Did the Bills Super Bowl run in the 1990's really influence your love of the Bills?

[Royale with Cheese]

I think this question is probably best suited for the those in the mid 30's to late 40's age group but certainly anyone can answer.

 

I grew up in the 80's and started really understanding and loving football right as the Bills started their Super Bowl run.  First memories of watching the Bills was Harmon's drop and then Kelly's pick to Clay Matthews.  My friend tells me if the Bills weren't that good, I probably would have followed another team.  Them being so good attached me to them because kids like to cheer for good teams.  

I disagreed.  My whole family is from Buffalo and football was just our household.  I'm positive that I would have been just as diehard if they were bad....like if my childhood was the Mularkey/Williams/Jauron years instead of Levy. 

 

If the Bills had nothing in their history like the Browns and Lions....would your fandom be as strong?  Without those great 90's teams...would your interest be less today?

What was your interest level during the drought?

[Greg S]

I became a fan in the 70's when I was a kid. OJ was my favorite player which is how I became a Bills fan. The 90's were certainly the best times because of the runs to the Super Bowl but my first great memories were 80 and 81. The Bills had some good teams with Knox. It was tough and frustrating during the drought but my fandom never declined. Hard core Bills fan till the day I die. I also plan on going to as many home games as I can at Rich Stadium/The Ralph ( I live in NJ) since we are entering the last 4 seasons at the current stadium before its demolished.

[SCBills]

I'm in my 30's, but don't truly remember those Super Bowl games too much.  

 

My entire fandom has basically been through the drought.  I'd follow FA and the Draft.  Start every year excited, and then typically lose interest towards the end of the year once we were eliminated from the playoff race.  

 

I do think our fanbase may be stronger due to having had this success, and then losing it, as opposed to just wandering in the NFL wilderness for our entire lives.  You hear a lot of people reflect on what it was like, similar to muscle memory, now that we have a contender again. 

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by SCBills

[TampaBillsJunkie]

No. I was born a fan. It was embedded into my blood. Before I even realized who I was, I was in my cradle wearing Bills outfits. When I was old enough to get carted to games, I sat on a beer cooler in the Rockpile  handing out beers and sandwiches to my dad, grandpa and uncles.

 

 I went to the first game at Rich Stadium, I saw OJ running from defenders, not the law. I saw the best and worst of Bills football for 50+ years. And I'll never change my allegiance. 

[Johnnycage46]

I was in 6th through 9th grade for the SB runs.  That era ABSOLUTELY weighed into me sticking with them all these years.  For me it was my childhood team and even though there was so much pain in those SB losses that era hooked me for life.

[Tanoros]

I grew up in Alaska, and because the 90’s Bills were so good, there gear was sold in the stores. I picked a Bills backpack going into kindergarten thinking it was a moose, only for my mom to tell me it was a Buffalo. When I got home, my dad explained that it was a football team. After that, I started watching football with my dad on Sundays, but I was most interested in seeing Bills games and they were on often enough. 

After getting the backpack, it didn’t matter how good the team was, I was hooked. I became an obsessed football fan from a very young age. 

As an example of how Bills crazy I was. When they weren’t good anymore, they were not on the tv anymore (rarely). So I was on NFL.com every weekend watching the play by play on the old school game cast. Internet was so bad, I had to constantly refresh the page to see what was happening. That’s how I watched the majority of my Bills games in my youth. Then sport center for the highlights on Monday morning. 

[BritBill]

I'm 42 and the teams of that era are the reason I'm a Bills fan. 

 

I must admit, it was a hard slog during the drought and it coincided with me having other distractions and the most disposable income I ever had so my interest waned but I never considered taking another team. I'd made my bed.

[NewEra]

My first memories are with Joe Ferguson, Joe Cribbs and Jerry Butler.  The 1980 team that lost to the chargers in the playoffs.  Cribbs was my favorite player and when he went to the usfl and the Bills were then terrible I started rooting for Montana, Wendell Tyler/craig and Freddie solomon. The bills were still my favorite team, but I guess I had to have something fun to root for too.  
 

86 was the turning point for me.  JK was our QB and Joe Cribbs joined the 49ers.  I thought I’d be a fan of both team, but I had lost all of my love for Cribbs when i saw him in a different NFL uniform. 

[nucci]

I'm old. My first game was in 1969. My Dad had tickets in '63

[wakingfane]

5 minutes ago, Johnnycage46 said:

I was in 6th through 9th grade for the SB runs.  That era ABSOLUTELY weighed into me sticking with them all these years.  For me it was my childhood team and even though there was so much pain in those SB losses that era hooked me for life.

Exactly the same for me. I was actually a Broncos fan for a couple minutes some time before I latched onto the Bills at age 9 or so. The Bills were great and I admired that greatness. Then they quickly proceeded to break my heart over and over again but by that point I was not letting go no matter what

[Tanoros]

9 minutes ago, TampaBillsJunkie said:

No. I was born a fan. It was embedded into my blood. Before I even realized who I was, I was in my cradle wearing Bills outfits. When I was old enough to get carted to games, I sat on a beer cooler in the Rockpile  handing out beers and sandwiches to my dad, grandpa and uncles.

 

 I went to the first game at Rich Stadium, I saw OJ running from defenders, not the law. I saw the best and worst of Bills football for 50+ years. And I'll never change my allegiance. 

This is how my daughter is. She was brought home from the hospital in a Bills outfit. She was born late August and she was in my arms watching Josh Allens first pro game. My daughter is not only a Bills fan, but a HUGE Josh Allen fan. Her and I watch every Bills game together, and we celebrate like crazy when good things happen, but especially good Josh Allen plays. She always wants him to get td’s 🤣

 

How lucky is she to grow up in the Josh Allen era?

[mabden]

I was originally a huge Packer fan, with Bart Starr at QB.  Loved their colors and helmet logo. 

 

When they drafted OJ, it peaked my interest and I would catch games on the radio (thank you Van.)  I started really liking the Bills in 1980 with Fergy, Cribbs, Butler, Smerlas, and Knox.  It was really painful to watch them after Knox left (however they had some really good drafts during those few years, (Bruce, Talley, Reed) but once Marv took over, they signed Kelly (really wanted them to draft Marino) and they started their march towards greatness, I really got excited.  For me, the 1988 season was the second best/most enjoyable to watch.  Only the 2020 season was better.

 

The Kelly years were a roller coaster of emotions and look forward to many years to come.  

 

 

 

[Rc2catch]

I actually disliked the Super Bowl Bills teams. I wasn’t a Kelly or Reed fan. I liked the defense but I wasn’t really a bills fan. I cheered for Atlanta back then as a kid. Loved Andre Rison and Jamal Anderson with the dirty bird. I joined the buffalo fan base after. Lol I’m dumb enough to become a fan after everyone jumped off the bandwagon. So this is all really new for me as a fan actually winning divisions and being a favorite. 

[hondo in seattle]

I became a Bills fan when I was 10 and the Bills drafted OJ.  Weirdly, despite growing up in the Buffalo burbs, I was as much a Browns fan as a Bills fan back then.  Maybe even more a Browns fan.

But when I left home for college in the late 70s, being a Bills fan was a way of connecting with home.  My love for the Bills began surpassing my love for the Brownies.   And when the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996, I became entirely Bills- monogamous.  

 

While the 90s teams were fun - and I certainly appreciated them - their glory really didn't impact my fandom much.

 

 

[GaryPinC]

I'm 52 so was in my late teens early 20's when those 90s teams got going.  Those teams were breath-taking in their talent and ability to score.

 

At the end of the run it changed my love because I lost the inferiority complex that so many fans have.  It made me appreciate the amazing time it was to witness Bills football in those moments despite the superbowl failures.  It was so much fun to watch and the failures actually helped me define how much of a fan I was, and screw the detractors. 

[T master]

The 90's just fueled the fire i have been a fan since the early 70's ! 

[MJS]

I grew up in the drought years and that's basically what I knew. But I was still influenced by the 90's teams. They were legends for me. Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas, etc. I'd go back and watch highlights and look at stats. I couldn't wait for the team to get good again and have another run like that.

 

So, even though I was too young to appreciate the 90's team when that was happening (I was born in 1989), I sure gained that appreciation later.

 

That being said, I am a fan because of my dad. He grew up in the Buffalo area and passed that fandom on to me. That's how it works for 99% of Bills fans.

[chris heff]

I started being a fan in 1963, my father had season tickets, probably went to my first game in 1964. One of my brother’s friends at St Joe’s was Pat McGroder III. Pat McGroder Jr. was instrumental in bringing Bills to Buffalo, (Wilson’s franchise was supposed to be in Miami). It was the championship team of mid-sixties that hooked me.

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I think this question is probably best suited for the those in the mid 30's to late 40's age group but certainly anyone can answer.

 

I grew up in the 80's and started really understanding and loving football right as the Bills started their Super Bowl run.  First memories of watching the Bills was Harmon's drop and then Kelly's pick to Clay Matthews.  My friend tells me if the Bills weren't that good, I probably would have followed another team.  Them being so good attached me to them because kids like to cheer for good teams.  

I disagreed.  My whole family is from Buffalo and football was just our household.  I'm positive that I would have been just as diehard if they were bad....like if my childhood was the Mularkey/Williams/Jauron years instead of Levy. 

 

If the Bills had nothing in their history like the Browns and Lions....would your fandom be as strong?  Without those great 90's teams...would your interest be less today?

What was your interest level during the drought?

 

I'm 51.  I became a Bills fan on the day of their Super Bowl vs. NYG.  My interest in the team has never waned.  The only time it came close was during the TuhROD Taylor era.  That was the absolute worst for me, but I never stopped watching/rooting/going to games.

[Bob Chandler's Hands]

26 minutes ago, GaryPinC said:

I'm 52 so was in my late teens early 20's when those 90s teams got going.  Those teams were breath-taking in their talent and ability to score.

 

At the end of the run it changed my love because I lost the inferiority complex that so many fans have.  It made me appreciate the amazing time it was to witness Bills football in those moments despite the superbowl failures.  It was so much fun to watch and the failures actually helped me define how much of a fan I was, and screw the detractors. 

You're my brother from a different mother...

[Alfredo]

 

I've been a fan since 1960, having grown up in North Tonawanda. So the four super bowls were not a factor in my fandom, except for the disappointment.

 

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

If the Bills had nothing in their history like the Browns and Lions....would your fandom be as strong?

 

Just to set the record straight, the Brown won four AAFL championships and, since joining the NFL, they have won four NFL championships. The last NFL championship was in 1964, the same year the Bills won their first AFL championship. (That would have been a great superbowl.)

[skibum]

The Bills' run of greatness began just as I was becoming old enough to care about sports. Prior to that, I only remember them being a laughingstock franchise, but technically I was still a fan. I knew Joe Ferguson existed, though I can't say I remember any games prior to the '88 season, nor do I remember Jim Kelly's draft debacle/arrival, as I would have been 6-7 years old at the time and was not yet reading newspapers. I do vaguely remember the cautious optimism that followed the Bills' respectable showing in the '87 strike year. So in 6th grade, I went into the '88 season with the idea that they might actually be good.

 

My first coherent Bills memory was an article in the Rochester D&C following the horrendous 85-86 campaign. They did a spoof on the Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle, called the Stupor Bowl Shuffle. After that, it was the division win and the goalposts coming down, and I definitely remember getting jazzed up for the team at that point. So yeah, I was a fan before the SB runs, but likely became much more of one because of them. 

[Royale with Cheese]

Just now, Alfredo said:

 

I've been a fan since 1960, having grown up in North Tonawanda. So the four super bowls were not a factor in my fandom, except for the disappointment.

 

 

Just to set the record straight, the Brown won four AAFL championships and, since joining the NFL, they have won four NFL championships. The last NFL championship was in 1964, the same year the Bills won their first AFL championship. (That would have been a great superbowl.)

 

I was counting more of the Super Bowl era.  I think the Lions have one playoff win?  The Browns, maybe a half dozen in the Super Bowl era?  But also several upon several missed playoff seasons for both.

[KHAN]

My earliest memory of the Bills was losing 24-23 to Miami during their 17-0 season.

Other early memories:

 

Listening to Van Miller (or Rick Azar) for every home game, because we never sold out.

My dad being angry because Lou Saban was too conservative and was "sitting on" a 3 point lead in the second quarter. 😆

Gary Marangi.

Nick Mike-Mayer hooking every big kick wide left.

Fergie hanging his head.

OJ was amazing.

Kay Stevenson.

Hank Bullough.

 

So yeah, 88-93 brought joy never before felt (and pain). But the love of the team is in my DNA.

And of course this era is full of possibilities. Is the season here yet?

 

[julian]

I was a Leaf fan and only paid attention to football during the super bowl. After watching the Bills lose to the Giants, something about that loss pulled me in.

 

 I was at a bar the following year watching the Skins physically impose their will upon the Bills. I was completely invested at this point and haven’t missed a game since.

 

 My wife noticed I was no longer screaming at the television during Bills games this past season and after some thought, I realized I now just have an expectation of post season and no longer live and die with every play.

[ProcessAccepted]

Became a fan during Thurman's first year in the league. So go on the train when the team was on the up swing. The four SB years just cemented it. I really get a lot of deja vu watching McD and Beane building things. 

[Buftex]

My earliest memories of the Bills start in 1972.  Lived through the OJ era, and enjoyed the hell out of the Super Bowl era...but I think the "era" that sealed my lifelong love of the Bills was the  short, but exhilarating "Talking Proud" era when Chuck Knox was the head coach. 1980 was the first year that I had season tickets (I was 15) and on opening day that year, the Bills broke the Dolphins streak.  It is, to this day, the single most exciting sports moment I have experienced live. 

 

I had season tickets from 1980-1987, and I have been to about 200 Bills games...regrettably, I have never been to a playoff game.  But for me, Fergy liming around on a bum ankle, playing his heart out in San Diego is my "wide right" moment.  I was devastated after that loss, but it trained me to approach sports the only healthy way a Buffalo sports fan should...with high hopes and lowered expectations...win or lose, I find this team to be a joy, more often than not.  My only moment of doubt in faith came when Dick Jauron was the head coach. If he hadn't been fired the season he was, I seriously might have stopped watching them. I hated those seasons so much. 

 

Absolutely loved those teams...1980-1981 are still my favorite seasons.  If the Super Bowl runs had never happened, I can't say with 100% certainty, but I think I would still love the Bills as much today.  That isn't to diminish my love of those 1990's teams, but the early 80's teams are forever my touchstone when it comes to Bills football.  

 

To this day, I have missed only 1 Bills game in 42 years...seen a lot more bad football than good. I like to say I "live and die" with this team, but to be honest, I don't do the "die" part as hard as I used to.  I am just glad they are still here.

Edited March 30, 2022 by Buftex
Place paragraphs

[LVGrown]

If they weren't in the Super Bowl at that exact moment against the Giants, I likely wouldn't have been a fan. Being born and raised in Las Vegas surrounded by a family of Saints and Rams fans (one parent from New Orleans and the other from Los Angeles) I would've likely been steered in one of those directions. 

 

EVERYONE at my parents SB party were rooting for Giants so I had no choice in the matter but to root for the Bills, and ***** if that little 9 year old girl didn't give it her all. 

 

It's been a one-sided love affair until JA17 arrived. Now I'm finally feeling the love back!

[eee1776]

I am old and those 4 years put me into therapy. LOL It never stops.  Wide Right, Music City Mistake, 13 sec, Still love my Bills, its a like love- hate relationship with your wife. There is hope, light at the end on the tunnel . 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

I'm 52. Ferguson, Cribbs, and Jerry Butler in 1980 was the match that lit the fire. 

[elijah]

Early to mid 20’s now, so all I knew was the drought and the recent success.

 

Granted I live right in the heart of Bills Country, 5 minutes from the stadium and was born to a diehard Bills family, but if anything the lack of success made me that much more of a Bills fan during the drought because you wanted to see the success so badly. As good as we are now with big wins and playoff trips every year, nothing will be as memorable as the Tyler Boyd catch and playoff berth for me. 

 

I don’t think any Bills moment will top that until a Super Bowl, after watching for my entire life and never making the playoffs (aside from when I was 2 or 3 years old) that was just the sweetest moment. 

 

So if anything, on the contrary to the Super Bowl era fans and the success maybe drawing you guys in more, as a drought era fan I think the lack of success made me a bigger fan because you wanted the playoffs so bad every year. 

[1997WS6]

I'm in my late 40's and the Bills of the 90's didn't make me like the Bills.  I always watched, but wasn't a "real" fan until McBeane and Allen got here.  Now I'm a Billiever.  This is the most excited I've ever been about a football team.

[Dablitzkrieg]

I'm 41.  Fell in love with the team in 1989, game versus Cleveland.   Been a Fanatic ever since

[Repulsif]

I don't have any tie with the city of Buffalo, so if the Bills had won SBXXV (1st game I ever watched here in France) I may have followed the Giants

And if they have won 4 in row, I would have probably hated them (some figures high on themselves, bickering bills etc) and perhaps followed the Cowboys (who would have lost twice in a row in this case.

please don't hate me

[aristocrat]

Hell yes. I was 6-7 right when your memories start to stick. We had seasons so I was at every game throughout the 90s, grandparents had seasons to Sabres as well so it all stuck.  

[Bob Chandler's Hands]

17 minutes ago, Ethan in Portland said:

I'm 52. Ferguson, Cribbs, and Jerry Butler in 1980 was the match that lit the fire. 

Same age. I cried when Fergy was limping off the field in defeat against the Chargers in the playoffs. 

[ddaryl]

I was already a Bills fan. I turned 21 During the season of our 1st SB appearance. The Superbowl run strengthened my Bills fandom

[NoHuddleKelly12]

I’m in my early 40’s and got hooked on the Bills by way of growing up right by Jim Kelly’s hometown (East Brady) in western PA; that was right on the eve of the SB run starting, and their successes definitely helped fuel my early fandom at the start. But once you’re in, if you’re a real fan, then even a drought of 17 years can’t take it out of ya…

[BreezeMafia]

No.  Already was a diehard fan.

[HOUSE]

I supported and became influenced by the horrible teams of the 70s

 

I became stubborn and said I will never give up till this team wins the Superbowl

 

When that does happen I will waving you guys goodbye. I am tired