Wilson was the founder and owner of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. He was one of the founding owners of the American Football League (AFL), the league with which the NFL merged in 1970, and was the last of the original AFL owners to own his team. At the time of his death, Ralph was the oldest owner in the NFL, at age 95, and the third-longest tenured owner in NFL history (over 54 years, behind the 63 years George Halas owned the Chicago Bears and almost equal to the 55 years Art Rooney owned the Pittsburgh Steelers, although Rooney’s ownership and team operations were interrupted in the 1940s due to some complicated dealings).

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. During his tenure the Bills became the only team to ever appear in four Super Bowls.