Archives for March 26, 2014

‘”We were season ticket owners since 1960, my dad and I,” Mr. Lickfeld said. “It was very rare if you didn’t see him walking around at the game, always talking to fans. I was just a young kid then, but I remember my dad saying, ‘That’s Ralph over there.'”‘

‘Wilson did not put Buffalo on the map, but he did as much as anyone to keep it there.’

‘”There were tears,” Lurie said, “but it was just absolute quiet.”‘

‘”He would come in and high-five guys,” Darryl Talley said by phone from Florida. “Leonard Smith would run the length of the locker room and high-five you, damn near break your hand. The funniest thing I came remember, Ralph came in one time and I told Leonard, ‘If you hit him hard and break his hand so he can’t sign my check, I’ll kill you’.”‘

‘”My father had a great personality,” the Bills’ owner said. “He could sell ice to Eskimos. He was the world’s greatest storyteller, without using profanity. He never told a dirty story or listened to one in his life. He and I were more like brothers than father and son.”‘

‘”The entire Buffalo Sabres organization was saddened to learn of the passing of Ralph Wilson Jr.,” the statement read. “His contributions to the city of Buffalo over his 50-plus years of owning the Bills were immeasurable, and his legacy in Western New York and the sports world will be long-lasting. With his passion for the game and never-ending loyalty to the great fans of Buffalo, he embodied what all owners in sports strive to be.’

‘Five other NFL cities have faced similar questions in the last eight years. In four of those instances, controlling interest in the team was passed on to surviving family members. In the other, a minority owner exercised an option to purchase controlling interest.’

‘”He used to call me his favorite son, and we used to always laugh and joke about that,” said Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas. “When you have that type of relationship, it hits home. I was very close to Mr. Wilson. It hurts.”‘

‘”Our community would not be the same without the Buffalo Bills. It is some ways the glue that binds us together as Buffalonians and western New Yorkers and we have Mr. Wilson to thank for this.” he added.’

‘In fact, the trust is likely to control and manage the team for at least a couple of years before any sale of the team is arranged, both team and National Football League sources tell The News.’