George Saimes, a defensive back who helped the Bills win two American Football League titles and was a five-time AFL All-Star, has died at the age of 71.
Saimes’ daughter told the Associated Press her father died Friday night at a hospital in his hometown of Canton, Ohio. He had been suffering from leukemia.
As a rookie in 1963, Saimes made an immediate impact with four interceptions, and in 1964 he had six interceptions and was chosen to the first of his five AFL All-Star teams, helping the Bills win the first of two consecutive AFL titles.
Saimes played for the Bills until 1969, then played three more seasons with the Broncos. At the time of the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the Pro Football Hall of Fame picked an All-Time All-AFL Team, and Saimes was one of the team’s two safeties. In 2000 Saimes was added to the Bills’ Wall of Fame.