By Mark Gaughan
Ernie Warlick, who died Saturday, played only four seasons with the Buffalo Bills but still was good enough to be named the tight end on the team's 25-year anniversary team in 1984.
Warlick was 30 years old when he signed with Buffalo in 1962. He had played five seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League from 1957 to 1961. He was a CFL West All-Star three times, in '58, '59 and '60. His best CFL season was 1959 when he caught 53 passes for 909 yards. Overall he caught 202 passes for Calgary for 3,332 yards.
For the Bills, Warlick caught 90 passes for 1,551 yards over four seasons. The Bills were a running team. Warlick's most productive season was '62, when he caught 35 passes for 482 yards.
Here's an audio clip of Warlick being introduced during the Bills' Silver Anniversary dinner in October 1984. Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. recalls Warlick's big TD catch in the 1965 AFL Championship Game at San Diego. (Thanks to Buffalo broadcasting great Pete Weber for the file.)
