Have you ever seen one of your teams go all the way?

[BillsPride12]

Obviously 99% of us were brought here by the Buffalo Bills and we are all waiting for that one....but I also know we have a lot of different people here with different backgrounds and hometowns and people have other teams they follow.  So have you ever seen one of your teams win the hardware?  Feel free to share any interesting stories that go along with the experience.

 

As for me I am a pure born and raised WNYer so my true teams are the Bills and Sabres...so I am still waiting for the big ones.  I do like Syracuse in the NCAA so technically them winning in 2003 was one of my teams but it didn't bring me to tears or anything, I was just really fired up.  I was also really into the Chicago Bulls in the 90s and claim them as a team but they were already great when I got into them so I have a hard time counting their titles as well.

[Royale with Cheese]

No.  I grew up a Bulls and Yankees fan.  Yankees because my family and the Bulls because of Michael Jordan.  They obviously won a ton but they aren’t in my heart like the Bills.  

I’m not emotionally moved one way or another with them.  The Bills keep me up at night.  

[Greg S]

Bills, Yankees, Islanders.

 

I was a kid in the 70's so I have seen the Yankees win 7 times. 1977 and 1978. The 4 titles with Joe Torre. The one with Joe Girardi. I also watched the Isles win 4 straight Cups and 19 straight playoff series wins which is still a record today. Only the Bills haven't won one yet. Hopefully that changes this year.

[YoloinOhio]

Yes! Buckeye football 2x, Celtics 1x (I did see them win in the 80s too but too young to really remember)

[Mark80]

Yeah, but not my "real" teams so it's not the same.  "Real" teams are just Bills and Sabres.  Next level of favorites are the Oakland A's, Liverpool, Miami Football (the U), UNC basketball, and Wake Forest FB and BB. 

[T&C]

1 hour ago, BillsPride12 said:

Obviously 99% of us were brought here by the Buffalo Bills and we are all waiting for that one....but I also know we have a lot of different people here with different backgrounds and hometowns and people have other teams they follow.  So have you ever seen one of your teams win the hardware?  Feel free to share any interesting stories that go along with the experience.

 

As for me I am a pure born and raised WNYer so my true teams are the Bills and Sabres...so I am still waiting for the big ones.  I do like Syracuse in the NCAA so technically them winning in 2003 was one of my teams but it didn't bring me to tears or anything, I was just really fired up.  I was also really into the Chicago Bulls in the 90s and claim them as a team but they were already great when I got into them so I have a hard time counting their titles as well.

The Bills did twice in the mid 60's... championship was as high as we could go so to me those count.

[Bray Wyatt]

Braves when I was a a kid in 95, and this past year which I appreciated much more than the 95 one. Syracuse basketball when I was a senior in HS, watching that team win the NC was amazing as well.

[Gugny]

Mets in 1986.

 

The End.

[The Jokeman]

I'm an Oakland A's fan and was able to enjoy the 1989 season but 1988 and 1990 moreso the latter hurt badly.  I also was a Rickey Henderson fan and was glad to see him win another championship in 1993. 

[Rico]

Yankees many times.

 

I was living in Ann Arbor when Michigan beat Seton Hall, place went crazy, good times! Bad boys fan when I lived there too, loved it when they beat the crap out of Jordan on their way to championships

 

First time I got into basketball as a kid was the Knicks with Willis Reed over the Lakers.

 

Can’t forget the Four Horsemen either, woooooo!

 

[Gugny]

9 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

I'm an Oakland A's fan and was able to enjoy the 1989 season but 1988 and 1990 moreso the latter hurt badly.  I also was a Rickey Henderson fan and was glad to see him win another championship in 1993. 

 

Rickey was an artist at the plate and on the bases.

 

The art of drawing a walk is gone from the game.  Other than the obvious HR records that fell to the steroid era, another less-heralded record was also "beaten," ... Henderson's bases on balls record.  Bonds (on paper) is now the leader.  That is a goddamn shame.

 

[LewPort71]

I have been a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates  since 1960, so

1971 and 1979 were pretty good.

Lately, not so good

[Your Brown Eye]

Syracuse Orange with Melo, McNamara and Warrick....only time

[dpberr]

Yes.  Spurs fan since the mid-80s, pre-David Robinson, around the time I started watching the Bills.  I've enjoyed being a Spurs fan through the decades.  

 

The early 90s where the Spurs were on the cusp was both exciting and frustrating to watch.  Their first title in 1999 was the sweetest of the titles.  

 

I was a long time Pirates fan but divorced the team several years ago and haven't looked back.  Bob Nutting is the worst owner in all of North American professional sports.  I challenge you to find a cheaper, more petty owner than Mr. Nutting.  

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

1 hour ago, Your Brown Eye said:

Syracuse Orange with Melo, McNamara and Warrick....only time

same here. One and only time.

[Another Fan]

New Jersey Devils 1995, 2000, and 2003.   Got close in 2001 and 2012.

 

 

I mean I say this with something of an asterisk as I was never that big of a hockey fan.  I had a Devils apex jacket as a kid but never felt emotionally tied to them 

[DrDawkinstein]

I was there in person for the amazing Buffalo Bandits championship runs in the 90s. But that's about it. Still kinda sad.

[Just Jack]

Yes, the Syracuse Mets (Internation League Baseball) had an undefeated season in 2020.  I bought a shirt to remember the amazing season.

 

Syracuse Mets undefeated 2020 IL champs? They wear it well - syracuse.com

[Tony P]

Yep. Was at the 1964 AFL Championship. It was awesome!

 

I was a Twins fan growing up in Buffalo because of Harmon Killebrew. As an adult (sort of lol) I moved to Minnesota on a job transfer. One of the first things I did was get Twins season tix. We were lucky enough to be at all of the 1987 and 1991 Playoff and World Series games. Twins won it all both years.

 

Our seats for the '91 season were 7 rows above the Twins dugout along the 3rd base line. Game 7 (Jack Morris vs John Smoltz) is recognized as one of the greatest WS games ever. Morris was absolutely incredible tossing a 10 inning shutout for the win. 

 

I'll never forget it.

[DrW]

The German national soccer team in 1974, 1990, and 2014.

[PromoTheRobot]

Minor league teams. The Bisons, the NH Fishercats, the old AHL Buffalo Bisons, The original USFL stars. Then there's UB winning some MAC championships. That's about it.

[Patrick Duffy]

Sadly I haven't gotten the chance to experience that glory yet either. I was always just a 2 sport fan only for so many years. Only football and basketball were my things. Always Buffalo Bills and NBA it was Charlotte Hornets. Always more an Bills die hard than Hornets though. Then 2002 ( I think) Hornets moved to New Orleans and became Pelicans.

 

After that I lost interest and was just Bills. So hopefully can experience what it feels like this upcoming season if Bills can bring one home

[LeGOATski]

Celtics with Pierce, Garnett, and Allen. Love that team.

 

Watching the Bills assemble this team is like watching the Celtics assemble that championship team. 

 

But honestly, I don't care about them winning a trophy. I watched the Celtics play amazing basketball for years and now I'm watching the Bills play amazing football. That's the only thing that's in it for me. I don't get a trophy.

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, Tony P said:

Our seats for the '91 season were 7 rows above the Twins dugout along the 3rd base line. Game 7 (Jack Morris vs John Smoltz) is recognized as one of the greatest WS games ever. Morris was absolutely incredible tossing a 10 inning shutout for the win. 

 

I'll never forget it.

 

This is amazing.  Best World Series ever, IMO.

[sherpa]

Washington Nationals 2019.

University of Virginia Cavaliers basketball 2019

University of Virginia Baseball 2015.

[Nextmanup]

I was born and raised in WNY, and am first and foremost a Bills/Sabres fan for life.

But I was also raised a Red Sox fan, which was convenient as we never had a MLB team in Buffalo.

 

So yes, I've seen both extremes.  The feeling that we are cursed and can never win, followed by the realization that yes we can win.

 

I've mentioned this before in similar threads, but I was forever changed as a Red Sox fan in 2004 with that first World Series victory (in modern times!).  

 

It is now IMPOSSIBLE for me to get upset or frustrated over the Sox.  I'm at 100% at peace with the whole thing, as we (Red Sox) got our victory (and then a bunch more) and no one is ever taking it away.

 

If/when the Bills win a Super Bowl, a LOT of Bills fans will be changed forever.  It won't be "life or death" anymore, and you won't be nearly as emotionally involved in the team.

 

It's good and bad.

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

No.

 

I was a born loser. 😆 

[Greg S]

2 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

I was born and raised in WNY, and am first and foremost a Bills/Sabres fan for life.

But I was also raised a Red Sox fan, which was convenient as we never had a MLB team in Buffalo.

 

So yes, I've seen both extremes.  The feeling that we are cursed and can never win, followed by the realization that yes we can win.

 

I've mentioned this before in similar threads, but I was forever changed as a Red Sox fan in 2004 with that first World Series victory (in modern times!).  

 

It is now IMPOSSIBLE for me to get upset or frustrated over the Sox.  I'm at 100% at peace with the whole thing, as we (Red Sox) got our victory (and then a bunch more) and no one is ever taking it away.

 

If/when the Bills win a Super Bowl, a LOT of Bills fans will be changed forever.  It won't be "life or death" anymore, and you won't be nearly as emotionally involved in the team.

 

It's good and bad.

 

 

 

The celebrating and parade in WNY would be legendary if they do win one. I will drive up from NJ just to be there. I would imagine Bills fans all over will get to WNY for that one as well.

 

[Bad Things]

New Zealand All Blacks Rugby!

World Cup winners in 2011 and 2015.  (I didn't live here, when they won in '87, so that one doesn't count.)

[ExiledInIllinois]

I'd count 2005 Sox... But that don't count.  Displaced persons @ new home don't count.  

[Nextmanup]

11 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

The celebrating and parade in WNY would be legendary if they do win one. I will drive up from NJ just to be there. I would imagine Bills fans all over will get to WNY for that one as well.

 

I haven't lived in WNY for over 20 years, but my sister and her family, mom, and MANY great old friends are still there.  I have said for YEARS that if the Bills or Sabres ever win a championship, it would be IMPOSSIBLE for me not to fly up for the celebrations from FL.  

Would be positively epic!

 

 

[TheCockSportif]

Red Sox.  So pleased.  However, it's Bills or bust for me at this point in life / in this point of this franchise.

[Greg S]

4 minutes ago, TheCockSportif said:

Red Sox.  So pleased.  However, it's Bills or bust for me at this point in life / in this point of this franchise.

 

Have to think McDermott's seat gets warm if they don't at least make the Super Bowl. They have spent a lot of money this offseason. The signing of Von Miller is a "final piece" kind of move. Its obvious the Bills are all in this year. The media both local/national as well as the expectations from the fanbase will be off the charts. Pressure to win it all is definitely there as just making the playoffs or winning the division isn't enough anymore.

[muppy]

Fighting Irish is hubbys alma matre and hence I am a domer fan much like he a Bills fan...aka best to just go with the flow and not make waves and root for spouses teams.

 

1988 for me was the most memorable National Championship Win. I gave birth to our son on 11/26 true story . Notre Dame was ranked #1 and they beat the #2 ranked and arch rival USC on that day. They then won the national title beating W Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl the next game.

 

Im in my hospital room recovering and he is stifling his Yells of glee lol It was pretty funny in retrospect

Edited April 12, 2022 by muppy

[The Jokeman]

20 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

Rickey was an artist at the plate and on the bases.

 

The art of drawing a walk is gone from the game.  Other than the obvious HR records that fell to the steroid era, another less-heralded record was also "beaten," ... Henderson's bases on balls record.  Bonds (on paper) is now the leader.  That is a goddamn shame.

 

I agree Rickey drew walks where pitchers gave Barry "juiced" Bonds walks to avoid home runs. That said those great A's teams were helped with juiced Canseco and McGwire so I can't complain too much. Yet Rickey to me one of the top 5 OFers of all time. As I doubt we ever see someone steal 100 bases in a season again and he did it 3x, his career SB record won't ever get touched either. Then you throw in his walks and runs he likely be unmatched.

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by The Jokeman

[RaoulDuke79]

Liverpool soccer most recently. Miami Hurricanes football less recently. 

[Gugny]

4 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

I agree Rickey drew walks where pitchers gave Barry "juiced" Bonds walks to avoid home runs. That said those great A's teams were helped with juiced Canseco and McGwire so I can't complain too much. Yet Rickey to me one of the top 5 OFers of all time. As he I doubt we ever see someone steal 100 bases in a season again and he did it 3x, his career SB record won't ever get touched either. Then you throw in his walks and runs he likely be unmatched.

 

 

He was a joy to watch.  I miss players like him ... a lot.

[TheCockSportif]

1 hour ago, Greg S said:

 

Have to think McDermott's seat gets warm if they don't at least make the Super Bowl. They have spent a lot of money this offseason. The signing of Von Miller is a "final piece" kind of move. Its obvious the Bills are all in this year. The media both local/national as well as the expectations from the fanbase will be off the charts. Pressure to win it all is definitely there as just making the playoffs or winning the division isn't enough anymore.

I'm meh about McD, and I said it a few times leading into the offseason.  On one hand, he's not a clown (Gregggg, Mularkey, Chan, etc), but maybe he's not good enough.  It's a quandary, because we've all seen this play out, multiply, over myriad Bills' seasons.

 

This season is king, and I can't wait for it to play out.

[Wacka]

Of course a Bills, Bandits, and Sabres fan. Lived in the SF bay area for 17 years and attended Arena Football games in San Jose.  Got to see two San Jose Sabrecats championship games. Had season tickets (were only $14/ticket/game)

[SinceThe70s]

1969 Mets - sort of. I have a vague recollection of watching the Mets score on a black and white TV and then going outside to play. I was aware that they won the WS that year, but that's my only memory. 

 

Islanders dynasty. But I think most of the games were on cable stations we didn't have so not a lot of memories - except for riding Ranger fans mercilessly.

 

1986 Mets.  

 

Remind me again why I love watching sports and getting disappointed on an annual basis. The good news is the Islanders have been competitive the past few years, the Mets finally have an owner with deep pockets and most of all: Josh and the current Bills regime gives me a lot of hope!