Do you remember the first football game you went too?

[vorpma]

2 hours ago, nucci said:

September '69 vs Broncos

OJ Simpson got his first 100 yard game!

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

Tom Janik says hi. I was a gopher in the press box at the time. All of nine years old and lovin life.

What an awesome pick! I met Janik, what a great guy!

[transient]

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/The-Top-10-Coldest-games-in-Bills-history/25ded906-a507-4e3f-955d-2490123ae81d

 

"2. Dec. 26th 1993 – vs. N.Y. Jets, 9 degrees, wind chill of minus-28
It was a tightly contested back and forth game in the bitter cold of Orchard Park. Jim Kelly led a 10-play 71-yard drive to open the game that was capped by a two-yard Thurman Thomas touchdown run. The Jets answered with a touchdown drive of their own with a 24-yard TD pass from Boomer Esiason to Johnny Johnson to tie it late in the first quarter (7-7).  From there three Buffalo turnovers helped keep the game close for New York as they posted a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery. Former Bills receiver Chris Burkett gave the Jets their only lead of the game in the third quarter on a six-yard touchdown catch from Esiason (14-13).  Steve Christie’s third field goal of the day however, would prove to be the winning points as he hit from 40 yards away with 3:48 left. Cary Blanchard had a shot to win it for the Jets with under a minute to play, but missed a 42-yard attempt to give the Bills a 16-14 victory and their fifth AFC East title in six years."

 

I had bought the tickets for my family as a Christmas present.  Blanchard missed a few kicks that day, IIRC.  I can remember the punts, kickoffs, and FGs/FG attempts that day echoing with a dull "thunk" sound throughout the stadium and thinking that has GOT to hurt.  Was drinking hot chocolate and whiskey poured from a thermos to a styrofoam cup at the game, and if you didn't finish it within a minute or two it turned into a slushy.  Froze my goddamn right foot.  Walked a mile to the parking lot afterward on what felt like a stump cut off at my ankle, and when the feeling finally started to come back on the ride home it felt like someone was holding a blow torch to it.  Good times.

[Augie]

It’s funny, I clearly remember all the buses, people, cars parking in yards and walking up to the stadium, but not the game itself. All those game day memories when I was so young in the mid 60’s run together. But the first time seeing all those people and walking up to the main gates was bigger than life. 

[Kkspike]

6 hours ago, Bullpen said:

1979 Bills versus the Bears. Bears won 7-0. Eight year old me, should have taken that as a sign for the overall mediocrity I was going to live with most of my life!    I did get to see Walter Payton play in person though, so there's that.

October 7 1979 Walter Payton jump over the pile in the fourth quarter for a bears win.I was eight years old and my dad took me to my first bills game.

[billsfan1960]

In 1956 at the age of 10, was an exhibition game held in Civic Stadium between Lions with Bobby Layne as QB and I think Howard Cassidy also played against the Redskins, attended with my dad and two of of his friends.

[RevWarRifleman]

Broncos at the Rockpile, Sept. 1966. Loved it. Great atmosphere.

[BUFFALOKIE]

1980. Dolphins. First and last. And i remember absolutely nothing. I was 7.

[zow2]

It was vs. the Jets at the Rockpile.  My grandfather took me, he had season tix.  I remember seeing Namath, he was a big deal and the Jets were wearing all white. 

[GottaRun]

Dec 12, 2004 against Cleveland.  Every year my wife would go for a girls weekend and I would make sure to get a Leafs ticket if they were in town that weekend.

 

That was the year of the NHL lockout & I was looking for something to do, so I grabbed a single seat for my first Bills game.  Soon as I saw the place I was hooked.  The flags flying, the unique vehicles all dressed up for game day, smoke rising all over the place, people just flat out having a good time (some of them just flat out).   I was amazed at how friendly most people were.  Being on my own and being against Cleveland I had no trouble moving to different seats all around the stadium.   Sat in my actual seat (40 yard line front row - hated it) ultimately ended up in the upper deck corner talking with some Browns fans. 

Called the Bills ticket office that week and got my first season tickets. 

[Paul Costa]

Sept 28th 1969 vs. the Broncos. 8 years old. OJ was my idol ?I remember the Bills won!!!

[HOUSE]

Oakland -Bills 1968, GOODBYE COLLIER

[MattM]

10 hours ago, The Poojer said:

might not be the first, but the first i went to 'by myself'.  In the early 70's i loved Fran Tarkenton....Minnesota came to Buffalo for a snow game(Chuck Foreman hurdled over a snowball that was thrown).  I was in 7th Grade at AV Zogg MS in Liverpool.  My folks let me leave school early, put me on a greyhound, made me sit directly behind the bus driver.  Took the bus to buffalo, my Aunt and Uncle picked me up.  We went to the game in their season tickets, and there i was in my Purple and Gold toque.  I loved the Bills, but Tark was my man!  One of my fondest memories

 

 

http://www.twincities.com/2014/10/15/vikings-chuck-foreman-still-struck-by-75-snowball-fiasco/

I was actually at that game, too, with a grade school friend of mine--we were so wrapped up in snowmobile suits that we looked like Ralphie's brother on "A Christmas Story".  How we got to pee that day without it taking a full quarter to take it all off and put it all on, I'll never know.

 

My actual first game, however, was during the last year at the Rockpile.  We saw Johnny U stomp us 17-0, the same score of my second game against Miami the following year.  It was only at my 3rd game one further year later (one game a year--our big annual father-son Bills game trip) that I actually saw them score.  A 16-7 or so victory over the Dick Butkus-led Bears.

 

Our seats for my first game were in the very top row of War Memorial Stadium--I could literally look over the back to the street below.

 

Other than the losing, good times, man, good times.....

[Livinginthepast]

First football game was CFL Ticats vs Alouettes in 1979 in Hamilton. An incredible game where the Ticats scored on a long punt return TD and then the Als took the ensuing kickoff back for TD. First Bills game was in 1983 vs the Saints when my dad took me on his engineering company's party bus. As a  naïve 15 year old I was astonished by how much those guys could drink, they were completely wasted. The Bills eked out a victory but Saints threw a couple of hail Mary's right near the end and almost got a lucky TD. On the way home the drunken engineers forced the bus driver to pull over on the side of the QEW so they could take a massive communal pee at the roadside.

[BuffaloRush]

Oh yeah it was 1992, opening day fresh off of the Super Bowl 26 appearance.  The Bills took on the LA Rams and it was a bloodbath.  An absolutely gorgeous day in a packed house and a great Bills win

[Doc Brown]

My first game also happened to be Jim Kelly's first game at home against the Jets in '86.  Great game but we lost.  Believe it or not, a few drunk fights broke out.

[BillsPride12]

Bills Redskins 1996, the last hurrah for the Jim Kelly Marv Levy era...I think the Redskins were like 7-1 or something like that heading into the game and we kicked their ass that night(pretty sure it was a night game? or it definitely had to have been at least a 4pm start) but I was hooked for life after that one and forever thankful I at least got to see one glory years era Bills game even if I was pretty young and the team was already past it's prime at that point.

[Helpmenow]

4 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

I was at that game!  I remember it was freezing....but as a kid I still loved every second of it.

I was at this game and the score was 21-21. I was on the bills sideline with chief bills photographer Robert L Smith.  I was a young buck

5 hours ago, LittleJoeCartwright said:

Bills hosted the St Louis Cardinals in 1971.  Alvin Wyatt returned a punt for a TD.

The guy had the strangest face mask 

2 hours ago, BUFFALOKIE said:

1980. Dolphins. First and last. And i remember absolutely nothing. I was 7.

I ran on the field for that game

Taking a bus from Sunnyside restaurant to the rockpile

[Helpmenow]

[BuffaloFan68]

Barely remember my first Bills game at the Rockpile. The only thing I really remember was it was against the Patriots and stupid freezing cold & the place would go nuts everytime OJ would have a good run. 

My first game at Rich stadium was pretty similar but everyone would stand & stomp the aluminum bench seats while chanting, "JUICE, JUICE, JUICE, JUICE".  I remember thinking that it could be heard for at least a mile.  

[PRBills]

Went to my first game in 91 or 92, i was only 9 years old or so and was just overwhelmed by the experience and atmosphere that I honestly cwnt remember anything about the actual game! I was in complete awe over everything going on...

 

First game I actually remember was December 17, 1995 Bills vs Dolphins... It was cold and it was miserable. It was a blizzard that day, and you would literally freeze to your seat. It was difficult to enjoy the game but I roughed it out! It was my 13th birthday present! Oh and the Bills won 23-20

[stevewin]

21 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Bills 1969 home opener vs Joe Namath and the Jets at War Memorial. Kemp was QB. Bills lost 33-19 I think.

 

I was 10 and my 16 year old sister and I walked from the Broadway-Fillmore area where we lived to Jefferson and Best. It was a gorgeous day and as we got closer there were more and more folks walking along with us.

 

I recall the scramble during every FG or XP to catch the football. They didn't have nets then.

My first was also Joe Namath and the Jets at War Memorial.  It might have actually been this game.  I was extremely young and only remember one thing from the experience - we were close to the field, not sure if it was warmups - I remember it was muddy, and my Dad earnestly said something to the effect "Look over there, that's Joe Namath.  Remember that you saw him, he's very famous"

[plenzmd1]

did not read whole thread, but mine was at the Rockpile as well. Cold as hell outside, had to pay someone $5 "to watch our car"..kid my age right in front of me carrying his ticket in his hand had it snatched. To this day my ticket is always in my front pocket with hand on it LOL.

 

Remeber pleading with my uncle and father to let me and my brother go to the endzone and try to catch a football after the kick..no dice

[Dadonkadonk]

1980 Pre-season. Bills vs Steelers after they just won the SuperBowl the previous year

[Repulsif]

It was at London 2(?) years ago.

1st football game I saw was SBXXV

[Beast]

1977 opening game vs. Fish. I was a 10year old just in awe of being at the stadium watching the Bills.

 

Miami 13, Bills 0 in the rain.

 

 

[Blaise321]

1968, a September home game  against the jets. Bills won 37-35. It was their only win that season.

[Chandler#81]

18 hours ago, ticketssince61 said:

 

 That was my 2nd game. Lost 29 to 7

In 1968 I was 6 years old.

 

I still vividly remember my father RIP saying "I think it's time you go to a Bills game. How about Joe Namath and the Jets"

 

Won 37-35. Bills had 3 pick sixes against Joe Willie - including one over 100 yards by Tom Janik.

 

That was the only game we won that year

Awesome 1st Game. Yes, Namath threw 3 Pick 6’s in our lone win of the season, while the Jets went on to win the Super Bowl in January. That was our bragging rights that year. Well that, and being bad enough to draft OJ!

[Agent 91]

Oilers 95 I THINK. I wasnt really a football fan yet but a coach gave me his 2 tickets and my uncle took me.  I remember the talk that they weren't going to play Thurman unless he wanted his 1k yards. I also remember Russell Copeland getting blown up on a punt return. 

[Chandler#81]

14 hours ago, Paul Costa said:

Sept 28th 1969 vs. the Broncos. 8 years old. OJ was my idol ?I remember the Bills won!!!

Kemp threw 3 TD passes. 

[LabattBlue]

On 12/7/2017 at 11:02 AM, frostbitmic said:

1971 Baltimore Colts @ Buffalo Bills at the old rockpile.

 

We had goal line seats which would've been great at the other end of the field. The Bills lost 43-0 and every point scored except for one FG was at the other end. I was thrilled though because I was a Baltimore Colts fan. That ended when they moved to Indianapolis.

This was also my first Bills game...and only game I saw at the rockpile.  I went with my dad and some other people.  I remember sitting in the "concrete steps for seats" endzone, where about twice as many people jammed into a row.

[TigerJ]

I can't remember the exact year, but I know it was in the early 80s.  I was about 30 years old.  It was a Monday night game versus the Jets.  The Bills were terrible, which made for a terrible game.  It was a sellout, so Rich Stadium was filled with angry fans.  There were no restrictions on beer sales at the stadium, so fans were not only angry.  A lot of them were drunk and angry.  I don't drink, but I think I could almost have gotten drunk on beer fumes that night.  Fans were throwing full cups of beer through the air.  There were fights all around.  The Bills initiated limits on alcohol sales after that game.  It was terrible beyond belief.

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197011080buf.htm

 

Bills vs Bengals at the Rockpile.  This was a present for my 8th birthday.  We were in maybe the 2nd or 3rd row behind the Bills bench.  OJ injured a knee during a kickoff return just before halftime, and they brought him off the field right in front of us.  The team folded after that and we got outscored 20-0 in the 2nd half.

 

I still have the penant somewhere.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2017 by JÂy RÛßeÒ

[Agent 91]

On 12/7/2017 at 10:52 AM, DocLawless said:

My first NFL game/Bills game was in 1995 when I was 10 years old. Saw the Bills beat the Falcons at Rich Stadium. At the end of the game Jim Kelly threw an interception and then arm tackled the guy who was returning the pick, and it turned out to be a freak accident and he compound fractured his leg. 

I remember that!!! Sideline hit.I was 11 watching on Tv

[bice]

first game was jets vs browns (kosar browns and they heavy fav's-the jets beat em, hariltity ensued in the parking lot after the game with jet fans ragging on the brown fans) first bills game, the week after the jets's byrd was paralyzed, they played the bills-bills were heavy favs in that game, but you could just see their hearts were not in it, they basically let the jets win.

great question btw

[KD in CA]

The first one I remember was at Shea Stadium with my Dad around '83.  Joe Cribbs caught the winning TD right in front of us in the last minute.

 

Some douchy old Jets fans was irritated that the seats next to him got sold to Bills fans.  Haha

[DocLawless]

On 12/7/2017 at 11:25 AM, bmur66 said:

That wasn't a freak accident. That was Jim Kelly.

Are you saying that Jim Kelly meant to break his leg on an arm tackle? Maybe I am misunderstanding you. 

[T-Bomb]

I went to a Bills practice at Rich Stadium before Kelley showed up.

 

Wish I could remember my first game but I can't, I've probably only been to about 20-30 Bills games, stopped going in the early 2000's.  iirc my last game was a Redskins game, Bills won, forgot the year...

 

The game I remember most was the comeback game, almost left at halftime.

[bmur66]

3 hours ago, DocLawless said:

Are you saying that Jim Kelly meant to break his leg on an arm tackle? Maybe I am misunderstanding you. 

I am just saying Jim was a bad ass. How many QBs tackle the guy that intercepted his pass? Actually if I remember correctly he shoved him out of bounds 

Edited December 9, 2017 by bmur66

[CLTbills]

Bills-Colts, I want to say '96 or '97. I was either Six or seven at the time. Bills were down 26-0 and came back to win. I think Alex Van Pelt played QB for the Bills that day. And thus began my love of the Bills, and all of the resulting misery. ?‍♂️ 

Edited December 10, 2017 by CLTbills

[WotAGuy]

On 12/7/2017 at 7:48 PM, HOUSE said:

Oakland -Bills 1968, GOODBYE COLLIER

This is my earliest game memory too.  Biggest impression was how dingy and depressing the stadium was and then to catch a glimpse of the bright green field and to see the Bills uniforms in color instead of B&W. Bills lost 48-6. 

Edited December 10, 2017 by WotAGuy