Former Buffalo Bills TE Ernie Warlick dies at 80

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Ernie Warlick, among pro football's first pass-catching tight ends and a member of the Buffalo Bills' two AFL championship teams in the 1960s, has died after a brief illness. He was 80.

His death was confirmed by Amigone Funeral Home in Amherst, N.Y. Warlick died Saturday at his home in Williamsville, N.Y. The cause of death was not immediately known.

In four seasons with Buffalo, Warlick finished with 90 catches for 1,551 yards and four touchdowns in helping the Bills win AFL titles in 1964 and `65. He averaged 19.96 yards per catch in 1963, which still ranks seventh on the team.

Warlick played in college at North Carolina Central. The Bills signed him in 1962 after he spent five years with Calgary in the Canadian Football League.