What is the origin of “Ralph is cheap.”

[Professor Worthington]

Just curious. Anyone know?

[Buffalo716]

7 minutes ago, Professor Worthington said:

Just curious. Anyone know?

 

Probably because when we didn't have talented teams he pinched pennies.. didn't build a dome

 

Didn't spend to the cap... Had some issues with some people giving them raises and such

 

Blah blah blah Ralph Wilson is the Buffalo Bills 

 

I'm glad Terry bought the bills he will never be Ralph Wilson.. Ralph literally did so much for the Buffalo community, supported hospitals and the medical community 

 

Dude gave 15 million to Roswell Park.. millions to UB physicians..  couple million to hospice 

 

And kept the bills in Buffalo when he could have cashed out a long time ago

 

 

Edited August 30 by Buffalo716

[The Jokeman]

10 minutes ago, Professor Worthington said:

Just curious. Anyone know?

So many things not sure it just one thing. He didn't want to pay Wade Phillips the rest of his contract when he fired him. As he felt he quit when he didn't fire his ST coach after home run throwback. As Ralph gave Wade the ultimatum fire him or you both go more of a sgin Wade quit. Also Rich Stadium had some serious issues that went unfixed and then there was his tight money on contracts. There was talk he wouldn't budge on giving a player $9k more in one negotiation.  His/Marv cash to cap philosophy was horrible.  

Edited August 30 by The Jokeman

[Neo]

With the assistance of Google ….

 

During the late 2000s and early 2010s playoff drought, the Bills consistently operated far below the league maximum. For instance, in 2011, the Bills sat more than $20 million under the salary cap. Critics noted that while other owners spent heavily up to the cap limit to secure depth, Wilson frequently ran the team using a "cash-to-cap" deficit, which limited the roster's competitiveness.

 

Wilson rarely broke the bank for premier head coaches or front-office executives, often hiring lesser-known or inexpensive candidates. Hall of Fame General Manager Bill Polian was famously let go in 1992 following a money dispute, after which he went on to build Super Bowl teams elsewhere. When head coaching vacancies opened, Wilson routinely bypassed highly sought-after, expensive targets like Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher, opting instead for lower-cost internal promotions or budget-friendly options.

 

O.J. Simpson (1976): When Simpson demanded a higher contract, Wilson balked at the price. Simpson openly threatened to retire and pursue a Hollywood movie career before a deal was finally reached.  Jason Peters (2009): One of the best left tackles in franchise history held out for a premium contract extension. Wilson refused to pay top dollar for a premier lineman, resulting in Peters being traded away to the Philadelphia Eagles.

 

I would add:  Wilson’s CFO, Littman, who spoke “income statement,” was often the voice in the press discussing decisions and circumstances.    

[eball]

For me it started with not wanting to pay Chuck Knox and his coaching staff; ruined what the Bills were building and sent us into a 6-year tailspin until Polian and Levy arrived.

 

[PromoTheRobot]

To be fair, Ralph had money but he wasn't the kind of rich that could afford to lose millions year after year. But yeah, he was cheap.

[dave mcbride]

13 minutes ago, eball said:

For me it started with not wanting to pay Chuck Knox and his coaching staff; ruined what the Bills were building and sent us into a 6-year tailspin until Polian and Levy arrived.

 

So many moments, but one that stands out is his refusal to match the offer by the MONTREAL FREAKING ALLOUETTES for Tom Cousineau. Regardless of how good or bad Cousineau may have been, the Bills elected to draft him number one overall but then wouldn’t match the offer from what was effectively a minor league team: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2011/6/29/2248180/tom-cousineau-cfl-buffalo-bills. Relatedly, Kelly refused to play for the Bills for three seasons because he didn’t like the Bills’ offer.

Edited August 30 by dave mcbride

[US Egg]

Just now, eball said:

For me it started with not wanting to pay Chuck Knox and his coaching staff; ruined what the Bills were building and sent us into a 6-year tailspin until Polian and Levy arrived.

Yeah, ‘the expect nothing and you won’t be disappointed era’. Still had fun going. Cheap to go, no security, bring in pretty much whatever, sit wherever. Use to go razz the opponent, they come to wall threatening us…..good times.

[Tim Tindale]

The Houston Gamblers massively outbidding the Bills for Kelly in 1983 would be a fine starting point. 

[loyal2dagame]

45 minutes ago, Professor Worthington said:

Just curious. Anyone know?

He had deep pockets with short arms.

[transient]

🤔… I think it arose from his cheapness. 

[dhg]

He didnt want to pay players or front office personnel. Stew Barber as GM comes to mind. Story i was told was that when Terry Blesdoe and eventually Bill Polian took over, they found a shoebox of newspaper clips of rookie prospects and that was the Bills scouting Intel. 

 

Funny story, one of my close friends worked at Westinghouse warehouse by the old Buffalo Airport. Barber was managing the building and would drive a golf cart all over the building. Building was massive. My friends dad picked him up one day and came across Stew. He looks at Barber and says to him, Phil Dokes? Barber had nothing to say and just laughed and shook his head

[Buffalo Boy]

Refusing to pay Chuck Knox and replacing him with Kay Stephenson and then Hank Bullogh…..ooof

[Boatdrinks]

It started with backing out of the planned dome stadium in Lancaster for an 80,000 seat open air structure in Orchard Park. It then continued  with not paying the $$$ to retain Chuck Knox as HC. Threatening to move the team to Seattle in the 80’s  etc. 

[eSJayDee]

For myself, I came to the realization from the "cash to cap" BS.  For anyone that has even the slightest understanding of how the spending cap worked (this was WAY before you had websites devoted to it), it was apparent that they were actually FLAUNTING (or if you prefer, FLOUTING  ) that they were spending "cash to cap".

Also, perhaps somewhat humorously -IDK if they were actually factual, jokes made about him driving around in a Taurus.

[Artful Dodger]

1 hour ago, Professor Worthington said:

Just curious. Anyone know?

If you ever went out drinking with Ralph, you would know.  The guy could pick up a tab once in a while.  

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

Even earlier...

 

1965: After two good seasons Pete Gogolak wanted a raise from 10,000 to 13,000. Ralph said no and Pete signed with the Giants.

[dhg]

6 minutes ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

Even earlier...

 

1965: After two good seasons Pete Gogolak wanted a raise from 10,000 to 13,000. Ralph said no and Pete signed with the Giants.

First soccer style kicker?

[US Egg]

Best $25,000 ever spent in WNY history.

[Rupert]

1 hour ago, eball said:

For me it started with not wanting to pay Chuck Knox and his coaching staff; ruined what the Bills were building and sent us into a 6-year tailspin until Polian and Levy arrived.

 

Absolutely! How in the world did he let Chuck Knox walk? Knox talked about this in his bio, Wilson wanted him to sign for same salary after Knox got them to within ear shot of super bowl. Just shameful. The team had to practice outside in November and January, what a joke. They had to fly to Florida to practice before heading out to San Diego in 1980 playoffs.