Bob Lamb Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 ONCE UPON A TIME: September 26, 1994 – The Last Monday Night Game At Rich Stadium It was a gala weekend of events as the Buffalo Bills pulled out all the stops to celebrate their 35th anniversary. Players, both famous and obscure, gathered in town for a week of festivities and memories. Ralph Wilson recalled, “When we started out it was a long shot that the AFL would be successful. I shook hands with Paul Neville (late Buffalo News editor) and promised that I’d stick it out for three years. Beyond that, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I look back at the early ‘60’s when you held your breath before a game, hoping the weather was good because we needed the gate receipts to keep us going. And most of the attendance was on the day of the game. I mean you could never envision it would turn out like this.” “But it has been a great 35 years of enjoyment for me. I’ve enjoyed the last seven years more than any other time. Part of it’s because we have been successful. But a major part of it is the association with Marv Levy. He’s such a high class fellow. And he’s surrounded himself with a great bunch of assistants. And we’ve drafted very high caliber players.” Ralph said he cherished the 1964 & 1965 AFL Championships, the end of the 20-game losing streak to Miami, Bill Simpson’s game saving interception against the NY Jets in 1981, the OT victory against the same Jets in 1988, and then the four Super Bowls. But his best memory? – “There have been so many great memories, it’s hard for me to single any one of them out … but if I had to single one out, the Comeback game was it. I just stood there in total disbelief. I said, ‘This cannot happen”’. The alumni players were introduced to the Rich Stadium crowd prior to the game. The Bills also ran a full page tribute in the Buffalo News naming and thanking the 290 individuals and firms that had been season ticket holders from the very beginning. And Then – The Game – It was about 12:13 AM (DST) on a partly cloudy, partly rainy night when a Buffalo crowd of 75,373 entered the NFL nether world called “Elway Time”, could the Bronco’s #7 perform his fourth quarter magic once again? Trailing the Bills 27-20 with 25 seconds left, the Broncos had a fourth down at the Bills four-yard line. Elway took the snap and rolled right, looking for either Shannon Sharpe or Anthony Miller but both receivers were covered and as Cornelius Bennett leaped for the kill, John lofted a desperation pass to Cedric Tillman and watched it soar high and away. For one game – John failed. Denver had started the season as an early favorite to easily make the playoffs, but the team arrived in Buffalo after a poor 0-3 start. There were whispers about the quarterback’s fading ability and more open comments about Wade Phillips coaching status. The Buffalo Bills were 2-1, having lost their home season opener to the NY Jets 23-3 before beating the Patriots (38-35) and the Oilers (15-7) on the road. The Buffalo Bills offense was sputtering a bit and prior to this game, kicker Steve Christie had scored the Bills last 18 points and made it 21 points with a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter of this last, Monday night home game. The Broncos scored next on a 10-play, 72 yard drive finished by an 11-yard TD pass to Anthony Miller. After a Jeff Burris 65-yard punt return (TD) was called back on holding call, the Bills answered nicely with Thurman scoring twice in a period of 96 seconds – the first score on a 16-yard run. The rushing score was the Bills first in nearly 7 ½ quarters of play. After the ensuing kickoff, Bruce Smith sacked Elway and forced a fumble which was recovered by Cornelius Bennett (his 15th – a team record). Thomas scored again on a 27-yard run with 8 seconds left in the half and the Bills led 17-7. Thurman Thomas was going to have his third consecutive 100-yard game (17-103) and both his scores came on the same draw play. Thurman said, “It’s a little draw we got from a team I’m not going to name. It’s something we worked on all week because their defensive ends get up the field. I got in the groove and I was hitting the holes correctly. On both touchdowns, Kent Hull said, ‘Just follow me,’ which I did. He got a couple of good blocks.” On the second score, Thurman got a block from Don Beebe who leveled the cornerback, Thurman leaped over Beebe and receiver Bill Brooks sealed off the safety as Thurman scored down the left side. Kent Hull said, “I just pulled around the guard (Lacina). It was similar to what we did against Kansas City in the Championship game last year. Glenn Parker did a good blocking Mecklenburg on the outside and if I can beat my block, Thurman just has to beat the safety and he’s in.” In the third quarter, Denver received the kickoff but Mickey Washington promptly picked off Elway and returned the ball 27 yards to the Bills 25-yard line. Carwell Gardner scored his first TD of the year on a three yard plunge while Kenny Davis ran 15 times for 45 yards after Thomas left the game with a sprained knee. The Bills finished with 149 rushing yards – their highest total for the four games of the season. Thurman also became the third Bills player to have 60 TD’s in a career following OJ Simpson and Andre Reed. Despite an almost seven minute advantage in TOP, Denver could just not get a running game going on the wet field, the team finishing with only 77 yards of which 37 were by Elway. Leonard Russell scored on a two yard rush to make the game 24-13. The teams then traded 28-yard field goals and with the Bills ground attack gone anemic without #34, the Broncos drove again in the fourth quarter and managed a 43-yard FG by Jason Elam to make the game 27-20. The Bills took the ball but soon had to punt – a 33 yard effort by Chris Mohr. Glyn Milburn fielded the ball on the bounce and took off for what seemed a sure TD, but Mohr caught his ankle from behind and the Broncos had the ball on their own 47-yard line. Elway drove the team downfield one last time but the last pass sailed high and away as the Bills sent the Broncos packing with an 0-4 record. Wade Philips said, afterwards, “They’ve got a good football team and they’re tough to beat here. It’s always been that way. They look like the team they’ve had the last few years … the last four years.” The victory was the Bills 250th (250-270-8) and evened their MNF record at 14-14. Jim Kelly passed Joe Ferguson on the all time pass completion list with 2,191-2,188. Kelly had also passed Ferguson in TD passes in Week 2 with 183. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Good times, Bob. Those were good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdelma Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 We can only dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin in Va Beach Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 That was before Ralph's bedtime became 7:30... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Man, I miss Kent Hull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mile High Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 ONCE UPON A TIME: September 26, 1994 – The Last Monday Night Game At Rich Stadium It was a gala weekend of events as the Buffalo Bills pulled out all the stops to celebrate their 35th anniversary. Players, both famous and obscure, gathered in town for a week of festivities and memories. Ralph Wilson recalled, “When we started out it was a long shot that the AFL would be successful. I shook hands with Paul Neville (late Buffalo News editor) and promised that I’d stick it out for three years. Beyond that, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I look back at the early ‘60’s when you held your breath before a game, hoping the weather was good because we needed the gate receipts to keep us going. And most of the attendance was on the day of the game. I mean you could never envision it would turn out like this.” “But it has been a great 35 years of enjoyment for me. I’ve enjoyed the last seven years more than any other time. Part of it’s because we have been successful. But a major part of it is the association with Marv Levy. He’s such a high class fellow. And he’s surrounded himself with a great bunch of assistants. And we’ve drafted very high caliber players.” Ralph said he cherished the 1964 & 1965 AFL Championships, the end of the 20-game losing streak to Miami, Bill Simpson’s game saving interception against the NY Jets in 1981, the OT victory against the same Jets in 1988, and then the four Super Bowls. But his best memory? – “There have been so many great memories, it’s hard for me to single any one of them out … but if I had to single one out, the Comeback game was it. I just stood there in total disbelief. I said, ‘This cannot happen”’. The alumni players were introduced to the Rich Stadium crowd prior to the game. The Bills also ran a full page tribute in the Buffalo News naming and thanking the 290 individuals and firms that had been season ticket holders from the very beginning. And Then – The Game – It was about 12:13 AM (DST) on a partly cloudy, partly rainy night when a Buffalo crowd of 75,373 entered the NFL nether world called “Elway Time”, could the Bronco’s #7 perform his fourth quarter magic once again? Trailing the Bills 27-20 with 25 seconds left, the Broncos had a fourth down at the Bills four-yard line. Elway took the snap and rolled right, looking for either Shannon Sharpe or Anthony Miller but both receivers were covered and as Cornelius Bennett leaped for the kill, John lofted a desperation pass to Cedric Tillman and watched it soar high and away. For one game – John failed. Denver had started the season as an early favorite to easily make the playoffs, but the team arrived in Buffalo after a poor 0-3 start. There were whispers about the quarterback’s fading ability and more open comments about Wade Phillips coaching status. The Buffalo Bills were 2-1, having lost their home season opener to the NY Jets 23-3 before beating the Patriots (38-35) and the Oilers (15-7) on the road. The Buffalo Bills offense was sputtering a bit and prior to this game, kicker Steve Christie had scored the Bills last 18 points and made it 21 points with a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter of this last, Monday night home game. The Broncos scored next on a 10-play, 72 yard drive finished by an 11-yard TD pass to Anthony Miller. After a Jeff Burris 65-yard punt return (TD) was called back on holding call, the Bills answered nicely with Thurman scoring twice in a period of 96 seconds – the first score on a 16-yard run. The rushing score was the Bills first in nearly 7 ½ quarters of play. After the ensuing kickoff, Bruce Smith sacked Elway and forced a fumble which was recovered by Cornelius Bennett (his 15th – a team record). Thomas scored again on a 27-yard run with 8 seconds left in the half and the Bills led 17-7. Thurman Thomas was going to have his third consecutive 100-yard game (17-103) and both his scores came on the same draw play. Thurman said, “It’s a little draw we got from a team I’m not going to name. It’s something we worked on all week because their defensive ends get up the field. I got in the groove and I was hitting the holes correctly. On both touchdowns, Kent Hull said, ‘Just follow me,’ which I did. He got a couple of good blocks.” On the second score, Thurman got a block from Don Beebe who leveled the cornerback, Thurman leaped over Beebe and receiver Bill Brooks sealed off the safety as Thurman scored down the left side. Kent Hull said, “I just pulled around the guard (Lacina). It was similar to what we did against Kansas City in the Championship game last year. Glenn Parker did a good blocking Mecklenburg on the outside and if I can beat my block, Thurman just has to beat the safety and he’s in.” In the third quarter, Denver received the kickoff but Mickey Washington promptly picked off Elway and returned the ball 27 yards to the Bills 25-yard line. Carwell Gardner scored his first TD of the year on a three yard plunge while Kenny Davis ran 15 times for 45 yards after Thomas left the game with a sprained knee. The Bills finished with 149 rushing yards – their highest total for the four games of the season. Thurman also became the third Bills player to have 60 TD’s in a career following OJ Simpson and Andre Reed. Despite an almost seven minute advantage in TOP, Denver could just not get a running game going on the wet field, the team finishing with only 77 yards of which 37 were by Elway. Leonard Russell scored on a two yard rush to make the game 24-13. The teams then traded 28-yard field goals and with the Bills ground attack gone anemic without #34, the Broncos drove again in the fourth quarter and managed a 43-yard FG by Jason Elam to make the game 27-20. The Bills took the ball but soon had to punt – a 33 yard effort by Chris Mohr. Glyn Milburn fielded the ball on the bounce and took off for what seemed a sure TD, but Mohr caught his ankle from behind and the Broncos had the ball on their own 47-yard line. Elway drove the team downfield one last time but the last pass sailed high and away as the Bills sent the Broncos packing with an 0-4 record. Wade Philips said, afterwards, “They’ve got a good football team and they’re tough to beat here. It’s always been that way. They look like the team they’ve had the last few years … the last four years.” The victory was the Bills 250th (250-270-8) and evened their MNF record at 14-14. Jim Kelly passed Joe Ferguson on the all time pass completion list with 2,191-2,188. Kelly had also passed Ferguson in TD passes in Week 2 with 183. 457389[/snapback] I was there at that game. Anyone else there? Do you remember the hit that Kurt Schultz put on the Denver full back coming out of the back field, holy sh--. I felt it in the seat I was sitting in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 FWIW, here's the Bill's record on MNF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_Night_..._Series_History Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typical TBD Guy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 FWIW, here's the Bill's record on MNF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_Night_..._Series_History 457732[/snapback] Wow, we haven't played a MNF game since the 2000 season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Wow, we haven't played a MNF game since the 2000 season 457738[/snapback] A bit of a surprise. Looking at the results and assuming I counted right, they're evenly split in wins/losses over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin in Va Beach Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 If the Bills ever get on MNF again, we better hope it isn't against the Steelers. They always seemed to crush us on Monday Night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Rich Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Man, I miss Kent Hull. 457544[/snapback] Same here, as he's one of my all time favorite Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpile Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Thanks for the memories, Bob! ...and thanks for 1966 S.I. too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 ONCE UPON A TIME: September 26, 1994 – The Last Monday Night Game At Rich Stadium It was a gala weekend of events as the Buffalo Bills pulled out all the stops to celebrate their 35th anniversary. Players, both famous and obscure, gathered in town for a week of festivities and memories. Ralph Wilson recalled, “When we started out it was a long shot that the AFL would be successful. I shook hands with Paul Neville (late Buffalo News editor) and promised that I’d stick it out for three years. Beyond that, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I look back at the early ‘60’s when you held your breath before a game, hoping the weather was good because we needed the gate receipts to keep us going. And most of the attendance was on the day of the game. I mean you could never envision it would turn out like this.” “But it has been a great 35 years of enjoyment for me. I’ve enjoyed the last seven years more than any other time. Part of it’s because we have been successful. But a major part of it is the association with Marv Levy. He’s such a high class fellow. And he’s surrounded himself with a great bunch of assistants. And we’ve drafted very high caliber players.” Ralph said he cherished the 1964 & 1965 AFL Championships, the end of the 20-game losing streak to Miami, Bill Simpson’s game saving interception against the NY Jets in 1981, the OT victory against the same Jets in 1988, and then the four Super Bowls. But his best memory? – “There have been so many great memories, it’s hard for me to single any one of them out … but if I had to single one out, the Comeback game was it. I just stood there in total disbelief. I said, ‘This cannot happen”’. The alumni players were introduced to the Rich Stadium crowd prior to the game. The Bills also ran a full page tribute in the Buffalo News naming and thanking the 290 individuals and firms that had been season ticket holders from the very beginning. And Then – The Game – It was about 12:13 AM (DST) on a partly cloudy, partly rainy night when a Buffalo crowd of 75,373 entered the NFL nether world called “Elway Time”, could the Bronco’s #7 perform his fourth quarter magic once again? Trailing the Bills 27-20 with 25 seconds left, the Broncos had a fourth down at the Bills four-yard line. Elway took the snap and rolled right, looking for either Shannon Sharpe or Anthony Miller but both receivers were covered and as Cornelius Bennett leaped for the kill, John lofted a desperation pass to Cedric Tillman and watched it soar high and away. For one game – John failed. Denver had started the season as an early favorite to easily make the playoffs, but the team arrived in Buffalo after a poor 0-3 start. There were whispers about the quarterback’s fading ability and more open comments about Wade Phillips coaching status. The Buffalo Bills were 2-1, having lost their home season opener to the NY Jets 23-3 before beating the Patriots (38-35) and the Oilers (15-7) on the road. The Buffalo Bills offense was sputtering a bit and prior to this game, kicker Steve Christie had scored the Bills last 18 points and made it 21 points with a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter of this last, Monday night home game. The Broncos scored next on a 10-play, 72 yard drive finished by an 11-yard TD pass to Anthony Miller. After a Jeff Burris 65-yard punt return (TD) was called back on holding call, the Bills answered nicely with Thurman scoring twice in a period of 96 seconds – the first score on a 16-yard run. The rushing score was the Bills first in nearly 7 ½ quarters of play. After the ensuing kickoff, Bruce Smith sacked Elway and forced a fumble which was recovered by Cornelius Bennett (his 15th – a team record). Thomas scored again on a 27-yard run with 8 seconds left in the half and the Bills led 17-7. Thurman Thomas was going to have his third consecutive 100-yard game (17-103) and both his scores came on the same draw play. Thurman said, “It’s a little draw we got from a team I’m not going to name. It’s something we worked on all week because their defensive ends get up the field. I got in the groove and I was hitting the holes correctly. On both touchdowns, Kent Hull said, ‘Just follow me,’ which I did. He got a couple of good blocks.” On the second score, Thurman got a block from Don Beebe who leveled the cornerback, Thurman leaped over Beebe and receiver Bill Brooks sealed off the safety as Thurman scored down the left side. Kent Hull said, “I just pulled around the guard (Lacina). It was similar to what we did against Kansas City in the Championship game last year. Glenn Parker did a good blocking Mecklenburg on the outside and if I can beat my block, Thurman just has to beat the safety and he’s in.” In the third quarter, Denver received the kickoff but Mickey Washington promptly picked off Elway and returned the ball 27 yards to the Bills 25-yard line. Carwell Gardner scored his first TD of the year on a three yard plunge while Kenny Davis ran 15 times for 45 yards after Thomas left the game with a sprained knee. The Bills finished with 149 rushing yards – their highest total for the four games of the season. Thurman also became the third Bills player to have 60 TD’s in a career following OJ Simpson and Andre Reed. Despite an almost seven minute advantage in TOP, Denver could just not get a running game going on the wet field, the team finishing with only 77 yards of which 37 were by Elway. Leonard Russell scored on a two yard rush to make the game 24-13. The teams then traded 28-yard field goals and with the Bills ground attack gone anemic without #34, the Broncos drove again in the fourth quarter and managed a 43-yard FG by Jason Elam to make the game 27-20. The Bills took the ball but soon had to punt – a 33 yard effort by Chris Mohr. Glyn Milburn fielded the ball on the bounce and took off for what seemed a sure TD, but Mohr caught his ankle from behind and the Broncos had the ball on their own 47-yard line. Elway drove the team downfield one last time but the last pass sailed high and away as the Bills sent the Broncos packing with an 0-4 record. Wade Philips said, afterwards, “They’ve got a good football team and they’re tough to beat here. It’s always been that way. They look like the team they’ve had the last few years … the last four years.” The victory was the Bills 250th (250-270-8) and evened their MNF record at 14-14. Jim Kelly passed Joe Ferguson on the all time pass completion list with 2,191-2,188. Kelly had also passed Ferguson in TD passes in Week 2 with 183. 457389[/snapback] I was at that game. Each year I would travel up to WNY for the annual MNF game we would have ( was like 4 years in row ). We would go golfing on saturday, cortland apple picking on sunday , game on monday and head back to NC on tuesday. Man I really miss that trip so now have to travel up for sunday game once a year, just wish NFL went back to starting on labor day weekend that extra day was nice for travel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 If the Bills ever get on MNF again, we better hope it isn't against the Steelers. They always seemed to crush us on Monday Night. 457751[/snapback] yup, it seemed like every year in the mid to late '90's we'd hafta go to pittsburgh on a monday night and just get crushed..i always hated the NFL for scheduling that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Man, I miss Kent Hull. 457544[/snapback] Yeah a real center who could block. I think Kent was probably one of the most UNDERRATED Centers and OL to play the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 yup, it seemed like every year in the mid to late '90's we'd hafta go to pittsburgh on a monday night and just get crushed..i always hated the NFL for scheduling that... 457856[/snapback] We always seemed to have to play monday nights in Miami as well. I had once heard Ralph was against Sunday and Monday night games since it seemed to affect the gates etc, I cant recall a night game at RWS that wasnt a complete sellout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lamb Posted September 28, 2005 Author Share Posted September 28, 2005 We always seemed to have to play monday nights in Miami as well. I had once heard Ralph was against Sunday and Monday night games since it seemed to affect the gates etc, I cant recall a night game at RWS that wasnt a complete sellout. 457860[/snapback] This game did not sell out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 This game did not sell out 458048[/snapback] Thanx for reminding me I just recalled that fact and how disappointed I was that it didnt sell out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Flanders Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 This game did not sell out 458048[/snapback] The 1974 MNF opener classic vs. the Raiders did not sell out, nor did the 1975 game vs. the Giants when the Bills were 4-0 (or somewhere near there...the Giants game was when some hooligan climbed out on the cable that held the netting behind the goal post). Also remember a MNF game in 1984 (?) vs. the Fish that was blacked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FanfromAlbany Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 The first game I got to see live at Rich Stadium. The Burris punt return really got my heart started (even though it got called back). I screamed so much during that last drive (going towards the endzone I was sitting in) I couldn't talk the next day. What a blast! I was so impressed by how friendly everyone was. The guy next to me bought me a cup of coffee and gave me about 1/2 a bag of peanuts and he treated me like he'd known me forever. A big difference from the crowd at Foxboro where I saw my first game. The Patsie creeps would just as soon spit at you as look at you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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