005, the Bills played the New Orleans Saints in the first NFL regular-season game held in San Antonio, Texas. With the inception of the 5-year Bills Toronto Series deal in 2008 that is good through 2012, they are also the only team to play a home game in Canada. The franchise has tremendous support in the Western New York region.
On January 4, 2010 the Bills informed their entire coaching staff that they were free to seek employment with other teams, in an effort to renew and revitalize the struggling organization. On January 19, 2010, the Bills named Chan Gailey as their next head coach.