fansince88 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 We have seen many posts over the years of where are you or how long have you been a fan but I dont recall anything like this so here we go. I was 13 years old in 1983 and was pulled out of a public school due to bad grdes and even worse direction I was headed. My parents put me in a private school 3 miles from my home where I met my life lonf friend Jimmy. He was a pastors son and a diehard Giants fan and eventually the best man at my wedding with the wife he set me up with. I had never watched a full football game before that year. We would hangout after church on sunday and ALWAYS catch a Giants game. You see he was from the Jersey shore area and I was from Long Island. We both moved to NNY when we were very young. So beginning in 83 I would always watch the games with him. Earned most of what I know about the sport in the next 4 years. Then in 1988 we were hanging together watching thw 1st game of the year and he said to me you know, I am a Giants Yankees and Rangers fan. You have to choose a team so you need to be a Jets fan. I refused to be as my dad and brothers were and I couldnt stant to be a fan of a NJ team. ( Dad stopped watching them when they moved out of NYC) Not sure why except rhe following week I was watching a Bills game with him and told him I was jumping on the Bills waggon. So at 18 yo I hitched on and chose them as my team. Have never missed a game on tv or at the stadium as long as I could help it and never shut it off. Of course Jim has never let me live the SB loss to the Giants down since. That is the story of the berth of my Bills fan saga. Thus fansince88! Lets go Bills and lets win a Championship! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r00tabaga Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Nice post! I saw the goalposts ripped down at my first game when I was 13 yrs old vs the Jets. I was hooked ever since. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaCrispy Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) Vs the Browns in the 89 WC...loved that crazy offense! Edited January 4, 2020 by JaCrispy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Been a fan since their beginning. I was in HS and college mid 60's when they were champions. I foolishly thought that would continue. So we've both had our rough stretches but having lived in N VA, Chicago, Houston (Oilers) and Seattle, I've never not been a BILLS fan. It's great to see us back near the top but have been disappointed enough to just hope for the W but....we'll see! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Super Bowl XXV vs the Giants. I was a young kid in NYC and was rooting for the Giants. I felt so bad for the Bills when they missed the FG that i decided to start rooting for them from that point on. Little did I know how that was going to play out over the next 30yrs lol... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutDog Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Since I was a kid...called them my favorite team from about ‘77 but started seriously watching in ‘82. Went to the 2-14 year versus the Cowboys when Cribbs ran 80 yards on the first play from scrimmage. After I moved south, I got the ticket to watch and now I’m back in the ROC cheering a little closer. ? 1 minute ago, bobobonators said: Super Bowl XXV vs the Giants. I was a young kid in NYC and was rooting for the Giants. I felt so bad for the Bills when they missed the FG that i decided to start rooting for them from that point on. Little did I know how that was going to play out over the next 30yrs lol... I was at that game. Ouch. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Caveman Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 15 minutes ago, r00tabaga said: Nice post! I saw the goalposts ripped down at my first game when I was 13 yrs old vs the Jets. I was hooked ever since. Was this the game in 88 when they clinched the division? That was my first game, went with my Dad and Uncle. I came into the game an 8 year old Jets fan (was born in NYC) and left a Bills fan. We also left my uncle behind in the ensuing hysteria. The last playoff game I attended was the 90 AFC Champtionship game where we beat the Raiders 51-3, hoping for some similar good luck inn Houston today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Somewhat boring story. Grew up in WNY and started watching football and getting into it around 1986 when I was 8 years old. Bills held a TC practice at my local high school in Rochester in 1987 and got hooked then after getting autographs from some of the players. Perfect timing— for the rise of those great teams! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGMcD2 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 My grandfather was a big Bills fan, he bought me this plush football when I was a baby, when you threw it or spiked it the shout song played. Unfortunately, he passed away before I turned two years old. I would always spike the thing growing up but never really paid too much attention to the team or games, I just liked the song (this planted the seeds for my fandom lol). My parents are also big Bills fans and passed along the history or their history with the team. They were living in Hawaii for all four Super Bowls but watched every game and every Super Bowl. The story they told me that always stood out was after the first Super Bowl loss when the team came back and the whole city was embracing Scott Norwood.... I remember I saw the video and fell in love. There was something about that whole exchange that made me realize that what Buffalo has is truly special. Now the Bills and I are inseparable. I went to school in Massachusetts and my roommate was a also a Bills fan. So many late night discussions about the team, constantly trying to one up each other with Bills knowledge, news, etc. I went to 6 different games this year, 4 on the road and was there when we clinched in Pittsburgh. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLbills Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Just posted this in the thread by @Hellcamino regarding the Bills and the agreement with his wife. Seems to be a better fit in this thread tho. 4 hours ago, Hellcamino said: 52 years old, married to the Bills for 46 of them and I've never even been to Buffalo. I feel you on this one... 42 years old and been a fan since 1986. I have never stepped foot in the state of NY. My fandom started as my dad was a die-hard Steelers fan and I was talking trash during a Bills-Steelers game (just to poke the bear). Buffalo ended up winning the game, and since then, it has been all Bills all the way. With that being the background of my fan hood, good luck to the Bills and the diehard faithful who have waited a long time for this day to come back around. While they made it in 2017, it doesn't have the same feeling as this year. GO BILLS!!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaCrispy Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 9 minutes ago, bobobonators said: Super Bowl XXV vs the Giants. I was a young kid in NYC and was rooting for the Giants. I felt so bad for the Bills when they missed the FG that i decided to start rooting for them from that point on. Little did I know how that was going to play out over the next 30yrs lol... Aww man, that sux...? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 1 minute ago, JaCrispy said: Aww man, that sux...? Id have it no other way. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Popped out and immediately thrown into a Bills onesie lol 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wppete Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Been a bill fan my whole life. Only team on tv every Sunday. My whole family and friends are Bill fans also. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinceThe70s Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Life time Long Islander, father was from Chicago so no ties to local teams. When I first started watching football, Jets and Giants were low on star value (Namath was on his last legs) and not winning. Somehow every year I liked a different team - who by coincidence had just won the SB. Dad took me aside and explained the error in my way. Back to the star value, I absolutely loved OJ - still one of the most exciting players I've ever seen - and since the Bills were from NY a choice was made and I never looked back. By 4th or 5th grade I was rocking a Bills jacket and hat to school (which was very unusual down here) and puts it around 1972-73. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy10 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Born and raised in Rochester. Family are Bills fans, but I was a little kid during the Niners run in the 80s, and come from a big Notre Dame family, so all eyes were on Joe. But I’d argue your tween/early teenage years are when your fandom really starts to take hold, and that lined up perfectly for me with the Super Bowl runs. Being a dumb teenager, I just assumed your team was always really good and going to Super Bowls. Like most dumb teenagers, I was wrong. Spent about a decade living in a few different parts of the country but settled back home in ROC again, happily raising a couple of little Bills fans. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden*Wheels Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 I was a, 10 year old nerd for XXV, had never watched football really. Sat down with my dad to see this Superbowl thing, and he wasn't really a sports guy either. Seeing as it was more fun to have a team to root for, I asked my dad if had a favorite. He said the "Giants I guess, they are closer" (we live in CT). Simple logic because it didn't really matter to him either way. Well I had a choice myself....root with my dad, or against my dad. To me, it seemed like more fun to be rooting against each other. And here we are. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 I've never slept on a train or a ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloMatt Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 57 minutes ago, r00tabaga said: Nice post! I saw the goalposts ripped down at my first game when I was 13 yrs old vs the Jets. I was hooked ever since. I was at that game. Danced on the fifty yard line. Awesome! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Bills fan *BIRTH* year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 11 minutes ago, BuffaloMatt said: I was at that game. Danced on the fifty yard line. Awesome! I helped rip the goalpost down opposite end of the old jumbotron thing and helped carry it over the end zone. It was mayhem down there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westside Madness Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 My dad popped back into my life when I was 13 and lived nearby. He watched the regular season and then invited me over for each of the playoff games that led to SB XXV. Watched the rest of the SB seasons and then my fan hood faded around 96 until I moved to Orlando and became home sick around 2002. Been a consistent fan since then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Goat Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Through grade school in New York, all my friends liked one of the two New Jersey teams. I refused to sell out. Buffalo it was. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethro_tull Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) playoff berth? seeded 4th as a wild card in 1974. Edited January 4, 2020 by jethro_tull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Raised in Tonawanda. Bills fan since the mid to late 60s. I became a real fan as a grade school kid right after the early championship seasons. So unfortunately my earliest memories are from the downward spiral in 1968 etc. Dan Darraugh, Max Anderson and the whole bunch. Those were the days. Younger fans don’t know what bad football looks like. ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayray808 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 1989: Tecmo Bowl was the game to play on our street. I was just a young kid then and everyone would run the ball with the Bears/Raiders. I instead would bring the K Gun and air it out with the Bills. Bruce Smith off the edge was insane. Fell in love with them in the game and started collecting all their cards. 2019: started collecting cards again and have an absolutely insane Josh Allen collection. LETS GO BILLS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince88 Posted January 4, 2020 Author Share Posted January 4, 2020 1 hour ago, billsfan_34 said: Popped out and immediately thrown into a Bills onesie lol Thats funny. How many weeks ago was this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maynard Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 I always find it so interesting to hear about diehard Bills fans that aren’t even from Western, NY. It’s very cool. I was born and raised in Western NY, so remember watching Bills games at 5-6 years of age (now 40 yo). I didn’t have a choice in who to root for and wouldn’t have it any other way! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanNC Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 First game was as a 5 year old in '76 against the Colts and my only distinct memories of that game is a few OJ runs. I'd call my full on fandom birth year the 1980 season opener when they broke the curse of the fish and the goalposts came down. Had seasons for all the super bowl years, so I know what its like to expect to win each and every week.....we're not there again yet but I can feel it coming. Moved south to NC as the drought was just beginning...went to the Jacksonville playoff game but honestly expected the outcome. It's good to have the playoffs back and feel like the Bills have a legit chance. Let's Go Buffalo! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 8 minutes ago, fansince88 said: Thats funny. How many weeks ago was this? 3 weeks ago! I learned to read and write super quick ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F.W. Cyclone Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) I was born in May of 1965 so the old AFL championships have no bearing on my fan hood . What I mostly remember as a kid growing up is the O.J. and Joe Ferguson era along with Electric company but had to watch the games on black and white TV because my dad was to cheap to go and buy a color set. He did finally breakdown and bought one in 1973 when the old b&w broke down. Edited January 4, 2020 by Blackkat19 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 I’m old. From the beginning. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotAGuy Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) I started following them in 1968 when they were 1-12-1. I figured they were on their way up! Drafted OJ in ‘69 and it was an exciting time. Been a lot of heartbreak and disappointments. Attendance highlights have been the 1980 opener beating the Dolphins for the first time in 10 years, the first and fourth AFC Championship games and the fourth Super Bowl. Still waiting for them to win the Big One. Edited January 4, 2020 by WotAGuy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABILLBACKER Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 As a native LA resident and 10 year old boy I loved watching the UCLA/USC games. In the fall of 1968 I told myself I would follow whatever team drafts OJ. On January 28, 1969 the Buffalo Bills took him #1. Over the next several years my fandom grew watching Joe Ferguson and the electric company. Then the beautiful run we made from 88-93. On the morning of June 13th, I was driving north on Bundy from Wilshire when I noticed police tape around a condo on the left. Just one police car was there and no other vehicles. I drove on not knowing what had happened there. Then later in the day the news broke. I couldn't believe what I was hearing about my childhood idol. What are the odds? My love and passion for the Bill's never wavered and only grew. All 4 of my kids became fans and now my grandsons are fans. It's awkward to tell people how I began following the Bills but I've never regretted it for one second. Someday I hope to see my first Bills game in Buffalo. And see a championship before I leave this earth. What are the odds...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SACTOBILLSFAN Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Born in 1984 then when I was 2 we got PCS'ed to Guam so we didn't get to watch many Bills game and even when we did I was too young to remember. We got back stateside in 1988 and my old man bought the old giant dish. My first memory is trying to find the Bills broadcast and some of the feeds being raw and never going to commercial so you could hear the announcers talking during the break. I grew up watching the good Bills teams but most of my life they've been bad. Those Super Bowl teams are still how I remember this organization as stupid as that sounds. I made a joke during Christmas, as we were all opening up new Bills gear, that this was like every Christmas we had in the early 90s. I'm just hoping it's a sign of things to come for our team. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan1959 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 2 minutes ago, WotAGuy said: I started following them in 1968 when they were 1-12-1. I figured they were on their way up! Drafted OJ in ‘69 and it was an exciting time. Been a lot of heartbreak and disappointments. Still waiting for them to win the Big One. Haha! That was the year I attended my first game: a 48-6 beating by the Raiders. I started following them because they were the local team and my father's team. That was one of the few games I attended with him and we spent the season hoping the Bills would draft O. J. Simpson. I was a huge fan of his until he became a murderer. Simpson, not my father. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotAGuy Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 5 minutes ago, billsfan1959 said: Haha! That was the year I attended my first game: a 48-6 beating by the Raiders. I started following them because they were the local team and my father's team. That was one of the few games I attended with him and we spent the season hoping the Bills would draft O. J. Simpson. I was a huge fan of his until he became a murderer. Simpson, not my father. I was there. That is the first game I remember attending as well. I remember George Atkinson having a great game. That, and the colors! After watching games on a B&W TV and seeing the green field and royal blue jerseys was stunning, especially after walking through that neighborhood and that stadium. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26TrapDraw Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 1988 I was a freshman in highschool and playing ball. My whole family was Jets and Giants fans. The Bills were putting together a team and I have been a masochist ever since. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan1959 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 2 minutes ago, WotAGuy said: I was there. That is the first game I remember attending as well. I remember George Atkinson having a great game. That, and the colors! After watching games on a B&W TV and seeing the green field and royal blue jerseys was stunning, especially after walking through that neighborhood and that stadium. That first game was definitely one of the best sports experiences I've had. Indescribable seeing the field, players, and game live for the first time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpberr Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Mark Kelso's wife was from our church, and the church adopted the Bills. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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