ricojes Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 How could I forget about the Bandits! Went to a few championship games, but the 1st one at the Aud was the best.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThurmasThoman Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 great thread. only thing that even comes close to me was seeing tiger win the us open in 2008, draining that putt on 18 to force a playoff, on a bad knee. that was probably the single best moment ive ever had as a sports fan. can remember everything about the moment, who was there, how we reacted, just the pure joy of the moment. and if i had to rank, on a scale of 1-100, with 1 being the highest, my priorities in terms of who i want to win championships, its literally 1) bills 20ish) tiger woods 100) the new york knicks i mean, just the thought of the bills winning the superbowl... its a part of who i am. im a bills fan. some people follow teams, but i AM a bills fan. them winning would just be... i cant put it in words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 The New Jersey Devils. Also being 28 it's been amazing watching the career of one of the greatest goaltenders of all time, as well as several hall of fame defensemen. I think outside of championships when you can look back and say "My team had so and so who was one of if not the best at what he did" that's something to look fondly on. I'm a yankee fan but I lost my luster for baseball years ago, so I don't really count them. College football there's a few teams I watch regularly. Could care less about basketball. All in all though as much as I love my hockey team nothing will make me happier as a sports fan then the day The Bills win a superbowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphadawg7 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 First, a little background. I'm a native WNY'er that moved to NC back in '96, met a lovely Tarheel lass and was soon married. We were both passionate about our sports teams, for me it was the Bills, for her UNC men's basketball. We each adopted the other's team and became hard-core fans. Then came 2005 and the Tarheels won the NCAA basketball championship and it dawned upon me that this was the first in my life that a team I followed actually won a championship! It was if a weight had been lifted off of me! I was elated, walking around with a big grin for days afterwards, buying every Championship memorabilia I came across to cement the moment in my mind forever. Fast-forward to 2009 and the Tarheels win the Championship again. While I was very happy, it did not quite have that magical feeling as that first Championship. I was wondering if any other fellow Bills fans have had this experience (I was only a toddler when the Bills won the AFL titles) while rooting for another team or are you still waiting for the Bills/Sabres to lift that weight from your shoulders? LAKERS BABY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Beard Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I have a Syracuse diploma, and my daughter and her husband both have UConn diplomas. Big East Basketball! (Except that UConn basketball is in the toilet for the foreseeable future, and Syracuse is leaving the Big East} Even though most people would say it doesn't count, I also follow UConn women's basketball. They are a lot of fun to watch, since they beat almost everybody they play by huge margins (except for the two or three other dominant teams in women's bball). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tu-Toned Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 (edited) Bills Sabres (penguins close second) Pirates My Dad is a big Pittsburgh Sports Fan, and when the Pirates were playing the Orioles in the, I belive 70/71 series, I was a huge Orioles fan, Boog,Palmer later, etc..My Dad was mad as hell when they lost the first two games he was not happy and apparently my rooting for the orioles was really grating on him. So he told me he would give me $5.00 for every game the Pirates won after the first two. Wa La instant Pirate Fan, and they came back and won the series, and again in 79, by that time we had moved to Pittsburgh, I became a huge fan especially Clemente and got to see him play a bunch, an actually attended a 79 world series game. The 79 one was much more impactfull, but I was old enough (barely) to remeber the 64 and 65 AFL Bills Championships, remeber yes, comprehend, eh not so much. Was happy to see penguins win three cups, but make no mistake about it, if and when the Bills reach the pinnacle, I will probably wet myself with glee. Edited October 19, 2012 by Tu-Toned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goynahan Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Nope. Bills Sabres Indians Anything else I wouldnt take pride in ^^^This right here plus I'm a Pitt grad, so throw in continual Pitt Basketball tournament failures and a football team that hasn't done a thing either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I'm gonna have to say no. Bills, Sabres, Yankees. I'm not a hardcore fan of baseball though so I really don't count them winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRH Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 '86 Mets, '03 Orange. Also the '83, '87 and '96 Amerks. Laugh if you want. Those championships felt damn good. I agree with the posters who said Syracuse's win felt odd. I think we would have enjoyed '87 more. Just like I feel that even when/if the Bills and/or Sabres finally do win it all, it won't be as magical as if it had happened in the '90s when it was supposed to. Those kinds of scars just never leave you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Die hard Bills fan and Syracuse hoops....Carmello and crew gave me my only championship....that day felt great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffmonster Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I was born in 1980, so no I've never been able to see my team win the big one. Bills Sabres Pirates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RI Bills Fan Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Bills Sabres Red Sox Celtics I'm old enough to remember '64 & '65 so it's just the Sabres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clownments22 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 '86 Mets, '03 Orange. Also the '83, '87 and '96 Amerks. Laugh if you want. Those championships felt damn good. I agree with the posters who said Syracuse's win felt odd. I think we would have enjoyed '87 more. Just like I feel that even when/if the Bills and/or Sabres finally do win it all, it won't be as magical as if it had happened in the '90s when it was supposed to. Those kinds of scars just never leave you. Translation: when/if the Bills and/or Sabres finally do win it all, it still won't be good enough..... wth is that all about?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West End Stench Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 8 months ago. St. Bonaventure Basketball, A-10 Championship. Best. Sunday. Ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBear Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Never. Outside of the Bills, I am a die-hard UCLA basketball fanatic. My freshman year at UCLA was 1997. I attended every home game from '97-'02. Our last championship was in 1995, when I lived in Buffalo and UCLA wasn't even on my radar. Since I've been a fan, we've been to the Final Four three times (three straight years) and lost them all. Now were mired in mediocrity under the guidance of an inept athletic director (sound familiar, Bills fans?). The Bills, Sabres and UCLA Bruins (b-ball and football) are the only teams I have a legitimate rooting interest in. Given the state of things, I doubt I'll ever experience the ecstacy of a championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folz Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I had a good run in the 80s Celtics '81, '84, '86 Orioles '83 (I stopped watching the NBA so I can't count the most recent Celtics championship) And then I had a 20 year drought until... Syracuse (basketball) 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Nope. The closest was the University of Michigan's Co-National Championship Season (Nebraska) in 1997. I'm only hard core about the Bills and to a lesser degree, the Sabres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 NFL: Bills NHL: Sabres NBA: Nets MLB: Cubs I'm cursed..... Ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirate Angel Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Syracuse basketball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Maryland Hoops and Yankees Baseball I do not believe i will ever see a Buffalo team win a championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 First, a little background. I'm a native WNY'er that moved to NC back in '96, met a lovely Tarheel lass and was soon married. We were both passionate about our sports teams, for me it was the Bills, for her UNC men's basketball. We each adopted the other's team and became hard-core fans. Then came 2005 and the Tarheels won the NCAA basketball championship and it dawned upon me that this was the first in my life that a team I followed actually won a championship! It was if a weight had been lifted off of me! I was elated, walking around with a big grin for days afterwards, buying every Championship memorabilia I came across to cement the moment in my mind forever. Fast-forward to 2009 and the Tarheels win the Championship again. While I was very happy, it did not quite have that magical feeling as that first Championship. I was wondering if any other fellow Bills fans have had this experience (I was only a toddler when the Bills won the AFL titles) while rooting for another team or are you still waiting for the Bills/Sabres to lift that weight from your shoulders? Well if you are a Bills fan then you have enjoyed championship years . The Bills are AFC Champions 4 years straight that counts for something !! It would have just taken it to another place if they would have won the big one .. I can say that i was a huge fan of the Big Red Machine of the 70's Bench , Rose , Concepcion , Perez , Morgan , Gullet , AH those were the days !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 it's happened twice in my life: the '79 Pirates and the 2011 New Zealand All Blacks. The next closest thing would be the 76-77 Raiders. I loved the Raiders when Madden Coached them...but never as much as the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offside Number 76 Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I grew up a few blocks away from Shea Stadium (RIP), so I'm a Mets fan by default. I was 12 when they won it all in '86. All of my friends were Jets fans, but I wanted a team that actually played in New York. (Who knew that would be a punchline all these years later?) So I became a Bills fan in the early '80s. We all know the history there. I don't follow any other sports religiously, so I can't claim to be a fan of any other team. But I do know what it's like for one of "my teams" to win it all -- and there was no better feeling at 12. I bet the word "strike" in any context sends shivers down your spine. They had it all in '94... I have a friend who was an Expos fan and he hasn't gotten over it till this day. BA The words "strike" and "Fehr" are equally evil, and they do send shivers down my spine. Dammit, the Expos had it in 1994. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garchat80 Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 SU Hoops....Major expectations...1 title Mets... 86 for Me.... Islanders... The good ole days.... Sonics/Thunder: 79 Alabama Football: Many... Texas Rangers: The Bills of Baseball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExWNYer Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) One time in about 35-40 years of watching all 4 major sports has a team of mine won a Championship. The 1986 Mets (best baseball team ever) won, and I have been a Mets fan since about 1972. The Bills and Sabres may never win anything, and the way the Mets are going, they might never win again in my lifetime. I do however absolutely refuse, to be a fan of a team just because they win frequently, that is so f---king lame. Band wagon fans might be the biggest pet peeve I have ever had, especially when someone throws the Steelers or Cowboys in your face, and you know for a fact that they have never even been to the state those teams are from, and a few years earlier were fans of different team-who was winning then. Those types of wannabe fans are the lowest scum on the earth. '86 Mets This is me. Over 40 years of diehard fandom and only one pro championship to show for it...the '86 Mets. In order of joy that winning "the big one" would bring me: 1) Bills, 2) Sabres, 3) Mets Bills: I was born in '63 so I don't remember the '64 & '65 AFL Champion Bills...just what I've read & seen over the years and what my dad has told me. As much as I love my other teams, a Bills championship would taste better than all of the others combined. The '90 squad that made the team's first ever Super Bowl was awesome. The feeling of that time after the 51-3 rout of the Raiders was unreal. I honestly never thought I'd see the Bills make the Super Bowl in my lifetime. Ironically enough, it feels that way again. If they ever manage to win one, I don't know what I'll do I'll be so happy. Ah, one can dream... Sabres: I loved 'The French Connection' line of Perreault, Martin, & Robert in the '70s. Losing the '75 Stanley Cup to the hated Flyers really sucked as an 11 year old growing up in Grand Island. I remember the buzz in school when they made the finals...everyone was pumped. The 'No Goal' BS game in the '99 Cup Finals still irks me to no end. The Dallas Stars? Seriously?? Mets: I was only 6 when they won in '69 so I don't really recall that magical championship. I did fall in love with them around that time though because I saw them on TV and loved their uniforms plus they were a NY team and Buffalo didn't have a baseball team. The abusive love affair may have actually started around '73 when the Yogi Berra managed squad lost in seven to the A's. The '86 Mets are my only salvation. An NLCS for the ages in seven against the Astros and a thrilling World Series win in seven over the then "cursed" Red Sox. The 2000 WS was awful because it was to the Cowboys of baseball, the 'Evil Empire'...the Skanks. Braves (NBA): I was a diehard Buffalo Braves fan until they left town in the late '70s. I followed Randy Smith's career with the Clippers & Cavaliers but the NBA was dead to me at that point and still is to this day. College: I am also a lifelong, diehard of Alabama football. My mom was from Mobile, AL and I've followed them since the Bear Bryant days in the '70s. They have become a powerhouse again in recent years and although I love the championships, I'd trade them all for just one Bills SB win. When I watch them, I do marvel at the precision & execution and dream what it would be like to see the Bills play like that. The most euphoric feeling I've had recently that even comes close to the SB era Bills and the '86 Mets is the 2011 VCU Rams men's basketball team, my alma mater, who made it to the Final Four. What an unbelievable run that was as a "mid-major", knocking off several powerhouse programs in convincing fashion. I'm really looking forward to their inaugural season in the A-10 this year. So, although, my teams haven't won much, they are MY teams. I love them through thick and (mostly) thin. They are like family and I'll never change my allegiances. Edited October 20, 2012 by ExWNYer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's in My Blood Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Been a die hard Miami Heat fan since Shaq joined and won a title with Wade. Feels good knowing at least I can expect one of my teams (Bills, Heat, Sabres) to realistically being world champs again this year. Go Heat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcali Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Football: Buffalo Bills Hockey: Buffalo Sabres NBA: Boston Celtics Baseball: Montreal Expos Only the Celtics have ever given me the joy of pulling for a team, start to finish, and winning it all. As a Buffalo kid growing up in the 70's, I loved the Buffalo Braves, and loathed the Celtics. My older brother (9 years older than me) was a big Celtics fan, before there was a Buffalo Braves. We fought constantly (though, to his credit, my brother always rooted for the Braves too!)....when the Braves left for San Diego, I was crushed. As a kid, basketball was my favorite sport to play, so, conversely, the Braves/NBA was my favorite sport (though Bills were very close)...I tried for a season to be a Clippers fan, but in those days, it was almost impossible to follow a west-coast basketball team on the east coast. It was a perfect storm in 1980...the Braves were gone, my family got cable, Larry Bird was the new kid on the NBA block...the only NBA team you could follow regualarly was the Boston Celtics, so I sold my sould to the devil, and adopted the Celtics. My brother was happy! And, I had the pleasure of watching one of the greatest teams in basketball history, for about 4 years, win a couple of titles...it was exillerating. Some of the funnest days of my youth...long before the days of the internet, being the geek that I was, I used to key in on a different Celtics player every night, and keep my own "unofficial stats". You just couldn't find that stuff (up to date anyway) easily back then. It was awesome! I really loved the 2008 Celtics championship run too...but I have to say (and maybe this is an age thing) the thing that was so remarkable about that, was how little resonance it really had. I enjoyed the hell out of it...sitting in my living room in the middle of hot-ass Texas, watching KG and Company shock the Lakers! IIRC, it was a Tuesday or Wednesday night....by 11:30pm that night, after watching some post-game interviews, I was already in bed, worrying about waking up for work...next day, ESPN was already talking about next season, and who the team to beat was, blah, blah, blah... Believe me, I can think of few things that would get me as worked up as the Bills, or Sabres, winning a championship...but I always wonder, if it happnend if it would mean as much to me as winning one back in "the day" when everything seemed to have more meaning. btw- I don't really follow baseball much any more....if somebody held a gun to my head and made me pick a team, it would likely be the Yankees...for no other reason than the fact that most of my friends and family, who are baseball fans, pull for the Yanks. It is fun to see them win...but I don't live or die with them. man......i feel for you re the expos---what yr was that?? they had the best team in the league then a strike????/ cruel ME----Sabres-zip Bills---not sure 64 and 65 count as major championship---altho i was following them already at age 6. As---started following them in 68--so 72,73,74,89--------been a lonnng time--- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 The only other football I ever had passion for was the USFL Philly/Balt Stars. And unlike the Bills, they dominated their league, appeared in all 3 championship games and won two of them. QB Chuck Fusina RB Kelvin Bryant LB Sam Mills P Sean Landetta C Bart Oates and head coach Jim Mora (Sr.) A lot of talent there PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillsSD Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Bills, Sabres, Irish growing up so nope there, wasn't a fan of ND until after the '88 season. SInce moving to San Diego I have adopted the Padres and Clippers and as a SDSU student I am a fan of the Aztecs. The first team to win it all will have a special place in my heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjmac Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 First, a little background. I'm a native WNY'er that moved to NC back in '96, met a lovely Tarheel lass and was soon married. We were both passionate about our sports teams, for me it was the Bills, for her UNC men's basketball. We each adopted the other's team and became hard-core fans. Then came 2005 and the Tarheels won the NCAA basketball championship and it dawned upon me that this was the first in my life that a team I followed actually won a championship! It was if a weight had been lifted off of me! I was elated, walking around with a big grin for days afterwards, buying every Championship memorabilia I came across to cement the moment in my mind forever. Fast-forward to 2009 and the Tarheels win the Championship again. While I was very happy, it did not quite have that magical feeling as that first Championship. I was wondering if any other fellow Bills fans have had this experience (I was only a toddler when the Bills won the AFL titles) while rooting for another team or are you still waiting for the Bills/Sabres to lift that weight from your shoulders? The only teams that I've been a fan of to win championships are the Yankees and Celtics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 The only other football I ever had passion for was the USFL Philly/Balt Stars. And unlike the Bills, they dominated their league, appeared in all 3 championship games and won two of them. head coach Jim Mora (Sr.) PTR You mean they made the playoffs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SACTOBILLSFAN Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Bills - no Cubs - HAHA thanks to my mother for this allegiance and the reason I moved to Chicago this year. Sabres - Nope I lived in San Antonio for 2 Spurs championships and those parties were crazy even though I am not an NBA fan. It was the experience of these championships that make me want to be in Buffalo or Chicago when we finally win it all. I will either be in Wrigley (I'll pay whatever I need to pay) or drinking with fellow Bills fans in the city of Buffalo the next time the Bills go to the Super Bowl because I have no desire to be in a stadium full of a bunch of corporate honks that aren't actual fans and I feel that environment would leave something to be desired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanM.D. Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Lakers - because of magic too Yankees - Italian and all of my extended family is yanks fans Bills - moms family is from olean Yeah I have enjoyed many a championship but I don't think any of them will compare to the bills winning the super bowl. As an aside I use to get called a bandwagon fan all the time - until people found out I was a bills fan.., and then they just felt bad for me lol I'm with you on all three. As for the bandwagon claims I get the same response. Someone invariably will ask me about the Yanks and Lakers and give me a bunch of crap about it.....then they find out I'm crazy about the Bills....and the response is...."Oh." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xsoldier54 Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I forgot to mention the Hornell HS Red Raiders football team. 1972 grad of the three time defending NYS Class B Champions. Undefeated so far this year too. That makes 47 straight wins and counting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikecole1 Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) I'm a Heat fan originally from WNY who has travelled from Carolinas to attend numerous games in MIA -- no bandwagon jumper as I've been with them dating back to 95 and the beginning of the Riley era. Suffered through 15-67 as well as exalted during the two titles. Edited October 20, 2012 by mikecole1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Can we take note of all those that can no longer mock bandwagon fans of other teams? You know, the ones with no ties or connections to several of the perennial powerhouses listed as their favorite teams? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 The first team I ever loved was the Atlanta Braves. Dale Murphy was pretty much my hero growing up back in the early 80s, and those teams with Dale, Bruce Horner, Chambliss, Washington, Butler, Ramirez, Hubbard, Benedict, and Joe Torre were awesome. Losing to the Blue Jays and Twins in the first two series' was pretty painful, but then in '95 we finally got it done...pretty amazing feeling. Bills fan since '85....0-fer. Flyers fan since '96....0-fer Sixers fan since '96....0-fer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overseas Bills Fan Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 First, a little background. I'm a native WNY'er that moved to NC back in '96, met a lovely Tarheel lass and was soon married. We were both passionate about our sports teams, for me it was the Bills, for her UNC men's basketball. We each adopted the other's team and became hard-core fans. Then came 2005 and the Tarheels won the NCAA basketball championship and it dawned upon me that this was the first in my life that a team I followed actually won a championship! It was if a weight had been lifted off of me! I was elated, walking around with a big grin for days afterwards, buying every Championship memorabilia I came across to cement the moment in my mind forever. Fast-forward to 2009 and the Tarheels win the Championship again. While I was very happy, it did not quite have that magical feeling as that first Championship. I was wondering if any other fellow Bills fans have had this experience (I was only a toddler when the Bills won the AFL titles) while rooting for another team or are you still waiting for the Bills/Sabres to lift that weight from your shoulders? 1986 Mets, 1997 Arizona Wildcats (my alma mater), Carmelo's Syracuse Orangemen BB team. . .Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm. . .that's it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 92-93 Jays. Haven't had a better feeling in sports since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpberr Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Been a Spurs fan since 1986. The Spurs are discounted every year. Robinson/Duncan too nice, Spurs too boring, too old, etc. Four championships under their belt and they always contend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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