Favorite Opening Day memories

[Chandler#81]

9/3/2000 - 16-13 win over the Titans - a last second win in the revenge game after Home Job Throw Forward, and the first ever TBD tailgate.

 

Good one! National TV night game, IIRC. Sunday night? Christie hit another late game FG, but this time there was no 'Chicken-wingback'.

 

Gone from the team that night: Thurman, Andre & Bruce

[sweatpantsjoe]

89 against Miami, Kelly scoring on the last play of the game to win would have to be my favorite opener.

[clearwater cadet]

When we CRUSHED the Pats and Milloy had that huge sack on Brady. Ahhhh. The joys of beating the Patriots. That never happens anymore.

 

Awesome game, all around the best game I've ever seem the bills play that I can remember. Opening is always awesome win, loss, or tie. A day at the Ralph is better then just about anything else.

[eball]

If we're talking about season openers, it's tough to top the shootout between the Bills and Fish in '91. 41-31 or something like that. Fun, fun game. Big plays galore.

[5 Wide]

I was 16, and two women flashed us from on top of an RV.....

[BillsPhan]

In the '30 years ago today' thread, many are chiming in on the end of Dolphin dominance in 1980. Got me thinking about Bills Opening Day games, and -as an old guy- I have seen many. Whole lotta bad memeories including some from this century: Jags & Broncos last plays and last years collapse @ NE.

 

But my all-time favorite wasn't actually a Day. '74 opener, with Howard, Giff & Dandy Don in the booth, we welcomed the previously MNF undefeated Oakland Raiders. They had HOFer's all over the place, including the grand old man, Blanda. A close game into the 4th, Fergy hit Rashad for the go-ahead score late. We got the ball back to run out the clock when diaster struck. Braxton fumbled and Art Thoms returned it for a Raider lead. I'n tellin' ya, you could have heard a pin drop in Rich.

 

Undaunted, Fergy -with the help of a couple typical unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on the Raiders- drove us right back down the field and hit Rashad AGAIN for a go-ahead score. Still, Snake Stabler led Oakland to a makeable, last second FG for the win. But the Grand Old Man missed right as the gun sounded! Still brings a thrill recollecting!!

 

I was at that game, it was awesome right down to the end!

 

Three more opening games spring to mind as even slightly better then that one for me:

 

#3) Bills at Miami, 1989: Kelly scored the winning TD on a 5 yard QB draw right up the middle as time ran out. That ended a crazy 4th quarter comeback that came out of nowhere in a game it appeared that the Bills had no business winning.

 

#2) Bills at Patriots, 1973: As a 14 year old die hard Bills fan, I had yet to enjoy my first winning season cheering for them. I was too young to remember the '64 and '65 AFL Championships, and I first started going to the games and became a fan of them around 1968, at 9 years old. (Yes, that's when the games were held at the entire stadium known as the "Rock Pile", not just one section of the stadium. If you younger fans think the Ralph is "old", you should have gone to games for a few years to that concrete junk pile named War Memorial Stadium!) Anyhow I digress. 1972 was an improved season for the Bills, with Lou Saban beginning to "turn on the Juice" behind the Electric Company. I was hoping for a good start to the '73 season, but never expected to watch Simpson run for a then single game NFL record of 250 yards rushing as the Bills surprisingly blew out the Pats something like

35 - 14!

 

#1) Sorry to be un-orginal here, but the 1980 opener against the Dolphins, when the Chuck Knox led Bills beat them to end 10 years and 20 consecutive games of defeats, was my favorite Bills opener of my 40 plus years as a fan. This was not the same old Dolphins "No Name" defense holding O.J. or Roland Hooks or whoever to 68 yards rushing while methodically beating my beloved Bills to a pulp. This was the first game of the eventual #1 NFL defense-led Bills pretty much dominating the Dolphins from the opening gun. And it was the first game of Fergy throwing to rookie Joe Cribbs out of the backfield 8 years before Kelly started tossing those passes out to Thurman! I charged the field along with my crazy friends and actually ripped up a piece of the turf, I was so "excited" (and a tad drunk.) Fortunately, security was nothing like it is today, and I didn't get arrested. But that was my favorite opening Bills game memory. 21 years old with season tickets and nuts, and the Bills had become GREAT again! Life was indeed good that entire fall and winter of 1980.

[plenzmd1]

I'm a little foggy on this one. Was it his rookie game/year? Against the Jets??

 

 

twas the jets, but I am a little fuzzy on if it was his first NFL game. What I do remember was it was the first game where two offensive players in a row could touch a pass, and the end of the first half the Bills unveiled the "Big Ben" play, and Butler caught it for a touchdown. Again, litte fuzzy why the Bills called it Big ben vs a Hail Mary, might have had something to do with Ben Williams.But to see that play work to perfection was awesome.

 

Only problem is we brougt in Southern Comfort( think we were in 11th grade)and Bills scored so many TDs and were do so many shots two of the 4 of us got sick.

[Kelly the Dog]

I'm a little foggy on this one. Was it his rookie game/year? Against the Jets??

 

I actually mixed up two seasons, 1980 and 1981. The 80 game was what I was thinking about, the first time we beat the stinking fish in a decade. That was the game Roosevelt Leaks scored late to secure the victory. The next year, we crushed the stinking Jets, and I think I remember Butler making a ridiculous catch in the endzone, reaching over the back of the DB to snatch a sure INT and make it a TD. He was great for a couple years. I liked those 80 and 81 Bills teams as much as the Super Bowl years. In fact, the 1980 Bills might have been the best Bills team ever. Tough to say.

 

I always thought that 1980 and 1990 were the only years in team history that we were the best team in football, regardless of what happened in the playoffs or Super Bowl.

[Mike In Illinois]

If we're talking about season openers, it's tough to top the shootout between the Bills and Fish in '91. 41-31 or something like that. Fun, fun game. Big plays galore.

 

Here ya go, eball!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_mSDug5cF4&feature=sub

[Punch]

If we're talking about season openers, it's tough to top the shootout between the Bills and Fish in '91. 41-31 or something like that. Fun, fun game. Big plays galore.

 

It was 35-31 and I remember it very clearly because I kept the Buffalo News from Monday morning. The stats were picture perfect offensively, and I was more or less obsessed with memorizing stats at age 12: Thurman had 165 yards rushing, 103 yards on 8 catches, and 2 total TDs; Andre Reed caught 11 passes for 154 yards including a 54 yarder for a TD; Lofton had 77 yards receiving; Butch Rolle had his characteristic 1 catch for 1 TD; and Jimbo was 29-39 for 381 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT (by Louis F@#$ing Oliver!).

 

Of course, on the flip side, the Dolphins offense kind of passed and ran roughshod all over our D as they took a 14-0 lead early. Every year the Dolphins had a running back that was supposed to finally give them the backfield threat they always seemed to lack to support Marino, and this particular season it was Mark Higgs, who rushed for 146 yards and 1 TD in the game before quietly retiring to the heap of neverwas-es hyped to be the Miami version of Thurman Thomas.

 

This was almost the prototypical Bills-Dolphins game--- the Dolphins looked good for portions of it and started celebrating early, then fell apart when it counted. I still hate the Dolphins for their attitude if nothing else all throughout that era. They carried themselves as if they were the 4 time AFC Champions rather than the bridesmaids of the AFC East.

 

The '89 opener was awesome, of course, made all the more memorable for the fact that it was Oliver that Kelly ran over (and subsequently knocked out) on the GW TD dive. But the opener in '08 against the Seahawks turned into a kind of sour memory simply because Seattle turned out to be a straw man opponent and that season crumbled so dismally following the 5-1 start. And much the same for the '03 opener against the Pats* (although I LOVED it at the time). That single win against NE in the '00s was probably due in large part to Milloy's scouting assistance, and regardless, the Pats* dismantled us in the last game of the season long after that team proved to be another fluke.

 

FWIW, I think the 2010 opener will be memorable for all the right reasons and I'm honestly as optimistic as I've ever been. Then again, I've always looked forward to Bills' game days regardless of the circumstances.

 

Here ya go, eball!

youtube.com/watch?v=1_mSDug5cF4&feature=sub

 

Well, there it is! Suddenly I'm 12 years old again.

[DonInBuffalo]

The first Bills opener I have a clear recollection of is 1986. Of course, that was Kelly's first game. It also included the "giving him the business" call. I'm pretty sure the referee was Fred Dreyfus, and he was calling the penalty on Joe Klecko. I didn't have season tickets yet, so I watched that one from home.

 

1987 was the first year I had season tickets. Some of the regulars couldn't make it, so I invited my friend Ed from work, who wanted to take his son to the game. This guy was notoriously unreliable, so I told him repeatedly that he had to be at my place by 10 sharp for us to beat the stadium traffic and get to the game on time. We were "noobs" so we didn't even have any tailgate plans. So Ed shows up about 11:20, and has never driven to the stadium before. Instead of following my directions, he tries to take a route one of his friends gave him. We essentially got stuck in traffic where we weren't moving at all, I'll guess about a mile from the stadium. So Ed suggests that me and Brian (his son, maybe 10 years old) walk and he'll meet us at the seats. The two of us start walking. We're trying to keep up a brisk pace, and of course there are lots of other people walking too, so I'm glancing over every few seconds to make sure Brian and I don't get separated. Since he was really short, I was essentially just looking down at the ground and noticing his feet. I glance over and he is GONE. I quickly look around and don't see him, and have this momentary massive panic attack - OMG! I LOST ED'S KID! Then I glanced up and discovered he decided to walk on top of the guard rail next to us. They were singing the national anthem when we got to the turnstiles. We ran to our seats and got there just in time for kickoff. Ed arrived around the middle of the 2nd quarter.

 

Some games I went to I parked in a satellite lot across from the Big Tree Inn. There was a group of people that met there, at it's peak about 15-20 people total. They liked to do "something special" for the opener, and one year they cooked prime rib. There was plenty to eat before the game, with quite a bit left over. The cook cut the leftovers in small pieces, and let that soak in the juices, along with the mushrooms we had cooked along with the meat. After the game, we devoured those leftovers while waiting for the traffic to clear. That was probably the tastiest thing I've ever eaten, tailgate or otherwise.

[The Dean]

We've come to just about every opener over the past 11 years, but a couple years back when we played Seattle is easily my favorite ever!

 

Not because of the game play itself, though it was quite an exciting win! But mainly because I had my son with me for his first Bills game ever. He had just turned 1-year old a couple weeks prior to the game. We had pretty good seats a couple rows back from the end zone that most of the scoring was done in. He sat through nearly the ENTIRE game and when it started raining, I tried to put a poncho over him but he kept shrugging it away. At that point I realized he was a true fan! He got on the jumbo screen a couple times, was high-fiving everyone around us... it was just a priceless time. He made it all the way to the middle of the fourth quarter when he finally fell asleep on my lap.

 

Outstanding!

 

What a great looking kid.

 

9/3/2000 - 16-13 win over the Titans - a last second win in the revenge game after Home Job Throw Forward, and the first ever TBD tailgate.

 

 

I was there. I was drunk. I harassed you. It was fun.

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

I was there. I was drunk. I harassed you. It was fun.

Yeah it was :beer: :beer: :beer:

http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/index.php?app=gallery&module=images&section=img_ctrl&img=216

Edited September 8, 2010 by JÂy RÛßeÒ

[FightinIrishBills]

God, I wish I was alive for this. I just love how they were saying the same things at the beginning of the 1980 season as they are this year. For the love of all that is good, let's hope we have the same kind of results this year as then.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBETnH4rB_Y

[GOBILLS78]

The first Bills opener I have a clear recollection of is 1986. Of course, that was Kelly's first game. It also included the "giving him the business" call. I'm pretty sure the referee was Fred Dreyfus, and he was calling the penalty on Joe Klecko. I didn't have season tickets yet, so I watched that one from home.

 

I think you're right on the season, but wrong on the game. The Bills opened that year at home against the Jets, but that famous call was made a month later in the Meadowlands.

[Buftex]

89 against Miami, Kelly scoring on the last play of the game to win would have to be my favorite opener.

 

 

Gotta agree...best opening day on the road...1980 win against the Phins, getting the monkey off their back, was the best home opener, for me. Kelly's first game was incredible too, even though we lost. I hope to god the game this Sunday is another classic! I love opening up against the Dolphins.

[Wing Man]

I would have to say Kelly's first game as a Bill. The energy in that stadium that day was incredible. There have been other times feeling that rush since then but it was personally the first time at Rich that I felt that kind of excitement in the air. Most of the other games I had been to previous to that were just lackluster and mellow.

Jim Kelly is God.

[Kelly the Dog]

God, I wish I was alive for this. I just love how they were saying the same things at the beginning of the 1980 season as they are this year. For the love of all that is good, let's hope we have the same kind of results this year as then.

 

youtube.com/watch?v=BBETnH4rB_Y

That was awesome. Thanks! Damn, those old NFL Films yearbooks with John Facenda were amazing.

[chris heff]

In the '30 years ago today' thread, many are chiming in on the end of Dolphin dominance in 1980. Got me thinking about Bills Opening Day games, and -as an old guy- I have seen many. Whole lotta bad memeories including some from this century: Jags & Broncos last plays and last years collapse @ NE.

 

But my all-time favorite wasn't actually a Day. '74 opener, with Howard, Giff & Dandy Don in the booth, we welcomed the previously MNF undefeated Oakland Raiders. They had HOFer's all over the place, including the grand old man, Blanda. A close game into the 4th, Fergy hit Rashad for the go-ahead score late. We got the ball back to run out the clock when diaster struck. Braxton fumbled and Art Thoms returned it for a Raider lead. I'n tellin' ya, you could have heard a pin drop in Rich.

 

Undaunted, Fergy -with the help of a couple typical unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on the Raiders- drove us right back down the field and hit Rashad AGAIN for a go-ahead score. Still, Snake Stabler led Oakland to a makeable, last second FG for the win. But the Grand Old Man missed right as the gun sounded! Still brings a thrill recollecting!!

 

I was at both of those games and both were great! Blanda missed a 47 yard field goal on his 47th birthday, BILLS WIN!!

 

I was at both of those games and both were great! Blanda missed a 47 yard field goal on his 47th birthday, BILLS WIN!!

Oh yeah, I forgot, 47 seconds on the clock.

[Charles Romes]

1992. Laughing our way to the stadium the only question was how much we were going to blow away the rams by. The bills knew they were going to blow out the rams. All the fans knew it was going to be a blowout and even the rams knew they were going to get blown out. And you know what happened. We blew them out. Game was over in less than a quarter. 40-7.