R.I.P DIEHARD BILLS FANS

[im4bflo]

Now that I'm getting up in years, I think about all the DIEHARD BILLS FANS who went too early to see their beloved team

win a SUPERBOWL, it sadens me, they gave all I'm sure, and I don't know if I'll get to see them win a SUPERBOWL now, the way they're going, it's years in the future. I'm Diehard til death, and have so much invested, I better not think about it, and sure don't want my wife to know about it. LOL!!! But she knows the dedication of one from WNY.

My Bills hat is off to all my absent BILLS FANS who fought the good fight. I will never forget you! GO BILLS!!!

[Bflojohn]

Quite introspective, but I get your meaning nonetheless! I am 54 years of age now, and I wonder if we are doooomed as "they" say?!?! I have decided to find something about each season that gets me "going", so to speak, and I'll enjoy those aspects along the way. Winning can come IF the front office sticks to their guns and builds through the draft predominately. My goal, this year, is this draft class and the last one, focusing in on Carrington and Troup defensively from this years crop, and Byrd and Maybin from last years'!! Offensively, Spiller and Easley are the targets for me personally with Wood and Levitre coming on from last year!! Building blocks all (hopefully!). As an aside, I do coach my 10 year old grandson, Taylor, while the season is underway, and I find that giving back to the game is a great way to satisfy myself with football as I get older! By the way, I'm coaching him to play DE/ DT and OG/OT..... we'll see how he responds!

[Pilsner]

Now that I'm getting up in years, I think about all the DIEHARD BILLS FANS who went too early to see their beloved team

win a SUPERBOWL, it sadens me, they gave all I'm sure, and I don't know if I'll get to see them win a SUPERBOWL now, the way they're going, it's years in the future. I'm Diehard til death, and have so much invested, I better not think about it, and sure don't want my wife to know about it. LOL!!! But she knows the dedication of one from WNY.

My Bills hat is off to all my absent BILLS FANS who fought the good fight. I will never forget you! GO BILLS!!!

 

 

Hey hang in there... One day we all will be up there in years. We've all been thru severe ups and downs with our beloved team. One day, we might not be that far off maybe not as far off as you think. Maybe you have something going on that you are not letting us know. But we are as die hard as you and I think you should try and hold on as much as u can. And let your wife know. We Bills fans are a tight unit, no matter how much we bicker on here.

 

Hang in there damn it. At least to see the Bills on an upswing. I'm about as hard core a Bills fan as they come for being in Cali. Hold your head high and keep posting!

[RTW2012]

please stop drinking the bongwater. The Diehard fans are the ones who show up when the team is projected to go 1-15. they are the ones that attend with bags over their heads when coaches like jauron are fired a season too late. they are the ones that still support the team after a decade of futility. Just on this board there are plenty of diehards. So, how bad take your sad story to someone that actually gives a crap

 

Sincerely,

Every member of the Board

 

And the "Jackass of the Year" Award goes to...

[Fedido]

Now that I'm getting up in years, I think about all the DIEHARD BILLS FANS who went too early to see their beloved team

win a SUPERBOWL, it sadens me, they gave all I'm sure, and I don't know if I'll get to see them win a SUPERBOWL now, the way they're going, it's years in the future. I'm Diehard til death, and have so much invested, I better not think about it, and sure don't want my wife to know about it. LOL!!! But she knows the dedication of one from WNY.

My Bills hat is off to all my absent BILLS FANS who fought the good fight. I will never forget you! GO BILLS!!!

 

Thank you for remembering those not here with us.

 

ALWAYS REMEMBER/NEVER FORGET!

 

 

GO BILLS!

[Tipster19]

Now that I'm getting up in years, I think about all the DIEHARD BILLS FANS who went too early to see their beloved team

win a SUPERBOWL, it sadens me, they gave all I'm sure, and I don't know if I'll get to see them win a SUPERBOWL now, the way they're going, it's years in the future. I'm Diehard til death, and have so much invested, I better not think about it, and sure don't want my wife to know about it. LOL!!! But she knows the dedication of one from WNY.

My Bills hat is off to all my absent BILLS FANS who fought the good fight. I will never forget you! GO BILLS!!!

 

I too friend share your sentiment. I'm 50 and have been a diehard Bills' fan for almost as long as I can remember. It's been quite an emotional rollercoaster thru the decades but in retrospect I don't regret giving my heart to this franchise, it's been a true love affair and I'm proud to claim them as "my team".

 

I know this, when I pass I'll be remembered for many things from my loved ones, some of it won't be so flattering and rightfully so but during the mourning, at one point or another they will be reminiscing and at this time is when I'll be associated with being a Bills' fan. Thru their tears they'll be talking about their fondest memories of the Bills and me. I know now that the more that they share their stories the more that their mood will be lighten. Soon the tears will subside and the laughter will start creeping into their crackling voices. I know my kids will start by remembering that it was better to just let me watch the games by myself, it wasn't safe to watch with me because my intensity would only increase as the game was unfolding and I would be getting into another zone by myself, a zone that they knew they could never fully understand or enter with me. They would be able to still love and forgive me inspite of this lunacy because they saw their whole lives my commitment, passion and loyalty to this organization. They knew that I would need some time after the game to decompress and they would allow this because of their understanding that the Bills were actually a part of my DNA.

 

More stories and memories will start flowing easier and easier. The atmoshere will be light, the room filled with laughter, their spirits will be merry and their smiles will begin to start shining brightly. They will remember how I took my parents bedsheets right off their bed to make a sign on that MNF game when we finally beat the Dolphins. Then they will probably follow that one up with the time that I laughed my ass off watching my drunk brother-in-law, decked in a white sweatsuit, fall and slide down in the mud on the side of the exit ramp stairs after a game. Man, that memory still makes me laugh! I also know how they'll wrap it up. They'll finish by remembering how I punched a hole in my wall after watching Thurman get us back into the game late in the 4th quarter during Super Bowl XXV, and while nobody might say it, I know that my kids will also individually finish their thoughts of me with the memory of seeing their old man's eyes, tears silently rolling down my face, as I'm watching that ball sail wide right.

[The Chief Corky]

The true Diehard Bills fans are the ones that'll travel to Toronto for the games when the Bills leave. A 4-12 team this year is a celler-dweller big time. How about another 5 year building process will fail again.

[Nuncha]

please stop drinking the bongwater. The Diehard fans are the ones who show up when the team is projected to go 1-15. they are the ones that attend with bags over their heads when coaches like jauron are fired a season too late. they are the ones that still support the team after a decade of futility. Just on this board there are plenty of diehards. So, how bad take your sad story to someone that actually gives a crap

 

Sincerely,

Every member of the Board

 

Did we ever go 1-15? I recall consecutive 2-14 seasons back in the 80's...

[billsfan_34]

please stop drinking the bongwater. The Diehard fans are the ones who show up when the team is projected to go 1-15. they are the ones that attend with bags over their heads when coaches like jauron are fired a season too late. they are the ones that still support the team after a decade of futility. Just on this board there are plenty of diehards. So, how bad take your sad story to someone that actually gives a crap

 

Sincerely,

Every member of the Board

Wow....thats all I can say.

[Gibran Chandan]

And the "Jackass of the Year" Award goes to...

 

Marshawn Lynch, for his role in the 2010 bestseller "Why I don't bother showing up to voluntary practices with the rest of my team"

[Beebe's Kid]

please stop drinking the bongwater. The Diehard fans are the ones who show up when the team is projected to go 1-15. they are the ones that attend with bags over their heads when coaches like jauron are fired a season too late. they are the ones that still support the team after a decade of futility. Just on this board there are plenty of diehards. So, how bad take your sad story to someone that actually gives a crap

 

Sincerely,

Every member of the Board

Bravo!! Well said! It would be a lot better if it had any relevance to the original post, however.

 

So quick to be a dickhead, you forgot to read and, subsequently, comprehend the topic at hand.

 

Remember you should always try to make somebody else feel like **** before you concern yourself with having any !@#$ing clue what you are talking about.

 

You are the epitome of "Diehard," sir, and my hat is off to you.

[EastRochBillsfan]

please stop drinking the bongwater. The Diehard fans are the ones who show up when the team is projected to go 1-15. they are the ones that attend with bags over their heads when coaches like jauron are fired a season too late. they are the ones that still support the team after a decade of futility. Just on this board there are plenty of diehards. So, how bad take your sad story to someone that actually gives a crap

 

Sincerely,

Every member of the Board

please, speak for yourself.

[justnzane]

I'll retract my statement... as I was absolutely pissed off. I thought he was whining about bandwagon fans.

[whateverdude]

It's just a game!

[WotAGuy]

It's just a game!

 

 

You got a point there, and I've tried to keep things in better perspective over the last 15 years (had no choice!).

 

Before that I literally lived and died with the Bills fortunes.

 

But the reason for that, and maybe for other members of this board, is because my life has had many ties to the Bills that bound me to family and friends.

 

My father passed when I was 16, so many fond memories of him are tied to going to Bills games. Back then there were no televised home games, so he loaded the family into the Impala and drove us around the countryside while we listened to the game on the radio. I'll never forget hearing the Bills pick off Joe Willie 5 times for their only win of the 1968 season.

 

I have had season tickets with a good friend and also my nephew, and that Bills connection created a special, close bond that might never have otherwise existed. My aunt and uncle took me to the 1974 opener against the Raiders when we made a miracle comeback. I was sitting in the upper deck with my brother when the Bills won 51-3 to go to their first Super Bowl. I went with my sister (and several others) to the last Super Bowl in Atlanta, and the travel agency couldn't come through with tickets to the game. My buddy and I were able to scalp tickets, and I'll always remember saying goodbye to my sister as I went into the stadium without her.....both of us in tears.

 

Kind of maudlin memories, but those are the poignant moments that have made this more than "just a game", or "just a team" for me. For me anyway, it explains why I have a passion for the Bills that doesn't get spoiled, even when they are down. One of my favorite seasons is 1968. They were 1-12-1. But it was the first year I followed them on my own, not just because my father liked them. And so it goes....(apologies for the long post).

[dollars 2 donuts]

I cried during my first Bills game. Not b/c they lost or how they played, but I couldn't understand what was going on and why all those people were there.

 

Mind you it was 1975 and I was only 6 years old, and my only previous memory of the Bills was OJ going over 2,000 yards, but I knew I was safe with my dad, and that was comforting.

 

My father was a season ticket holder from game one in 1960 and over 48 years I believe he only missed a handful of games. For the greater part of 33 years I went to games with my father and we bickered and cheered all the way.

 

On our way home after the the home finale against the Giants in 2007, we did our normal post game commentary including the fact that we thought the Giants were "going places" during the post season. As we drew close to home for some reason I jokingly mentioned to him that you never know, that could be his last Bills game.

 

...It was. He died of Leukemia less than 4 months later.

 

I'll never, EVER forget the memories my father and I shared together watching football and how they were a common bond for us when we couldn't agree on so many other things. Even in a family of 7, it was just he and I when it came to the Bills.

 

...I do so wish they would have won the Super Bowl just once while he was here.

 

Until they do, though, I know he will always be right there with me, cheering (or jeering) them on.

 

Go Bills.

[Tipster19]

You got a point there, and I've tried to keep things in better perspective over the last 15 years (had no choice!).

 

Before that I literally lived and died with the Bills fortunes.

 

But the reason for that, and maybe for other members of this board, is because my life has had many ties to the Bills that bound me to family and friends.

 

My father passed when I was 16, so many fond memories of him are tied to going to Bills games. Back then there were no televised home games, so he loaded the family into the Impala and drove us around the countryside while we listened to the game on the radio. I'll never forget hearing the Bills pick off Joe Willie 5 times for their only win of the 1968 season.

 

I have had season tickets with a good friend and also my nephew, and that Bills connection created a special, close bond that might never have otherwise existed. My aunt and uncle took me to the 1974 opener against the Raiders when we made a miracle comeback. I was sitting in the upper deck with my brother when the Bills won 51-3 to go to their first Super Bowl. I went with my sister (and several others) to the last Super Bowl in Atlanta, and the travel agency couldn't come through with tickets to the game. My buddy and I were able to scalp tickets, and I'll always remember saying goodbye to my sister as I went into the stadium without her.....both of us in tears.

 

Kind of maudlin memories, but those are the poignant moments that have made this more than "just a game", or "just a team" for me. For me anyway, it explains why I have a passion for the Bills that doesn't get spoiled, even when they are down. One of my favorite seasons is 1968. They were 1-12-1. But it was the first year I followed them on my own, not just because my father liked them. And so it goes....(apologies for the long post).

 

No need for apologies but instead thanks for your memories. This thread is making me go thru the snapshots of my life. I remember being a skinny kid working in a pizzaria, proudly wearing my Bills' cap during the late 70's/early 80's. The ribbing and torture was unrelenting but it didn't wane my excitement and passion one iota for this franchise. I'd have to say that my best Bills' memories come from remembering my two little boys on Christmas Day, all excited tearing open presents and squealing with glee when they opened their Buffalo Bills' pajamas! I still look at the pictures of them, their beaming faces, waving at the camera wearing those pajamas. But my greastest joy is knowing that no matter where they are in this world, when they think, see or hear anything about the Bills they think of me. Now THAT gives me great honor, there's nothing that the Bills could do to top that. There's no Super Bowl, no Greatest Comeback, no division championship that can compare to that and for that reason alone makes me indebted and grateful to the Buffalo Bills. Thank you Buffalo Bills, thank you Mr. Wilson, I owe you big time.

 

I cried during my first Bills game. Not b/c they lost or how they played, but I couldn't understand what was going on and why all those people were there.

 

Mind you it was 1975 and I was only 6 years old, and my only previous memory of the Bills was OJ going over 2,000 yards, but I knew I was safe with my dad, and that was comforting.

 

My father was a season ticket holder from game one in 1960 and over 48 years I believe he only missed a handful of games. For the greater part of 33 years I went to games with my father and we bickered and cheered all the way.

 

On our way home after the the home finale against the Giants in 2007, we did our normal post game commentary including the fact that we thought the Giants were "going places" during the post season. As we drew close to home for some reason I jokingly mentioned to him that you never know, that could be his last Bills game.

 

...It was. He died of Leukemia less than 4 months later.

 

I'll never, EVER forget the memories my father and I shared together watching football and how they were a common bond for us when we couldn't agree on so many other things. Even in a family of 7, it was just he and I when it came to the Bills.

 

...I do so wish they would have won the Super Bowl just once while he was here.

 

Until they do, though, I know he will always be right there with me, cheering (or jeering) them on.

 

Go Bills.

 

You made me cry.

[im4bflo]

Awesome! I share this thread with some true DIEHARDS! THANKS BILLSFANS!

Those were some real heartfelt reply's, thanks for sharing, and GO BILLS!

[drewfla]

I've lived around Tampa, Florida for 13 years now and as much as this time period has made me "want" to move on from the Bills I don't think I ever can. Once you have grown up in Buffalo it is somehow ingrained in you. They went to the Super Bowl all 4 years of my undergrad at UB. I'm still absolutely blown away when I meet someone transplanted from Buffalo and they say they aren't huge Bills fans. I met one today and he felt almost embarrassed and quickly said - the rest of my family are big fans!

[im4bflo]

I've lived around Tampa, Florida for 13 years now and as much as this time period has made me "want" to move on from the Bills I don't think I ever can. Once you have grown up in Buffalo it is somehow ingrained in you. They went to the Super Bowl all 4 years of my undergrad at UB. I'm still absolutely blown away when I meet someone transplanted from Buffalo and they say they aren't huge Bills fans. I met one today and he felt almost embarrassed and quickly said - the rest of my family are big fans!

 

I know what you mean, I've lived in SoCal. now for some 26 yrs. now, and could never root for any other team.

The BUFFALO BILLS are ME, it's deeper than just a fan, it's your roots and home, and makes your heart pump like no other. If we could get people in the office and coaching staff that grew up in WNY, we'd have a CHAMPIONSHIP in no time!

GO BILLS!