Monday, January 10, 2011

Cookie Gilchrist, R. I. P.

Carlton "Cookie" Gilchrist , a former Buffalo Bills fullback who helped lead that team to the 1964 American Football League championship, passed away on Monday at a assisted living facility near Pittsburgh at age 75.

Mr. Gilchrist had been suffering from cancer.

After six years in the Canadian Football League, Cookie signed on with the Buffalo Bills of the AFL and ran for 1096 yards that year.

He played a major role in Buffalo's AFL title season of 1964.

In 1965, he was traded to the Denver Broncos for fellow fullback Billy Joe.

He played with the expansion Miami Dolphins in 1966 then returned to the Broncos in 1967, but retired the following year rather than play for the Cincinnati Bengals who had chosen him in the AFL expansion draft.

Cookie retired with 4,293 rushing yards (AFL only) and 37 touchdowns and, in one 1963 game, ran for 243 against the newly-reorganized New York Jets.

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