He brought Buffalo the only championship ( twice) they ever enjoyed and is a guy the Republican Party really missed the boat on. His association with Reagan catapulted him onto the national scene and should have led to a higher place in the republican pecking order. I disagree he was a liberal as his principles were consistently conservative. Reagan made him the HUD Director and he fought for and campaigned for funds for his departments but was an absolute champion for lower taxes and restricted government reach, something that most observers of politics today have never seen and have no concept of. You might be interested to know that Kemp served in the US Army reserve in the late 1950's and early 1960's, while playing for the San Diego Chargers.

Kemp played on some very good Bills' teams in the old AFL. In 1963, the Bills had a team that could win the East Division but could never beat his old team, the San Diego Chargers, champions of the West. Kemp led the Bills to the top of the AFL East (again) and, when running back Keith Lincoln, the Chargers' Mr. Everything, left the game with an injury, John Hadl could not get it done without him. The Bills, with Kemp at quarterback again in 1965, won the title in back-to-back years, no small feat as the league continued to improve its overall talent level. You Oakland denizens might be interested to know that Darryl Lamonica was Kemp's back-up at Buffalo, later dealt to Oakland and a very respectable career. But, coach Lou Saban believed that Kemp was the guy who could deliver the hardware, and he was right.

RIP, Jackie, and thanks for the memories. A life well lived.

Great AFL QB and someone the GOP could use now since they are still in a state of disarray.

From his football career to his long time in national politics and plenty of other experiences in between, Jack Kemp must have had an amazing life. His football career was way before my time, but he was an influential political figure during my early years. I always paid a bit of attention to him because I was introduced to his wife as a child when she visited my parents' home.

From what I know of him as a politician, he seems like a respectable individual. He was a Republican, but seemed like a guy who wasn't afraid to let his individuality show, which is something I find many politicians lack. He was a leading proponent of tax cuts and free market ideas, which should make him a hero to fiscal conservatives. However, he seemed like more of a liberal with his support for federal spending to help inner cities, affirmative action, and a laissez-faire attitude towards immigration. He seemed like a potentially divisive, yet incredibly influential politician at the same time.