Filmmakers honor Buffalo Bills AFL Champions with plaque dedication and new film release on October 24
Filmmaker and lifelong Buffalo Bills fan Scott Rubin will fulfill a lifelong dream by honoring the 1964-65 AFL Champion Buffalo Bills with a bronze plaque dedication at the historic “Rockpile” gates. The event celebrates the extraordinary legacy of the Bills’ first champions and coincides with the national release of Rubin and co-director J. Garrett Vorreuter’s new indie comedy, Unbillievable! The Movie, arriving on Amazon and major streaming platforms on October 24, 2025.
The plaque will be mounted at the surviving entrance pillars of War Memorial Stadium — affectionately remembered as the Rockpile — which today stand as part of the Johnnie B. Wiley Pavilion (1100 Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo), a vital community center on Buffalo’s East Side. The unveiling will be held at 5 p.m. on October 24. Community members can watch a free screening of the film at 7 p.m., following an introduction by Bills’ alumni. Afterward, everyone will hear candid reflections from Bills’ legends about overcoming racial tensions of the 1960s, forging unbreakable bonds as teammates, and shaping Buffalo’s proud football history.
The plaque recognizes not only the Bills’ back-to-back championships, but also their historic defensive record — 17 consecutive games without allowing a rushing touchdown — and their solidarity in standing for racial justice.
In January 1965, Bills’ stars Cookie Gilcrest, George “Butch” Byrd, and Jack Kemp joined Black and white teammates in boycotting the AFL All-Star Game in New Orleans after Black players were subjected to racism. Their united action forced the league to relocate the game, marking one of the earliest and most powerful demonstrations of athlete solidarity in professional sports.
“These players were more than champions — they were pioneers of courage and unity,” Rubin said. “To finally give them a permanent tribute at the Rockpile is a dream fulfilled.”
Unlike today’s pros, the Bills of the 1960s lived side by side with their fans — working in local businesses, selling insurance, and playing catch with neighborhood kids.
“They were gods on the field but neighbors in real life,” Rubin recalled. “For us, seeing Ernie Warlick toss a football in the street was as epic as meeting Hercules.”
The teams also featured future leaders beyond the gridiron:
•Jack Kemp — U.S. Congressman and Vice Presidential candidate
•Ed Rutkowski — Erie County Executive
•Pete Gogolak — pro football’s first soccer-style kicker
•Paul Maguire — sportscaster
•Booker Edgerson — community leader
•George “Butch” Byrd — Pro Bowl cornerback
•Ernie Warlick — All-Star boycott leader.
Unbillievable! The Movie is a homegrown indie comedy about three generations of Bills fans gathering for the biggest game in Buffalo sports history — where everything that can go wrong does. Filmed in Buffalo, the story captures the spirit of Bills fandom while honoring the champions who inspired it. The movie is a tribute to the original East Side community roots of the Buffalo Bills.
Filmmaker Scott Rubin, the longest-serving editor in National Lampoon history, returned to his hometown of Buffalo to tell this uniquely Buffalo story, Unbillievable! Along with co-director J. Garrett Vorreuter, they bridge Buffalo’s past, present, and its enduring championship dreams.
For more information about the film, visit https://unbillievablethemovie.com.
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