Billy Shaw. Joe Ferguson. Fred Smerlas. Before the days of multi-million dollar contracts for unproven players, there were men like these. Men who built one of America's most storied football franchises without expecting lucrative endorsement deals or $80 autograph fees.

In The Bills Are Due, Rob Thompson pays tribute to the generations of players who made the Buffalo Bills-and, by extension, western New York-what it is today. From the team's AFL days right through the '90s, it's all here-the precision passing and thrilling touchdowns, as well as agonizing defeats-told by the players themselves. In interviews with legends like Mike Stratton, Jack Kemp and more, fans also catch a rare, behind-the-scenes and sometimes odd life as a Bill. But this is more than a recounting of the team's adolescence and memorable moments. Thompson's personal reminiscences of his own youth brilliantly capture the historical milieu of the team's "golden era"-and remind readers why they first fell for New York's beloved Bills. Through it all, Thompson reveals the often-painful experiences of Bills in post-retirement-and urges NFL and players' union leadership to establish equitable standards of compensation for the early gridiron warriors.