Ralph Wilson was born in 1918. The same year as sly singer/actress Pearl Bailey. The same year as Egyptian icon Anwar Sadat and football coaching wizard George Allen and radio luminary Paul Harvey.
At age 92, Wilson has outlived them all -- and reaches 93 on Oct. 17. He is the only owner the Buffalo Bills have known for 51 seasons and his team plays in a stadium that bears his name. He is a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee.
He is watching from his home and offices in Detroit as the labor skirmish between NFL owners and players spirals.
Having helped driven the 1970 merger between the AFL and the NFL, having played a key role in several past labor agreements (especially the 1977 pact), Wilson has an exclusive NFL feel for where things have been, where they are and where they are headed.
"I think this thing can get settled in some way,'' Wilson said. "I can't predict what is going to happen. Nobody can predict the future. I don't even know if I'll be talking and alive tomorrow. No one does.
"I think it's going to take a lot of work. A lot of work has already been done. But I agree with (commissioner) Roger Goodell's assessment that it will take work and sacrifices from all sides. It's so much more complicated. I used to set up my team in the early days where you set aside so much money that you expected to lose and then it was on with the season. Everyone should be heard. Everyone should participate. It's so complicated that one guy can't do it all.''
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