Sports' Forgotten Heroes

Tom Sestak is not a name familiar to many football fans. And that’s a shame because it should be. In fact, when those outside of Buffalo think about great defensive players who suited up for the Bills one of the first names that comes to mind is Bruce Smith. Certainly one of the greatest to ever play the game, Sestak wasn’t that far behind. During his career which spanned just seven seasons from 1962 through 1968, Sestak was regarded by many as the best defensive tackle in all of football, NFL or AFL. Drafted as a tighten out little McNeese State University, Sestak possessed size and raw ability. Bills coach Lou Saban immediately liked what he saw out of Sestak and converted him from TE to DT. The Bills had drafted Sestak in the 17th round of the 1962 AFL draft and his choice to go to Buffalo instead of Detroit (the Lions drafted him in the 16th round of the NFL Draft) wound up being the smartest move of his career. Had Sestak gone to Detroit, the Lions coach – George Wilson – might not have had the foresight