Your Bills Fanhood

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

With all the bickering going on about McBeane, Peterman, etc, TBD has been quite tense the last few days. More than usual I'd say. So I thought I'd start a thread to cool everybody down. Three questions.

 

1. How did you become a Bills fan?
2. What do you love most about The Bills? 
3. What's your favorite memory as a fan?

Edited October 17, 2018 by The Real Buffalo Joe

[Fadingpain]

1. Being born in Buffalo with a father who was a rabid sports fan.

2. I love watching a game unfold on Sunday for 3 hours.

3. The moment the clock ended and we beat the Raiders 51-3 in the 1990 AFC Championship game.  It was the high water mark of this franchise, IMO, and at that moment we were clearly the best team in the NFL; I was confident we would win the Superbowl, and that was my "perfect moment" in decades of fanhood.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2018 by Fadingpain

[Gugny]

1. How did you become a Bills fan? - BUF/NYG Super Bowl.  I told my friends I was flipping a coin.  Heads, I root for Buffalo; Tails, I root for NY ... and that I would remain a fan of that team forever.  It landed on Heads.
2. What do you love most about The Bills? - Being a fan has allowed me to meet a lot of nice people and even form some close friendships.
3. What's your favorite memory as a fan? - The day Tyrod Taylor was traded.  And no ... I'm not kidding.

[thurst44]

9 minutes ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

How did you become a Bills fan?'

I grew up in NYC in the 70s & 80s. My whole family was from Buffalo, and I loved sports from an early age, so I grew to love the Bills. I followed them without knowing what was really going on. I remember Joes Cribbs & Ferguson but not much else. My fandom was cemented in the 2-14 seasons. I was at camp, in the Jersey wilderness (it exists!) on a long hike, listening to sports radio on my Walkman when a news flash cut into an interview with the Jets' Nuu Faaola to announce that Kelly was signed, and I was pretty well hooked from there. I went to UB for the four Super Bowl years, the first game I saw live was 51-3, so there was no going back then.

9 minutes ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

1. What do you love most about The Bills? 

The sense of camaraderie among the fans, the resilience, the fact that you can find Bills bars in most cities (I know of at least 5 alone in the NYC metro area). I also love the fact the stars are so connected to the city, and often choose to stay (even if they publicly mocked it before). I'm also a sucker for an underdog story, so the Bills clearly fit that bill.

9 minutes ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

1. What's your favorite memory as a fan?

- Well, 51-3 comes to mind...riding back with my family, hearing Matt Bahr kick the field goal to set up a Super Bowl I was so sure we'd win. 

- Watching the Comeback at my aunt's in NYC after a last-minute decision to not head back to Buffalo before the game, savoring the victory on ESPN for hours of Chris Berman overexuberance.

-  Exiting the NYC Bills Bar to the approach of riot police after the 2011 victory over the Pats -- few other teams, if any, could summon a near riot in another NFL city after a regular season win.

- 

[PearlHowardman]

1.  I'm from Syracuse, New York so the Buffalo Bills are the natural/logical/geographical NFL team to follow.  I know many local Bills fans who travel to Bills home games.  

2.  Their past history - decades ago.

3.  I honestly can't think of a favorite memory.  It's been decades since they did anything.  Too many other things have happened in my life since then.

 

 

[stevestojan]

1) I was Born 

2) keeps me in touch with my Dad 

3) So many, and I know this is current, but I can’t remember feeling such utter joy as NYE when Dalton made that pass. 

[billsfan5121]

1: Bills/Redskins SB.  I am from, and still live in VA. Everyone is Redskins or Cowboys down here.  When we played Washington, everyone was pulling for Washington.  So I took the underdog and it stuck.  Which leads to #2.

 

2: What I love most is probably the underdog mentality of the team and fans.  Sort of an “us against the world” mentality.  We love our team.  We love the city (myself included despite never living in buffalo).  The constant hope and dreaming of what it would be like to win it all.  I often wonder if we win the SB, would my passion diminish a bit, because what else is left?

 

3:  I have a few.  Most of the playoff years of the late 80s and 90s was while I was a child to early teen years.  This was prior to Sunday Ticket and I was too young to have my dad (redskins fan who can watch on local broadcast anyways) to take me to a bar.  So one of my favorite memories was when we went up against the Titans.  That obviously ended poorly.  Second, landing Bledsoe.  I thought we’d have a quality QB for the first part of my adult fan hood.  Third, 31-0 against NE.  I thought I was about to see a great season with a great team, and I was finally able to start watching every game.  Fourth, the 6 game winning streak in 2004.  What a comeback to the season, then that went up in flames.  Finally, making the playoffs last year and the videos that followed.  Never met a single person from the videos and they all felt like family. 

[Buffalo716]

1) everyone in my family is a Bills fan... there is no options. You are born into it

 

2) the sense of camaraderie between fans and the team. The Bills and packers are the only 2 NFL cities with a Real Bond to their team

 

3) The day I bought my first season tickets

[Success]

1.  I grew up in WNY and was basically born a Bills fan

2.  The thing I love most is the fans.  It has been a collective experience like no other, and we all have this weird and pretty amazing bond as a result.  I don’t think many other fan bases can relate - maybe Cubs until a few years ago, or Browns fans.

3. Like the other poster - that win over the Raiders for the 1st trip to the SB. I thought we were invincible.  

[iinii]

My favorite moment was when the big fellas came out to seal the 31-0 against NE in ‘03. Sam Adams had  rumbled, stumbled, bumbled his way to paydirt after a pick also. It was opening day, we were in first in the division and all was right with the world.

[JM57]

34 minutes ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

With all the bickering going on about McBeane, Peterman, etc, TBD has been quite tense the last few days. More than usual I'd say. So I thought I'd start a thread to cool everybody down. Three questions.

 

1. How did you become a Bills fan?
2. What do you love most about The Bills? 
3. What's your favorite memory as a fan?

1. Born and raised here

 

2. The way they hurt me in a new way each and every year, so it always feela new

 

3. I remember they had a good offense with Bledsoe one year. That was nice. Also when I bought my seasons in December 2014. 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2018 by JM57

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

25 minutes ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

With all the bickering going on about McBeane, Peterman, etc, TBD has been quite tense the last few days. More than usual I'd say. So I thought I'd start a thread to cool everybody down. Three questions.

 

1. How did you become a Bills fan?
2. What do you love most about The Bills? 
3. What's your favorite memory as a fan?

1. Buffalo born, started watching in 87 & was hooked.  Became a family event over the next decade

2. Mental toughness. Enduring the pain of rooting for this team has really bolstered my mental fortitude 

3. Seeing Thurman fly like Superman to catch a deep sideline ball, & tailgating with my sons, brother father and grandfather ... 4 generations of bills fans 

[freddyjj]

39 minutes ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

With all the bickering going on about McBeane, Peterman, etc, TBD has been quite tense the last few days. More than usual I'd say. So I thought I'd start a thread to cool everybody down. Three questions.

 

1. How did you become a Bills fan?
2. What do you love most about The Bills? 
3. What's your favorite memory as a fan?

1.  Grew up in a BUF family that went to mass together , then had a late Irish fry breakfast and watched the Bills at 1pm.  

2.  I love how the Bills draw our community together - creed, race, politics or gender do not matter!

3.  Beating the Fins in the 80 opener after 20 straight losses.  Fergie to Roosevelt leaks for the TD!

[LSHMEAB]

My Mom is from Buffalo and I'm from Detroit. I was 10 when we made our first SuperBowl run, so I was hooked. The Lions made that decision an easy one.

 

I love that the Bills are so overlooked and dismissed. I'm proud to remain loyal to a struggling franchise. I actually enjoy the crazy, dismissive looks I get when I say I'm a Bills fan as all the idiots discuss their fierce loyalty to the Patriots or the Eagles which will evaporate as soon as they start to decline.

 

Favorite memory is an odd one. I was a big Rob Johnson fan and when he won that game at KC with a run, I thought we'd found the answer at QB.

[msw2112]

1.  I was born and raised in Buffalo and am a huge sports fan.  My grandfather and father were/are also Bills fans.

 

2.  The bonds created from being a Bills fan are second to none.  It connects me to many family and friends who live all over the country, and it is often the perfect excuse to meet in various cities for road Bills games.  If we are not traveling, we connect on Sundays via text message.  I made numerous friends at the Bills bars in Chicago when I lived there and I have also gone to Bills bars in various cities while traveling and the camaraderie among everyone is amazing.  No matter where in the country you go, you are always welcome.  Most recently, I was at Octoberfest in Germany last week and wore a Bills hat to see what would happen.  Sure enough, I got a shout out.  From out of nowhere, I heard someone yell "Bills Mafia!"

 

3.  I have several.  I was at the "Greatest Comeback" game and decided to stay for the 2nd half.  Enough said.  There was also a home game against the Broncos in 1990 when the Bills were down 14-0 and scored 3 times in less than 2 minutes (blocked kick for TD, pick 6, etc.) - it is the loudest and craziest I have ever seen the stadium.  https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2010/9/30/1703600/september-30-1990-bills-score-20-points-in-77-seconds  I also have a lasting memory way back in the early 80s, when lots of home games were blacked out.  My brother, friends and I would play touch football in the street and listen to the Van Miller broadcast on a portable radio.  One such Sunday we beat the Pats on a hail mary pass from Joe Ferguson to Roland Hooks.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Hooks .  I have many others, but these are the top ones!  

 

I would be curious to know if anyone else on the board has memories of these last 2 games that I mentioned (the "Greatest Comeback" game goes without saying).

Edited October 17, 2018 by msw2112

[Haslett_Stomp]

1.  My dad took a job with Graphic Controls in 1975 and moved the family to WNY.

 

2.  I can't help it, they're in my blood 

 

3.  Even though we lived a few miles from Rich Stadium, being able to hear the announcer from our backyard in OP if the wind was blowing in the right direction.  As for a specific game, the 1990 AFC Championship game.

Edited October 17, 2018 by Haslett_Stomp

[Success]

12 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

1.  I was born and raised in Buffalo and am a huge sports fan.  My grandfather and father were/are also Bills fans.

 

2.  The bonds created from being a Bills fan are second to none.  It connects me to many family and friends who live all over the country, and it is often the perfect excuse to meet in various cities for road Bills games.  If we are not traveling, we connect on Sundays via text message.  I made numerous friends at the Bills bars in Chicago when I lived there and I have also gone to Bills bars in various cities while traveling and the camaraderie among everyone is amazing.  No matter where in the country you go, you are always welcome.  Most recently, I was at Octoberfest in Germany last week and wore a Bills hat to see what would happen.  Sure enough, I got a shout out.  From out of nowhere, I heard someone yell "Bills Mafia!"

 

3.  I have several.  I was at the "Greatest Comeback" game and decided to stay for the 2nd half.  Enough said.  There was also a home game against the Broncos in 1990 when the Bills were down 14-0 and scored 3 times in less than 2 minutes (blocked kick for TD, pick 6, etc.) - it is the loudest and craziest I have ever seen the stadium.  https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2010/9/30/1703600/september-30-1990-bills-score-20-points-in-77-seconds  I also have a lasting memory way back in the early 80s, when lots of home games were blacked out.  My brother, friends and I would play touch football in the street and listen to the Van Miller broadcast on a portable radio.  One such Sunday we beat the Pats on a hail mary pass from Joe Ferguson to Roland Hooks.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Hooks .  I have many others, but these are the top ones!  

 

I would be curious to know if anyone else on the board has memories of these last 2 games that I mentioned (the "Greatest Comeback" game goes without saying).

I remember exactly where I was in that Denver game...a bar in Boston, of all places.  That game turned around so fast, and really showed how explosive that team was.  Playmakers everywhere.

[BillsInWilmingtonNC]

1 hour ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

With all the bickering going on about McBeane, Peterman, etc, TBD has been quite tense the last few days. More than usual I'd say. So I thought I'd start a thread to cool everybody down. Three questions.

 

1. How did you become a Bills fan?
2. What do you love most about The Bills? 
3. What's your favorite memory as a fan?

1.  I was born into this

 

2.  I love that they always leave me wanting more from them.... But really, I can't get enough Bills, between the Draft, Free Agency, Preseason, Regular Season, even Playoffs last year, and then Embedded this year I just can't get enough Bills coverage/info, I'm addicted to it.

 

3.  By farrrrrr the best memory I have is the exact moment we made the playoffs last year, it was the first time we have made the playoffs since I can even remember watching the Bills, I didn't get to be part of the Kelly years

[Jukester]

1. My family moved to Cheektowaga in 1980 when i was 9. My dad had started following football and I was hooked. Those were the days of Fergy, Cribbs, Lewis, Smerlas, Haslett, etc...  Been a lifelong Bills fan since, even after moving away as an adult

2. Tough question.  Probably the identity they give to the community. We live and die by every game.

3.  a)  51-3 clincher for the first super bowl - was in college at the time but that feeling of knowing we were going to the show remains priceless

      b)  Comeback game - i was at this game... til the end

      c)  Division clincher in 88 against the Jets where i was on the field postgame as we tore the goal posts down and passed a piece up to RW's box

 

 

25 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

3.  I have several.  I was at the "Greatest Comeback" game and decided to stay for the 2nd half.  Enough said.  There was also a home game against the Broncos in 1990 when the Bills were down 14-0 and scored 3 times in less than 2 minutes (blocked kick for TD, pick 6, etc.) - it is the loudest and craziest I have ever seen the stadium.  https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2010/9/30/1703600/september-30-1990-bills-score-20-points-in-77-seconds  I also have a lasting memory way back in the early 80s, when lots of home games were blacked out.  My brother, friends and I would play touch football in the street and listen to the Van Miller broadcast on a portable radio.  One such Sunday we beat the Pats on a hail mary pass from Joe Ferguson to Roland Hooks.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Hooks .  I have many others, but these are the top ones!  

 

I would be curious to know if anyone else on the board has memories of these last 2 games that I mentioned (the "Greatest Comeback" game goes without saying).

 

The Fergy to Hooks game was my first live game ever.  I was little and too many people standing so didn't really see it but the celebration was awesome

I remember the broncos game fondly - Biscuit's first game where he terrorized Elway non-stop.

[chaccof]

1 hour ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

With all the bickering going on about McBeane, Peterman, etc, TBD has been quite tense the last few days. More than usual I'd say. So I thought I'd start a thread to cool everybody down. Three questions.

 

1. How did you become a Bills fan?
2. What do you love most about The Bills? 
3. What's your favorite memory as a fan?

1.  Born in Buffalo to an extended family that got together every Sunday and the men sat around watching the Bills, what choice did I have (this started in the 60's FWIW)?

2.  That they represent my hometown; if they moved I'd stop rooting for them like I did the Buffalo Braves

3.  1) going to a game on my 13th birthday with my dad and cousin and seeing Tom Dempsey miss a chip shot FG saving a Bills victory and 2) the comeback after I had given up on the team and went to play golf and then catching the last five minutes of regulation and OT