Another Fan Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 (edited) For me it was. My dad used to work in Buffalo for a bit so he was the one that introduced me to the Bills and their fans. He was never a big football fan but rooted for the Bills to win a Super Bowl during those years as it'd be good for the city. That's where the foundation of me liking the Bills was planted. Happy Father's Day/Weekend to all the Dads here. Edited July 3, 2018 by Another Fan 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlimShady'sSpaceForce Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 In the 60’s it was either the Bills or Giants on Rochester ?. I gravitated to the Bills So I guess since dad watched .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 He not only is the reason I’m a Bills fan but he is also the reason I’m alive I won the race! 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 It may sound odd to some, but it’s one of the things for which I am most thankful. Dad went from 2 to 4 seasons at the Rockpile when I was about 6, and I was SOLD! Sure, success has been rare and fleeting, but my obsession led to my kids obsession, which has led to a wonderful bond. You can’t put a price on that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Formation Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Yes, I'm a Bills fan 100% because of my Dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vorpma Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Season ticket holder from 1960 - 1988; just got tired of battling traffic on Sundays. In the 1960's growing in the Buffalo area you were a Bills fan, just as natural as Genesee Beer and chicken wings! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royale with Cheese Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Yes. I’ve never lived in Buffalo but that’s where my dad is from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSE Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Yes...Big fan, little patience, lots of beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 34 minutes ago, Another Fan said: For me it was. My dad used to work in Buffalo for a bit so he was the one that introduced me to the Bills and their fans. He was never a big football fan but rooted for the Bills to win a Super Bowl during those years as it'd be good for the city. That's where the foundation of me liking the Bills was planted. Happy Father's Day/Weekend to all the Dads here. Nope, Grandpa. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulus Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 4 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said: Yes. I’ve never lived in Buffalo but that’s where my dad is from. Ditto. Little known fact: Helping to make a kid a Bills' fan is a form of child abuse. Not according to federal law ... Yet. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloTX Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Growing up in Erie PA I probably would of been a Steelers fan if it wasn't for him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Goat Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 I'm a first-generation American and Dad didn't know what a football was until I was 8. He's still never watched an NFL game. "Futball?" Different story. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltonWaddams Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 My dad is the reason I am everything I am. Bills fan, world traveler, business-focused, family-first. He would go to games when I was a kid and, when they were on TV, I would spend the whole game scanning the stands to find him. As I got older, we went to games and listened on the radio and watched on TV with him. He's gone now, but I am proud to carry on his legacy. I wouldn't want to have lived my life any other way than as a Bills fan and as a son that followed his fathers great traditions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 No one in my family was much of a sports fan, being recent immigrants. I found the Bills on my own from TV and radio. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transplantbillsfan Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Yep... sure is. Grew up watching the Bills every Sunday with my Dad from the very late 80s throughout the 90s while I was still in school living at home. It was the Sunday ritual of waking up with the family, going out to breakfast, going to Church, coming home, watching pre game stuff, then butterflies for kickoff and dinner right after the game. It was an awesome tradition. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 1 hour ago, Augie said: It may sound odd to some, but it’s one of the things for which I am most thankful. Dad went from 2 to 4 seasons at the Rockpile when I was about 6, and I was SOLD! Sure, success has been rare and fleeting, but my obsession led to my kids obsession, which has led to a wonderful bond. You can’t put a price on that! As I re-read that, it occurs to me that some people have called me a terrible parent for exactly that! Screw ‘em, I say!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfod Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinceThe70s Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 I've shared this before but since you asked.... Yes, in an off hand way. Growing up on Long Island I first started watching football in the early 70's. Dad was from Chicago with no strong allegiance to da Bears. Jets and Giants weren't very good and devoid of superstars - Namath was on his last legs. I have a vague memory of him scoring on a naked bootleg in his last season as a Jet. Somehow I ended up being a "fan" of a different team each year for a few years until my Dad set me straight and told me that being a fan of the Super Bowl winner after the fact wasn't really being a fan. At the time I loved the Juice. The Bills were from NY, so I went all in on them. It's been a rough ride, but I don't regret it one bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boca BIlls Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 My father is a Patriots fan so no, i was a young kod in a bar with my father watching the Bils play in the snow as a kid. Thought it was so awesome i beca,e a fan of this team. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 58 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: Nope, Grandpa. Same. Spent every Sunday at my grand parents house listening to him complain about every play (good or bad). I think about how annoying it was as a kid and realize I've become that same grumpy old man. 5 minutes ago, Boca BIlls said: My father is a Patriots fan so no, i was a young kod in a bar with my father watching the Bils play in the snow as a kid. Thought it was so awesome i beca,e a fan of this team. Well at least it wasn't the other way around. I would have disowned you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teddy KGB Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Nope. My dad sounds like Akeem when he talks football 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Smith Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Actually it was my Mom who got me interested in Football around '87. I'm a artist because of her, she used to draw little football men with #32 on them and i would draw them back lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 (edited) In an indirect way, yes. My dad and I didn't get along great when I was a kid...and he always pretty much hated the Bills. Perhaps, as a form of rebellion, my brother and I loved them. My dad was one of those who always said "Ralph Wilson is a carpet-bagger", "OJ is a bum"... the more he hated them, the more we liked them. My dad was a police officer, and knew a lot of unsavory things about some Bills players. To his credit, he never told us a lot of the stories, until we were much older. He was hardly shocked that OJ would be accused of spousal abuse, or murder. He was never much of a huge footballl fan, college basketball was his favorite sport. My brother (8 years older than me) remembers that he was a Packers fan in the 60s...but never the Bills. He changed his tune a little, during the 90's Super Bowl era, because most of his VFW buddies were Bills fans, and they got sick of here him dog them...he wanted to be one of the gang. And, they were winning. The fact that his old buddy Ted Marciaborda (they were college friends at St Bonaventure) was hired by Marv Levy pleased him too. Dad really liked Marv a lot. In some ways, my father reminds me a little of Marv. My dad passed away a about 4 years ago. We got along great when he got older. He mellowed out a little. The last fathers day that he was around, I got him a Ted Marciabroda ""rookie" card. It was autographed....Chicago Cardinals! Edited June 17, 2018 by Buftex 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangarang Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 1 hour ago, Golden Goat said: I'm a first-generation American and Dad didn't know what a football was until I was 8. He's still never watched an NFL game. "Futball?" Different story. ? Same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crowing Rooster Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Red King Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Definately. And he taught me what it was like to be a faithful fan even during tough times. When I was two years old, my dad was transfered from Buffalo to Omaha, NE. I grew up there, where the popular team was "whoever was good that year". Caught a lot of hell for being a Bills fan, especially with Super Bowls XXV and XXVI. In '92 we moved back to Buffalo and got season tickets. He taught me everything about the game, answered every question. And now, I'm doing the same for my daughter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyC81 Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Unfortunately not. I think I was in 6th grade and in one of my classes the teacher made posters with the final score for each Bills game and there was discussion on Mondays about the previous day's game and I didn't have a clue about it. This was the 1968 season I believe. Then, the following year a classmate asked me who I thought was going to win the World Series and I responded with "Who's playing?". When he told me it was the NY Mets and Baltimore, I picked the Mets. Soon after I came home from school and my Dad was watching the Series and I sat down to watch so that was the first sports event I ever watched. I realized later that my Dad was only watching because he was in a pool at work. He didn't watch much other sports. Watching that Series though was the beginning of my obsession with sports. I guess it quickly got so bad that in high school a classmate said "All you talk about is sports. You 're like a Rick Azar!" Soon after that Mets series I watched the 1970 Knicks championship and the Stanley Cup winning Bobby Orr flying goal. Then came 1970 when both the Buffalo Braves and Sabres began. My Dad worked 2nd shift a lot which gave me access to the lone TV we had to watch these games. For Bills football on Sundays, he was usually hung over so I got to the TV first to watch but heard his grumbles. He would sit there and laugh at the Bills and ask me why I watched such a lousy team. I usually didn't get to watch any other games as he'd rather be watching Hee Haw or Lawrence Welk. I moved away after college and my dad went back to his childhood hobby of raising/racing pigeons. A member of his club was long-time Bills' trainer Eddie Abramowski. I guess he got my Dad interested in the Bills so on future visits during football season we'd actually watch the Bills together. He would also send me Bills' team photos he got from Abramowski. So, although Dad wasn't a Bills fan during my youth, that '69 Mets Series was what got me started into sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Without a doubt. My first words besides Mama and Dada were "Joe Ferguson". Somewhat fittingly, I was watching the Bills blow a big lead when I got the call that my father had passed away. Great topic, by the way. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aristocrat Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Yup. Rest In Peace dad! You’ve got two grand kids you’re missing out on but I’ll raise em like you raised me! Although not sure he’s approve of the mother being a pats fan! Ha. God i miss him. Just wish I could have one more day with him and not have the last memory be leaving him at the bar. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stank_Nasty Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 When my dad walked in the living room the tv had to be changed to anything other than football. So that’s a big NO for me. Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLbills Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 It was for me also, but my reason is a little backwards. My pops is from Western PA, so naturally he is a Steelers fan. I remember when I was about 7 or 8 (1984-85) and my dad was watching a game between the Bills and Steelers. I was trash talking to him and the Bills ended up winning. That was the first professional sports team that I can remember rooting for and I've been a loyal Bills fan ever since. I've never been to the state of New York much less Buffalo, although I can't wait until the opportunity presents itself. So, yes, I am a Bills fan because of my Dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 13 minutes ago, skibum said: Without a doubt. My first words besides Mama and Dada were "Joe Ferguson". Somewhat fittingly, I was watching the Bills blow a big lead when I got the call that my father had passed away. Great topic, by the way. Yes indeed. His specialty, and oh so timely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 No. My best friend and his family when I was growing up were from NY. I adopted all NY teams at an early age. The Yankees, the Knicks, but went a different route on the football team. They were all Jets or Giants fans. I picked the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Nope, my Dad isn't into sports, it's all me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerJ Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 My dad was many things, but football fan was not one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloFan32 Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 No, it was my mom. My parents met in college. He could care less about sports but she was a rabid Bills and Sabres fan. Raised me and my sister right! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills7834 Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 (edited) I grew up in WNY. I think I would have been a fan either way. My son @josh25 is a Bill's Fan because of me. I moved away with the military and he has only lived there for a short period. If you were at the Panther's game or the playoff game in Jax and tailgated you probably met him or saw him breaking tables. Edited June 17, 2018 by bills7834 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 I always love threads like this. I’m shocked by how many people are NOT native western New Yorkers. I also love the stories about the many posters who are multi-generational season tickets holders....and everything in between! BUT, regardless of where you grew up or how you got to this board, we all have that ONE THING in common, and that’s pretty cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abill in Denver Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Yes 100% the reason...and my son is too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 I have to say, for the last decade or two of my dad’s life, the Bills were the thing we had to both focus on. Life is/was difficult, his health was failing....we cherished our distraction. I would read then deliver my Bills Digest, he’d want the highlights when I arrived. He would buy every pre-draft publication he could find, then tell me all about guys he read about in a couple sentences. It’s about football, but it’s more about family. Amen. Miss you dad...... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts