Buftex Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Bills special teams stalwart Mark Pike passes away (buffalobills.com) https://www.buffalobills.com/news/bills-special-teams-stalwart-mark-pike-passes-away?fbclid=IwAR1hEM42lhrgkRgfIhqRV12s0XgVASaPAqajizhfQA3QTVg6bCeeUXx64_I 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunPolice Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 (edited) RIP Man, this is sad news.... So many great memories from those 90's teams Edited December 8, 2021 by TheFunPolice 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Dam. RIP. Sending prayers and love to his family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyBatty is alive Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Quality guy. I recall when he finally hung it up it was the passing of an era, I think the "Big Three" Reed, Kelly, Thomas all come by at his press conference. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34-78-83 Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Sad to hear! Too young as well! Possibly the Bills most unsung special teamer in their history. Tasker always talks about how Pike was their best guy out there in his time. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tomcat Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 that sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigdaddyinOrlando Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Dam that’s very sad! Was a demon on special teams! RIP big fella! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted December 8, 2021 Author Share Posted December 8, 2021 (edited) Crazy. Just saw him back in early October, when the Bills played the Texans. It was really funny. I went to the game with a friend of mine, and his young son, Jake, who had never been to a game before. The kid was excited about maybe getting some autographs. As we were walking through the lot, I saw Mark Pike standing on one of those podiums to sign photos. There was no line at all (it was a miserable rainy morning as you may recall)...I said to Jake, "Hey, you want to get Mark Pike's autograph?" Pike looks at Jake and smiles, and the kid, who is very shy says "Umm..no thanks"! Mark smiled and kind of chuckled, then looked at me and said "well, at least he is polite" Of course, Jake is 10 years old, and has no earthly idea who Mark was. Pike handled it with humor. I had met him back in his playing days too...seemed like a really good guy. That was just about two months ago...I didn't realize he was sick. He looked great. Edited December 8, 2021 by Buftex 8 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg S Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 RIP. Condolences to his family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First Round Bust Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 wow...am sad..age 57 way too young...thanks for the memories...RIP special special-teamer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haslett_Stomp Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 RIP Mark. One of the good ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 (edited) Devastating news. While Steve Tasker was the star, Mark Pike was the heart and soul of the Bills special teams in the Super Bowl years. The play I will always remember is the onside kick in the Comeback Game. Kenny Davis had just scored to make it 35-10 Oilers. Christie dribbles the ball right up the middle. As Houston LB Rick Graf goes down to cover the ball, Mark Pike just abso*****in'lutely DESTROYS him, the ball bounces to Christie, who recovers, and the Comeback is ON!! Houston recovers that onsides kick, likely game over. RIP Mark Pike, you were an outstanding Buffalo Bill. Edited December 8, 2021 by Freddie's Dead 7 6 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livinginthepast Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 That is very sad news. Tasker is right, Pike would blow people up on the Special teams. Damn that whole era of the 90s Bills right up to the playoff loss to Tennessee was filled with great players but also a huge supporting cast of talent and interesting characters like Pike. It makes our current squad of Bills look pretty vanilla. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomon Grundy Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 He was a helluva special teams player!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royale with Cheese Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 (edited) My dad beat non-hodgkins cancer 5 years ago. RIP Mark. Edited December 8, 2021 by Royale with Cheese 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillies Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Gut punch. Used to play basketball at his dad's church/school gym in northern Kentucky. When I found out who the dad was, we got to talking - told him I was a big fan of his son. Mark ended up autographing two Bills hats for me through his dad - one for me, one for my dad. RIP Big #94 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Just heard this news and was immediately saddened! RIP Mark. He was a great player, doing his part to help us be a great team back then. Still remember him very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paup 1995MVP Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 That is tragic news. Loved watching Mark Pike play. Just a tough dude who loved playing the game of football. Even worse that he was only 57. Live your best life everyday. Just never know what lies around the corner. Very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 https://www.kentuckytoday.com/baptist_life/harold-pike-86-accepts-kbc-lifetime-evangelism-award-asks-prayer-for-son/article_cd5ae7e4-499c-11ec-bd56-8b256729cace.html https://www.kentuckytoday.com/sports/former-bills-great-mark-pike-son-of-kentucky-baptist-pastor-dies-from-cancer/article_ce115c9e-5857-11ec-a297-3fae0ee614a4.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 4 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Oh wow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofton80 Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Incredible special teamer ! RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan in Cleveland Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Sad news. I was unaware of his ST tackle total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par73 Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 So sad--I know he was at a game earlier this year; didn't know he was sick. Great player from those Super Bowl teams. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 1 hour ago, Freddie's Dead said: Devastating news. While Steve Tasker was the star, Mark Pike was the heart and soul of the Bills special teams in the Super Bowl years. The play I will always remember is the onside kick in the Comeback Game. Kenny Davis had just scored to make it 35-10 Oilers. Christie dribbles the ball right up the middle. As Houston LB Rick Graf goes down to cover the ball, Mark Pike just abso*****in'lutely DESTROYS him, the ball bounces to Christie, who recovers, and the Comeback is ON!! Houston recovers that onsides kick, likely game over. RIP Mark Pike, you were an outstanding Buffalo Bill. Great memory of Mark. You can watch the onside kick at 3:53 of this video... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhg Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Loved that guy. Way too young. RIP Mark. Condolences to the Pike family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted December 8, 2021 Author Share Posted December 8, 2021 (edited) 37 minutes ago, Nextmanup said: I happen to be a bit of a card collector. That middle picture (with the text) is Pikes' "rookie card". Don't know if you all remember this, but his rookie cards weren't issued until 1995, ten years after he had been in the league. He (and I believe Steve Tasker, if memory serves) started a campaign for him to get a football card issued, as he wanted one for his kids, who collected. Of course, this was before the days of the internet, so even then, Bills fans mass-pestered the card manufacturers to include him in their sets. Edited December 8, 2021 by Buftex 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 3 minutes ago, Buftex said: I happen to be a bit of a card collector. That middle picture (with the text) is Pikes' "rookie card". Don't know if you all remember this, but his rookie cards weren't issued until 1995, ten years after he had been in the league. He (and I believe Steve Tasker, if memory serves) started a campaign for him to get a football card issued, as he wanted one for his kids, who collected. Of course, this was before the days of the internet, so even then, Bills fans mass-pestered the card manufacturers to include him in their sets. Interesting info. Didn't know any of that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddyjj Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Way too young so very sad. Cancer and Covid suck! Many prayers to him and his family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Found this video on YouTube, which is Boomer doing the ESPN highlights. The onside kick is at 4:04 and you get a good end zone shot with 94 coming right into your living room. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Things Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Very sad news indeed. Rest in Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Great ST Player, and better Person. Congratulations on a life well-lived Mark Pike, RIP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Wow! Way to young. May his wife and kids find a way to move forward. I hate you cancer. 😡 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 4 hours ago, Buftex said: Bills special teams stalwart Mark Pike passes away (buffalobills.com) https://www.buffalobills.com/news/bills-special-teams-stalwart-mark-pike-passes-away?fbclid=IwAR1hEM42lhrgkRgfIhqRV12s0XgVASaPAqajizhfQA3QTVg6bCeeUXx64_I RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob in STL Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 RIP Mark Pike. A great Buffalo Bill. He blew people up on ST. That Suoer Bowl era team had so many great players. Mark did his job better than anyone else for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holla83 Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 2 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said: Sad news. I was unaware of his ST tackle total. There were seasons he had more ST tackles than Tasker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Damn, cancer just sucks. Too young to go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 The Greatest Comeback Game in NFL History probably doesn't go down in history the way it did without his contribution. He will forever have his place in Buffalo Bills and even further NFL history. More importantly...from everything I have read about him he sounded like a first class, standup kind of dude. Very proud to have him associated with the Buffalo Bills. This is very sad news today RIP #94 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reks Ryan Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 Sad news. Such a good guy and terrific Buffalo Bill. He was a constant through the best years of the franchise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flipnmi Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 7 hours ago, Buftex said: Crazy. Just saw him back in early October, when the Bills played the Texans. It was really funny. I went to the game with a friend of mine, and his young son, Jake, who had never been to a game before. The kid was excited about maybe getting some autographs. As we were walking through the lot, I saw Mark Pike standing on one of those podiums to sign photos. There was no line at all (it was a miserable rainy morning as you may recall)...I said to Jake, "Hey, you want to get Mark Pike's autograph?" Pike looks at Jake and smiles, and the kid, who is very shy says "Umm..no thanks"! Mark smiled and kind of chuckled, then looked at me and said "well, at least he is polite" Of course, Jake is 10 years old, and has no earthly idea who Mark was. Pike handled it with humor. I had met him back in his playing days too...seemed like a really good guy. That was just about two months ago...I didn't realize he was sick. He looked great. The Bills held a short minicamp at Gates Chili High School in 1986, when Mark was rookie. A 250 lb linebacker was unheard of in 1986, so I was very intrigued by this 7th rd draft pick. I went up to met him at the end of practice and since the uniforms didn't have names, I asked him if he was Mark Pike and his his answer was "Yes Sir, I am". I was only 31 at the time and not really used to being called "Sir", so this really took me back at bit. However this also told me all I needed to know about him and from that point on he was "my guy". It was very clear that he was a high character guy who was raised to understand the value of being polite and respectful, so his comment to this dad is not surprising. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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