grammer_police Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 There is the classic story about how Ralph originally wanted a team in Miami, but for some reason end up with the city of Buffalo. Here's my question... Let's say that Ralph actually got the Miami gig, and Buffalo was left without a team. Was Buffalo a big enough city back then where it was virtually guarenteed that we would eventually get a team? I mean, if Las Vegas got the next expansion team over LA, it is still almost a certanty that LA will get a team soon. So, did Ralph really bring football here because of his actual wishes, or were we simply the next biggest city to get a team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Ralph wanted Miami because he had a winter home there. When he told local officials he wanted to put an AFL team there, he was told no for a number of reasons. Wilson was told there were 5 cities that wanted a team...Buffalo, Louisville, Cincinnati, St.Louis , and Atlanta. A friend of his recommended Buffalo and that's how we got the Bills. No way to tell if we would have been given a team if this did not happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delete This Account Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Ralph wanted Miami because he had a winter home there. When he told local officials he wanted to put an AFL team there, he was told no for a number of reasons. Wilson was told there were 5 cities that wanted a team...Buffalo, Louisville, Cincinnati, St.Louis , and Atlanta. A friend of his recommended Buffalo and that's how we got the Bills. No way to tell if we would have been given a team if this did not happen. Ralph Wilson was steered toward Miami because the AFL wanted to base a team there. Once the AFL's bid -- stress AFL -- was shot down by local politicians, they moved on and Buffalo was recommended to Mr. Wilson by a Detroit-based sports editor. jw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typical TBD Guy Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Buffalo was recommended because of its strong support for the AAFC Bills in the late 1940's. The city of Buffalo began declining in population after the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959. By 1970, the Sabres and Braves arrived and the NFL-AFL merger began pro football's rapid ascent to the pinnacle of the sports world. So I'd say that Buffalo had about a 15 year window (1961-1976) before the NFL became too big and Buffalo too small to ever win back a pro football team. Minneapolis, Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, and Seattle won expansion teams during that time span. No other NFL expansion occurred between 1976-1994, and by the mid-1990's Buffalo was in far too bad of shape. If you think Buffalo could have beat out any one of the 7 aforementioned franchise cities, then you have your answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grammer_police Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 Buffalo was recommended because of its strong support for the AAFC Bills in the late 1940's. The city of Buffalo began declining in population after the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959. By 1970, the Sabres and Braves arrived and the NFL-AFL merger began pro football's rapid ascent to the pinnacle of the sports world. So I'd say that Buffalo had about a 15 year window (1961-1976) before the NFL became too big and Buffalo too small to ever win back a pro football team. Minneapolis, Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, and Seattle won expansion teams during that time span. No other NFL expansion occurred between 1976-1994, and by the mid-1990's Buffalo was in far too bad of shape. If you think Buffalo could have beat out any one of the 7 aforementioned franchise cities, then you have your answer. Thanks, makes sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 This is probably a good perspective tool. In 1960, Buffalo was the 20th largest city in the United States. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0922422.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gianelli Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 This is probably a good perspective tool. In 1960, Buffalo was the 20th largest city in the United States. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0922422.html The population has plummeted. But according to Forbes we're the 10th best place in the U.S. to raise a family. http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/best-plac...s_slide_11.html (Rochester and Syracuse are even higher.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChasBB Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 In a different source, I saw Buffalo was once the 6th (not 8th) largest city in the entire nation in 1900. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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