The Buffalo Bills confirmed this week the reason they switched to red helmets in 1984 was because quarterback Joe Ferguson was color blind.

To curtail an interception rate that was soaring into the stratosphere, the Bills tried to separate themselves in a division rife with white helmets. Although the New York Jets were green at the time, the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts all had white helmets.

“I always joke with Joe about that helmet change,” Bills equipment manager Dave Hojnowski told BuffaloBills.com writer Chris Brown. “After he had left and gone to play for Detroit I told him, ‘Boy, you left just in time because the next modification for the helmets was we were going to push a flashing yellow light on top.’ Joe always thought that was really funny.”

The Bills had some good memories in those uniforms, which were worn by a few future Pro Football Hall of Famers in four straight Super Bowls. But they have switched back to a uniform similar to those worn by Ferguson before they turned redheads.

In an unveiling ceremony Friday night in Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Bills officially introduced their new uniforms. They accidentally had been leaked in April through an online trailer for the “Madden NFL 12″ video game.

“We’ll definitely look good in them,” Bills running back Fred Jackson told me a few weeks ago. He’d already seen the new uniforms. “It’ll be a good change for us. I haven’t met a guy on the team that was real enthused about the uniforms we did have. I can’t think of one guy on our team that’s not going to like the new ones.

“I’m looking forward to putting them on. Out with the old, in with the new. Let’s start some new traditions.”

ORCHARD PARK, NY–  The Buffalo Bills have officially unveiled their new uniforms for the 2011 football season.

The team held a special event at Ralph Wilson Stadium Friday night.

The Bills say the new uniforms incorporate the Bills storied history, while keeping the team’s signature charging buffalo logo.

The Bills last made a change to their primary uniform prior to the 2002 season.

Bills’ CEO Russ Brandon said Thursday at the owners’ meeting that local military will be involved in the unveiling.

Also, several former Buffalo Bills’ players were on hand for the event:  Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly, All-Time Team special teams ace Steve Tasker, Wall of Fame CB Booker Edgerson and AFL Championship WR Charley Ferguson.

2 On Your Side’s Marissa Bailey is at the event and will be sending back pictures for WGRZ.COM.  You can check them out in our photo gallery.

Buffalo Bills / WGRZ

Though Mark Kelso took multiple hits to the head, he still remembers what his college

football coach told him after he thought he was seeing three running backs charging straight

at him.

“Get back in the game and tackle the one in the middle,” the coach told the safety, who would

go on to play eight seasons for the Buffalo Bills.

That “warrior” attitude, Kelso said, still exists today — even as awareness and education

about head injuries grows and the State Legislature is set to pass the first statewide

standards on concussions for student athletes.

Immediate measures can be taken to prevent and treat concussions at the youth and high school

level, according to Kelso and 40 medical professionals, athletic directors and concussion

specialists who gathered at the University at Buffalo on Thursday to discuss the issue with

officials from the Brain Injury Association of New York State.

Those measures include completion of a six-step program for athletes suspected of having a

concussion, and a family, school and medical support system that goes beyond getting the

student cleared to play. Those measures should be combined with proper tackling techniques in

football, practices with less hitting and special equipment to prevent head injuries, Kelso

said.

“You want to develop all the positive character traits [of athletics], but at the same time

you want to protect [their] long-term futures from a cognitive standpoint,” he said.

Pending state legislation calls for students who are suspected of suffering concussions to be

immediately removed from athletic competition or gym class and held out of activities for at

least 24 hours after they are symptom-free. Permission from a physician would also be

necessary for the player to resume competition, and coaches and medical staff would need to

undergo concussion-awareness training every two years.

“We need educators to understand that not everyone jumps right [back] in,” said Vicky Myers,

regional facts coordinator for the Brain Injury Association of New York State.

The proposed state regulations do not apply to private schools, and there are concerns that

such mandates could increase school expenses.

Some safety measures are inexpensive and invaluable, said Cathy Contant, a nurse in the Elba

Central School District.

The six-step system includes a rest period, graduated levels of activity and, in some cases,

multiple clearances by a doctor before an athlete can return to play.

“If you suffer second-impact syndrome, it’s absolutely devastating,” said Contant, who is also

an emergency room nurse. “If you don’t die, you suffer from … chronic depression.”

Athletes suffering a concussion must avoid “symptom-inducing physical and cognitive activity”

during the initial two to five days of concussion recovery and should take a step-by-step

approach to increasing activity levels if symptoms do not persist, according to Dr. Barry

Willer and Dr. John J. Leddy of the University at Buffalo Concussion Clinic.

Willer warned against keeping athletes from any activity for months at a time, saying that

they could decondition, and that even people without concussions suffer from headaches and

other symptoms. He said Buffalo Sabres center Tim Connolly was treated successfully at UB’s

Concussion Clinic on a graduated activity schedule.

Kelso called for private schools to team up with community leaders, donors and clinics to

provide the type of testing that not all schools can afford.

Dr. Brian Reiger, a member of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s

Safety Committee, said advocates on the issue are crucial to succeeding in school districts.

cspecht@buffnews.comnull

Buffalo Bills defensive end Dwan Edwards will be holding a
barbecue, raffle and autograph-signing session Saturday at the West
End Walmart to help raise funds for his upcoming football camp in
Billings.

Edwards, who grew up in Columbus, will be at the Walmart on King
Avenue West from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. In addition to the barbecue
and signing autographs, Edwards will be raffling off a variety of
NFL memorabilia.

All of the money raised will help fund the fourth annual Dwan
Edwards Elite Football Camp, which is scheduled for Saturday, July
9 at Wendy’s Field at Daylis Stadium.

Registration for the free, non-contact camp is continuing and
it’s open to around 250 kids in grades fifth through eighth.

The morning session from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. will be for fifth and
six graders. The seventh and eighth graders will go from 2 to 6
p.m.

More information on the camp can be found at http://www.dwanedwards.org

Edwards was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 51st
overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He signed as a free agent with
Buffalo in 2010.

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