texasabres Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 For me, 1980 playoff game against San Diego. Cried for hours as a kid when the Bills lost. I'd been following for years before that, but that moment was the "all in" moment for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I've got shoes older than you. Ha, me too! 22 yr old black leather work boots that I keep buffed up when I go out in jeans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Joe Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 (edited) When I was 8 and 9 in '64 and '65 my family would go to Uncle Joe's for Sunday dinner in Bloomfield, NJ. While the rest of the family was doing the gathering around the dinner table Uncle Joe and I would go watch some football on the black and white. We would watch the Bills with that great cold weather defense. Uncle Joe would point out all the great players on those AFL championship teams. I remember the conservative offense with Jack Kemp, then bam, if we needed some instant offense the Bills would bring in the mad bomber. Great 1-2 punch. I was heartbroken when Lamonica went to Oakland. Back on the block I would play bulldog in the snow with my buddies all the while reliving those cold weather Bills games. I moved with my family to Oregon but never lost my love for cold weather football. My freshman year in college, 1973, I watched MNF with my college buddies while OJ and the Electric Company lit it up further cementing my fandom. I went back to Jersey my senior year. When I saw my Uncle Joe and told him, "You should be proud of me I'm still a Bills fan!" He said, "I was never a Bills fan. I'm a Giant's fan. I was just showing you how good they were." The Buffalo Bills - they had me in 1964. Edited June 30, 2013 by Uncle Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kemp Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 (edited) Grew up in NYC and I'm back here again. In 1963, I saw Kemp playing and became a Bills fan because his name is similar to mine. Still get annoyed when I remember them getting blown out by the Chiefs and failing to meet the Packers in the first Super Bowl, even though it wasn't called that, then. Edited June 30, 2013 by Kemp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridabillsfan1 Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 When I moved from Rochester to Florida I was 10 years old . I was too young to understand that the dolphins and Bills were division rivals yet there was something in me that had me HATE the Dolphins . That was in the 80s and the Bills sucked but that is when I knew this was my team . My dilemma now is what do I do with my 3 year old son ? Make him a Bills fan living in FL ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Hansen Forever Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I remember my father getting free tickets from Buffalo Electric for the Rockpile, when I was five. We sat behind the steel pier by the 10 yard line. 10% of the field was blocked by the pier and I remember hearing the "Hit heard 'round the world", but not until the internet did I ever see the play. So that would make me a Bills fan since 1962. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Attended the day they played their first game at War Memorial Stadium right after they changed the name from Civic Stadium. Got off the #12 East Utica bus at the Jefferson Ave. stop, walked a few blocks past residences with men with folded newspapers waving drivers to park cars on their front lawns for a couple of bucks. My dad and brothers bought the cheapest tickets and were awed by the improvements to the stadium (last time we were there was for stock car races), the greeness of the field and the size of the players! I was twelve. Even at that age, I knew that with a coach named Buster Ramsey, we were not bound to be good, any too soon. I delivered the Courier-Express from 1959-1962 and read every Bill's article. It amazes me, looking back, that the Bills actually began their long run on the Eastside, my childhood home, but so working class and so not Orchard Park. It has been 48 years since I saw a live Bill's game. My brother and I and our sons have tickets for the Carolina game in September. We will fly in from Portland and Ashland, Oregon, Westchester County, New York and Edgewater, FL. to down a beef on weck with a Jenny and tell lies in Orchard Park. Will we visit Jefferson and Best Sts and lay a wreath for the Old Man? We might. Great! Brought tears to my eyes. God I'm a sap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kemp Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 (edited) My favorite personal memory was attending OJ's game at Shea when he went over 2,000 yards. I wonder whatever happened to him. Edited June 30, 2013 by Kemp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 All from the memory of a 67 year old Bills fan. living in British Columbia, Canada... was raised in Amherst (Snyder), New York. I played football at Park School and one year at Cornell. After the Buffalo Bisons went out of business with the old All-American Professional Football Conference (around 1946-1950), Western New York was desperate to have another Pro-team here. I was only 5 when it folded, but my Dad went to some of their games at the old Civic stadium - later War Memorial stadium. Anyways, he took me to a pro exhibition game there in around the late 50's. Bobby Lane played for the Detroit Lions... I remember trying to get an autograph from him on the field and he just brushed me by. I was not a Bobby Lane fan after that incident, even though the Bills uniforms at the beginning in 1960 had the same colors as the Lions had. Silver and Columbia Blue. Ralph Wilson was a Detroit guy and obviously that must have been an influence. In 1959 - the Bills opened up training camp at the ???? Motor Inn... It was right off the Thruway. I think it might have been called the Blasdell Motor Inn. I would hitchhike there from Amherst whenever I could to see them practice. I think a guy by the name of Buster Ramsay was their coach. In the first couple - three years of existence, the Bills would hold a sort of MEET YOUR BILLS night. They had all kinds of skills competitions going on between the players. They would see who could kick the longest, run the fastest..(Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion was one of the fastest) and I believe one of the receivers threw the football the longest...it have been RAY RENFREW??? I attended almost every game until 1964. It could be wild there at the open end zone where the auto racing track still remained. Those were the cheap seats... splinter filled bleacher seats. You could bring in your own beer and yes, even in glass bottles. Well around the 2nd or 3rd year, the Bills record was poor and the Bills were being "kicked again"... and Buster was still coaching them. The fans started singing in unison "GOOD BYE BUSTER" .... "WE'RE SORRY TO SEE YOU GO", etc. . Someone threw the first bottle onto the asphalt track and within seconds, there were so many bottles flying that the undermanned City of Buffalo cops were simply over whelmed and couldn't really arrest any one as there were so many "people" throwing bottles. When the Bills got Kaufman, Gilchrist, Wray Carlton, Joe Sestak, Stratton, Maguire, Ken Rice and Coach Lou Sabin... they turned it around. I was in attendance for their first AFL championship win. This September, I'll be flying in with my son for the opener against the Patriots. Yes, they used to be called the Boston Patriots. Anyways, we'll be joining 15 other family members who live as far away as Hawaii, California, Texas and DC. Gary Mols Treadway Motor Inn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26TrapDraw Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I was 9 yrs old in 1985 and was in pop warner football. The yr they took Bruce and then all the other pieces fell into place. I was just learning about football but even then I could tell they were gonna be awesome. I was hooked. Now 30 yrs later here I sit absolutely hooked like a terrible drug addiction waiting for the next period of greatness to start. they say its cyclical in the nfl but this cycle must be the long version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills fan since 87 Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 When I moved from Rochester to Florida I was 10 years old . I was too young to understand that the dolphins and Bills were division rivals yet there was something in me that had me HATE the Dolphins . That was in the 80s and the Bills sucked but that is when I knew this was my team . My dilemma now is what do I do with my 3 year old son ? Make him a Bills fan living in FL ? YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 When I was about 8 years old, my brother and I got one of those old Buffalo Bills posters out of the Sunday comics section of the Buffalo (Evening) News. I think it was an Al Cowlings poster. We were just getting started as fans at the time what with both of us being pretty young and having just moved to Buffalo. Shortly after hanging it on our bedroom wall I developed a stigmata on my forearm in the shape of the standing Bills logo. Naturally I took it as a sign from the Holy Spirit. I have remained devout, particularly on autumn Sundays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I was 9 yrs old in 1985 and was in pop warner football. The yr they took Bruce and then all the other pieces fell into place. I was just learning about football but even then I could tell they were gonna be awesome. I was hooked. Now 30 yrs later here I sit absolutely hooked like a terrible drug addiction waiting for the next period of greatness to start. they say its cyclical in the nfl but this cycle must be the long version. I know your concerned about the pain and anguish being a Bills fan will most certainly bring to your son, but you have no choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turdferguson Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I was 6 years old for the 1990 season an I remember watching super bowl 25 and wide right I was so nervous for the kick I had to put my hand over my eyes but peeked. I was hooked from then on. I remember being a little kid and thought the bills go to the super bowl every year I was so shocked for super bowl 29 that we weren't in it. Now my little guy is two and I'm hoping we turn it around and are great in the next four years so he can grow up watching awesome bills teams. I wanna take him to games but think I'll be getting some club seats sitting in the crowd is no place for kids but I love sitting there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybee Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I was 6 years old for the 1990 season an I remember watching super bowl 25 and wide right I was so nervous for the kick I had to put my hand over my eyes but peeked. I was hooked from then on. I remember being a little kid and thought the bills go to the super bowl every year I was so shocked for super bowl 29 that we weren't in it. Now my little guy is two and I'm hoping we turn it around and are great in the next four years so he can grow up watching awesome bills teams. I wanna take him to games but think I'll be getting some club seats sitting in the crowd is no place for kids but I love sitting there Reading all of these posts...from young and old fans. It just puts a chill up my damn spine. What a great fan base we have here. One of the top threads I've seen at TBD since I joined a few months back. Fantastic ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I watched my first NFL game about 44 years ago. It was Dallas versus Cleveland. When I turned on the set, the Browns were getting spanked so, like any other little kid in that situation, I started rooting for the underdog. The Browns came back to win and I was hooked. So at a young age, despite growing up in Cheektowaga, I was as much a Browns fan as a Bills fan. But when I went away to college in the late 1970s, I started identifying more with the Bills as my hometown team. And when the Brownies moved to Baltimore, my remaining connection to them was forever severed. I've been a die-hard monogamous Bills fan ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 ^^^^^^ "Monogamous Bills Fan" Reading all of these posts...from young and old fans. It just puts a chill up my damn spine. What a great fan base we have here. One of the top threads I've seen at TBD since I joined a few months back. Fantastic ! It's great to have you aboard Jaybee. You've really added a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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