DFITZ1 Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Here's a couple pictures from the Rockpile during warm ups before the Bills-Oilers jousted on what I believe was openning day. This is from a slide my late father-in-law took from the west end zone seats. Actually, they are both teh same slide. The full picture, then a close up of teh field. If you show actual size, you can see Kemp, Lamonica and Gogolak just to teh left of the right-hand upright, Elbert Dubenion is to the right of the upright, and possibly Cookie Gilchrist (running towards the camera) to the right of him. My father-in-law, who passed last year at 89, was an original Rockpile season ticket holder, who in his lifetime got to see what many still dream of, the Bills carried off the field as champions. Second pic. Higher resolution pic of the players. Edited January 30, 2011 by DFITZ1
boyst Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 That's pretty damn cool. Well before my time, though.
DFITZ1 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 That's pretty damn cool. Well before my time, though. My first Bills game was in the Rockpile about 5 years after this picture was taken. Darryl Lamonica was on the field but as an Oakland Raider and they ran over the Bills in brutal fashion. It wasn't unexpected, but seeing a game there on a warm, sunny September day with 45000 fans filling the seats was still a big thrill. It all began somewhere.
DFITZ1 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 Those are classic pictures! Glad you like them. I was like a kid in a candy store when we found them. Getting a good slide scanner was key, too. This is from an Epson V500. It has a really good digital "cleaner" on it that removes dust and particle spots, except, it blurred out the player numbers so I scanned without that filter. It works great on virtually all others.
bbb Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Glad you like them. I was like a kid in a candy store when we found them. Getting a good slide scanner was key, too. This is from an Epson V500. It has a really good digital "cleaner" on it that removes dust and particle spots, except, it blurred out the player numbers so I scanned without that filter. It works great on virtually all others. They really are excellent!..........I know that kid in a candy store feeling. I love finding old pics (never found any as cool as those, though) and old newspapers.
DFITZ1 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) They really are excellent!..........I know that kid in a candy store feeling. I love finding old pics (never found any as cool as those, though) and old newspapers. It's neat seeing the scoreboard advertisements when M&T boasted itself as Manufacturer's and Traders Trust Co and the Buffalo News was the Buffalo Evening News (it was the BEN in WBEN before it became WIVB). Though, I preferred the Courier-Express because my father worked there. Edited January 30, 2011 by DFITZ1
jumbalaya Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 I was going to games then. This pic is taken from the end zone whose seats started just above field level and slowly rose up. They were not near as steep as the end zone in the background. In those days they did not have nets to catch the ball after PATs or FG's so when the balls went into the stands whoever caught it kept it. But getting the ball was complete mayhem. Not only were the balls in the air but fists, elbows and knees...anything goes for a free AFL football. Seldom did the guy who caught the ball wind up with it and almost always came up from the pile covered in blood. What a riot. You think it's tough in the end zone at the Ralph? Bunch of pu$$ies compared to back in the day. And nobody got thrown out of the game then. Beer was served in bottles, all the men had a flask of booze. Parking was on the front lawn of the homes in the Fruit Belt. And Cookie Gilchrist had LOOKIE LOOKIE HERE COMES COOKIE stenciled on the side of his Caddy.
DFITZ1 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 I was going to games then. This pic is taken from the end zone whose seats started just above field level and slowly rose up. They were not near as steep as the end zone in the background. In those days they did not have nets to catch the ball after PATs or FG's so when the balls went into the stands whoever caught it kept it. But getting the ball was complete mayhem. Not only were the balls in the air but fists, elbows and knees...anything goes for a free AFL football. Seldom did the guy who caught the ball wind up with it and almost always came up from the pile covered in blood. What a riot. You think it's tough in the end zone at the Ralph? Bunch of pu$$ies compared to back in the day. And nobody got thrown out of the game then. Beer was served in bottles, all the men had a flask of booze. Parking was on the front lawn of the homes in the Fruit Belt. And Cookie Gilchrist had LOOKIE LOOKIE HERE COMES COOKIE stenciled on the side of his Caddy. I sat in that end zone for a Bills-Broncos game in '69. The Bills won big and that end zone was active for ball hogs. I do recall security sometimes coming by to take the ball back (to much displeasure). I went left to get ready for a kick, but stayed too far back. But like you said, better I didn't. If I came home all bloodied my parents wouldn't let me there again (oh, yes, my brother and I went with another family).
Marv's Neighbor Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 It's neat seeing the scoreboard advertisements when M&T boasted itself as Manufacturer's and Traders Trust Co and the Buffalo News was the Buffalo Evening News (it was the BEN in WBEN before it became WIVB). Though, I preferred the Courier-Express because my father worked there. My Dad used to send me down to Seneca St, at 11PM, to get him "The Morning Paper" (Courier Express). The 1950's/60's version of Child Abuse!
jumbalaya Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 My Dad used to send me down to Seneca St, at 11PM, to get him "The Morning Paper" (Courier Express). The 1950's/60's version of Child Abuse! Mine too, guess that was the internet back then, the early morning paper at 11 pm and then the morning paper at 6, just a few more baseball scores.
bbb Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 The only times we ever bought the 11PM edition of the Courier were after big Bills wins. Wow - those are great memories, from being like 8-12 years old. My Dad couldn't wait till the morning for the paper, we were so excited.
Spiderweb Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Memories! Nice pix. Only went to the Rockpile once as a lad, but I'll never forget the obstructed views (roof overhang supports) while trying to watch the game.
BillsPhan Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Here's a couple pictures from the Rockpile during warm ups before the Bills-Oilers jousted on what I believe was openning day. This is from a slide my late father-in-law took from the west end zone seats. Actually, they are both teh same slide. The full picture, then a close up of teh field. If you show actual size, you can see Kemp, Lamonica and Gogolak just to teh left of the right-hand upright, Elbert Dubenion is to the right of the upright, and possibly Cookie Gilchrist (running towards the camera) to the right of him. My father-in-law, who passed last year at 89, was an original Rockpile season ticket holder, who in his lifetime got to see what many still dream of, the Bills carried off the field as champions. Second pic. Higher resolution pic of the players. Great pictures! For an old timer like me, who became a Bills fan watching games in that very stadium from 1968-1972, it really brought back great memories looking at your father-in-laws slide. My 5 years attending games in the real "Rock Pile" have to be why I have always loved Rich / Ralph Wilson Stadium so much. It really made me laugh in 2007, the last season I went to most of the games, to hear a lot of fans from Buffalo and out of town mock RWS like it was a rock pile itself. The face lift in 1998 was great and I think the Bills got more for their $160 Million then the other teams that re-modeled their existing stadiums. Sure the Bears, Packers and Chiefs stadiums may have been re-built more extravagantly but they also spent more then TWICE the amount of money to do it. Walking into Rich Stadium that night when it opened up against the Redskins in the preseason of 1973, after 5 years of going to War Memorial Stadium, was a surreal experience. At that time, only Kansas City had a stadium anything like Rich. And Rich was even bigger then Arrowhead. The Cowboys had Texas Stadium with the hole on top and of course Houston played in the Astro Dome, but little Buffalo played in the newest biggest outdoor stadium in the NFL, and at 14 years old, I thought that was the coolest thing ever! So you can mock RWS all you want. To me it will always be "the coolest thing ever."
MyHorseAteTheKid Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Here's a couple pictures from the Rockpile during warm ups before the Bills-Oilers jousted on what I believe was openning day. This is from a slide my late father-in-law took from the west end zone seats. Actually, they are both teh same slide. The full picture, then a close up of teh field. If you show actual size, you can see Kemp, Lamonica and Gogolak just to teh left of the right-hand upright, Elbert Dubenion is to the right of the upright, and possibly Cookie Gilchrist (running towards the camera) to the right of him. My father-in-law, who passed last year at 89, was an original Rockpile season ticket holder, who in his lifetime got to see what many still dream of, the Bills carried off the field as champions. Second pic. Higher resolution pic of the players. Just seeing this makes me want to run back to Buffalo and hug my 78 year old father, who took me to many games at the old rock pile.. Thank you!!
dwight in philly Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Great pictures! For an old timer like me, who became a Bills fan watching games in that very stadium from 1968-1972, it really brought back great memories looking at your father-in-laws slide. My 5 years attending games in the real "Rock Pile" have to be why I have always loved Rich / Ralph Wilson Stadium so much. It really made me laugh in 2007, the last season I went to most of the games, to hear a lot of fans from Buffalo and out of town mock RWS like it was a rock pile itself. The face lift in 1998 was great and I think the Bills got more for their $160 Million then the other teams that re-modeled their existing stadiums. Sure the Bears, Packers and Chiefs stadiums may have been re-built more extravagantly but they also spent more then TWICE the amount of money to do it. Walking into Rich Stadium that night when it opened up against the Redskins in the preseason of 1973, after 5 years of going to War Memorial Stadium, was a surreal experience. At that time, only Kansas City had a stadium anything like Rich. And Rich was even bigger then Arrowhead. The Cowboys had Texas Stadium with the hole on top and of course Houston played in the Astro Dome, but little Buffalo played in the newest biggest outdoor stadium in the NFL, and at 14 years old, I thought that was the coolest thing ever! So you can mock RWS all you want. To me it will always be "the coolest thing ever." here here! totally echo everything you said! i think the ralph has charm and want it utilized in lieu of building anything modern. as for war memorial, besides my avatar expressing my feelings, i absolutely loved my trips there, loved the anticipation, atmosphere and smell, everything!, about the dear old rockpile. i was 8 yrs old when my father took me there in 1960 and can remember it like it was yesterday. i used to attend AA bisons baseball games when they brought baseball back in 1979 just so i could experience the rockpile again. Edited January 30, 2011 by dwight in philly
8-8 Forever? Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Glad you like them. I was like a kid in a candy store when we found them. Getting a good slide scanner was key, too. This is from an Epson V500. It has a really good digital "cleaner" on it that removes dust and particle spots, except, it blurred out the player numbers so I scanned without that filter. It works great on virtually all others. thanks. wow, color pictures of that era have to be extremely rare... who was No.20 back then?
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Great pictures. The photos are actually from November 1, 1964 - Houston at Buffalo. Pete Gogolak (#3) was on the team in 1964 and 1965. Walt Cudzik (#53, far left of second photo) was on the the team in 1964 only. The Bills did not have a #53 in 1965. #20 is Bobby Smith, a backup running back who played in 1964 and 1965.
Recommended Posts