Today is the 50th anniversary of the announcement of the AFL-NFL merger. It would take several years for the two leagues to become one, but the deal was officially signed on June 8th, 1966, led in large part by Buffalo Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson, Jr.
Mr. Wilson's biggest contribution to the merger came in the form of finances. He kept the league viable with a loan to the Raiders, keeping them solvent and allowing the league to continue to compete with the juggernaut NFL. He brought revenue sharing to the AFL and later pushed for its adoption in the merged NFL, keeping small market teams viable across the country and financially competitive with each other.