Archives for February 2009

‘”I came into the game because I liked the game and I wanted to be an owner of the team,” Wilson said. “We picked Buffalo, and the fans have been great. We haven’t given them much of a product lately. Since this fellow [Smith] left us, we haven’t done so good. But the people have supported us.”‘

‘”These were all jobs where they were making $2.30 an hour,” Bruce Smith said of his parents. “It just left an impression on me. They did not enjoy what they did for a living, and I had an opportunity to do something that I enjoyed, that I had a passion for. My father always told me, ‘Whatever you decide to do in life, you make sure you’re the best at it.’ “‘

‘”A friend of mine, Judge [Paul] Borman, said, ‘You ought to see your face when you heard your name on television,’ ” Wilson said after the announcement. “I was shocked. I’ve been lucky along the way. You’ve got to have a little luck – a lot of luck – in your life and I have. It was really special.”‘

‘"A friend of mine said to me on the way over, he said ‘Wilson, if you live long enough and are lucky and fortunate, all good things happen,’" said Wilson. "To get this great honor, I don’t know what to say."’

‘Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew gets the nod from three of the most savvy draft experts: Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN), Don Banks (SI.com) and Nolan Nawrocki (Pro Football Weekly).’

‘With a Web site and merchandise already available, Fitzgerald is unveiling his plan to hold onto to the Bills by pushing for a change in the team’s name and a move to a new, state-of-the-art domed stadium in Niagara County. Fitzgerald sees a Western New York future for the “Niagara Bills.” “Say it about a thousand times,” Fitzgerald said, “and it doesn’t sound so wacky.”‘

‘In the universe of football teams, the 7-9 Bills have come to define what Scott Arniel used to be in the NHL – absolutely average. The median. Half the league is better and half is worse.’

‘But Reed’s candidacy has undoubtedly been hurt by the presence of so many of his teammates and other Buffalo representatives who have been up for election in recent seasons, including Smith and another of this year’s inductees, Bills owner Ralph Wilson.’

‘Sunshine broke through a dreary Buffalo winter Saturday as Bills owner Ralph Wilson and record-setting defensive end Bruce Smith topped the list of six new entrants into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.’

‘”This is an individual honor, but I would be remiss if I did not talk about those who have made this possible,” said Smith, who finished his career with 200 sacks. “Coach Marv Levy was an incredible inspiration to me. What a coach, what a mentor, what a leader.”‘

‘”Since this fella left us, we haven’t done so good,” Wilson said, patting Smith on the shoulder. “He won so many games for us.”‘

‘Davidson had spied Smith in summertime basketball games in Booker T.’s gym, glimpses that jumped to mind the day he saw Smith and his mother shopping at a department store before Smith’s sophomore year. “I told his mother, ‘We’ve got to get him out to play football,’ ” Davidson said. “She said, ‘I can’t let my baby go out there!’ I said, ‘He’s no baby. He’ll be the biggest kid on the field.’ ” Strongest and fastest, too.’

‘His abilities were no surprise to the team that drafted him. At Virginia Tech, Smith had 46 career sacks and 71 tackles for loss in earning All-America honors and the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best lineman.’

‘Wilson, at first a minority owner in the Detroit Lions, joined six others to found the AFL in 1960. Determined to see the league stay in business, he financially backed other franchises with loans and outright gifts.’

‘New Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Smith and the Buffalo Bills could never get over the hump in four Super Bowls. New Hall of Famer Rod Woodson and the Pittsburgh Steelers could never get over the hump against Bruce Smith.’