How did you become a Bills fan?

[DrW]

I came to the US, specifically, to the University of Rochester as a postdoc in 1990, just when the Bills started their 4 years of fame. Everybody in the lab was so excited; but, watching the games, I had no clue what was going on. Over time, football and especially the Bills grew on me. I even managed to turn my son into a Bills fan, although he just was four when we moved from Rochester to Texas.

Edited March 20, 2019 by DrW

[Mickey]

As a child I was abducted by an alien race of creatures who, inexplicably, all bore a striking resemblance to Lou Saban, even the women. They removed my brain and replaced it with chicken wing sauce before releasing me with the admonition that "You can get it done and what's more is, you gotta get it done." 

 

True story.

[Augie]

6 minutes ago, Mickey said:

As a child I was abducted by an alien race of creatures who, inexplicably, all bore a striking resemblance to Lou Saban, even the women. They removed my brain and replaced it with chicken wing sauce before releasing me with the admonition that "You can get it done and what's more is, you gotta get it done." 

 

True story.

 

I hope they didn’t make you mate with any Patriots* fans on the Mother Ship. That would be icky! Even for an alien race! 

[Buffalo86]

I was a 12 year old, captivated by a red Bills helmet on display at a South Jersey mall kiosk.

 

Me: Wow, which team is that?

Friend: The Buffalo Bills

Me: That's my favorite team.

 

And so it was.

[Happy]

I've been a Bills fan for as long as I can remember, going back to elementary school.  I liked the charging buffalo on the white helmet and the color of the uniforms.  Followed the team ever since, though some years closer than others.

[HomeTeam]

7 hours ago, Logic said:

Born into it. Grew up in Rochester, NY.

My verrrry first sports memory is of crying because the Bills had just lost another Super Bowl. I didn't really understand WHY I was crying, but the adults were all very upset, and the Bills had lost. I knew that much.

I grew up thinking that the Super Bowl was just the last Bills game of the year, every year.

By the time I REALLY started following closely, paying attention, and knowing all the players' names, the drought was just beginning. It has lasted my whole adult life.

xD

 

It won't be long before order is restored my old it friend. 

[HomeTeam]

7 hours ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

 

I'm sorry you've only seen the Crap-Factory era.............

It has not been so bad. 

 

Sure the product on the field has been bad, but I also enjoy the tradition of watching the games on a sunday, being falsely optimistic that this year will be our year, and the child like innocence of cheering on the Bills. 

 

Also, that week 17 Bengals Vs Ravens 4&12 to get into the playoffs was such an joyful moment! Those moments are few but worth it. 

[DC Tom]

A biker gang grabbed me off Hertel Ave. and held me for two days until under threat of torture I promised to root for the Bills.

 

I may have chosen poorly.

 

 

[gonzo1105]

4 years old watching Super Bowl 25. Chose the Bills over the Giants as my favorite team for whatever reason a 4 year old would 

[Ray Ray]

13 hours ago, DCbillsfan said:

The Bills drafted OJ and my dad bought season tickets.  We left Buffalo in 1978 but still a Bills fan.

 

My Grandmother, Aunt, and Uncle lived In Lackawanna off Abbott Road five miles from Rich Stadium.  Went to my first game when the Bills played the Raiders in the early 70’s and loved the team.  It’s been a man crush since then through the bad and good.  My two sons have become Bills die hearts though I live in NC and they live in MD we travel each year to New Era to experience the addictive vibe.  Go Bills!

[Wyorulz]

I am from Wyoming.  Growing up I never had an NFL team because there is none in Wyoming and John Elway is a douche.  The Bills symbol looks like The Wyoming state flag and I hear it is cold there. I always felt the pain of the Super Bowl losses as Wyoming experienced the same ( conference championship games).  Wyoming is a blue collar heavy drinking state, and I always admired the tailgate culture.  Eddie Yarbrough and drafting Josh Allen got my family and I further on the radar there. Story being short I never had a NFL team ( University of Wyoming is that here) but I am now a Bills fan.

 

for those that don’t know Laramie is over 7000 feet and cold.

[biggerdaddynj]

OJ.  

[DCbillsfan]

21 minutes ago, Wyorulz said:

I am from Wyoming.  Growing up I never had an NFL team because there is none in Wyoming and John Elway is a douche.  The Bills symbol looks like The Wyoming state flag and I hear it is cold there. I always felt the pain of the Super Bowl losses as Wyoming experienced the same ( conference championship games).  Wyoming is a blue collar heavy drinking state, and I always admired the tailgate culture.  Eddie Yarbrough and drafting Josh Allen got my family and I further on the radar there. Story being short I never had a NFL team ( University of Wyoming is that here) but I am now a Bills fan.

 

for those that don’t know Laramie is over 7000 feet and cold.

Visited the Grand Tetons this past fall.  Bought a ball cap with the Wyoming state insignia and wear it to all Bills home games.  Season ticket holder.

[Augie]

11 minutes ago, biggerdaddynj said:

OJ.  

 

Yeah, that was great!

 

 

 

.....until it wasn’t. 

[transient]

When I was a wee lad I used to like to swear.   My parents didn't appreciate it very much, but as Bills fans they didn't seem to mind as much when it was part of the fall Sunday afternoon curse-alongs.  In fact, sometimes my dad's friends would encourage it, especially if Jenny's cases were getting low... actually, now that I think of it, that might have been once the cases of Genny were getting low. Anyway, I grew to love the cursing camaraderie.  Mindlessly hurling filthy epithets at the TV with reckless abandon with the grownups was the best.

 

As I grew older something unexpected happened; before I knew it there was purpose behind my cursing.  No longer was it a child's gleeful game of "I can swear at the TV without repercussions," before I knew it it was "Ronnie Harmon, you ******* ******* child hating ***** ****** pig ********* mother ******, how could you drop that ******** pass in the back of the ******** endzone, you *******."  And the worst part... it was no longer fun.  As if creeping in silently in the night like a plague... one day I woke up and I was a Bills fan. Worse yet, no matter how often I try... which is often... too often if my wife is to be believed... I can't seem to recapture the joy I used to get from cursing mindlessly. 

[www.buffalobills.gr]

Loooong time reader of this board, since 1997, finally i'm posting for my first time here. Just never saw a topic that made me want to post until this one.

 

My cousin Leo, looked up to him when I was kid and copied everything he did, loved the Buffalo Sabres, loved Pat LalalalaFontaine. So I was watching the Superbowl with him, I asked: so who do want to win? Buffalo Bills of course!

 

Man, the rest is history. Longest relationship (outside of family): The Bills. First heartbreak: The Bills (that dreaded afternoon in Adelphia Stadium), as a grown man cried for the first time since I was a kid. First website bookmark: The Bills. First thing I read when I'm sitting on the john in the morning: The Bills. Last thing i read before falling asleep: This board!

 

When I look back on how I become a fan, I was never a fan, it's just part of who I am. There's no dissociation with the rest of the stuff I do. period.

 

[26TrapDraw]

In 1987 I was playing middle school football in New Jersey with my whole family being either Jets or Giants fans. I watched a couple of games the Bills played in and watched as these upstarts started to get good. I was hooked. Here I am 31 years later still die hard. God I'm a masochist ?

Edited March 21, 2019 by BeefCurtns

[Jauronimo]

It was a long slow burn.  From the time I knew what football was, the Bills were dominant and then AFC champs and went to consecutive super bowls from age 5 or 6 to age 10. I was pretty sure Buffalo was one of the biggest cities in the world and a football powerhouse.  I assumed they would go back to the show year in year out until they eventually won a few.

 

I grew up, realized that we are a small market team, the success of those Bills teams during my youth was a something special, and the cards were stacked against us.  I had a young boss who was a Bills fanatic who introduced me to TBD in my early twenties.  It was here that I went from a casual practice of fandom to a radicalized interpretation of Billslam.  

 

Now I know that the whole world must accept the Chroisen One as their personal savior or burn. 

[machine gun kelly]

13 hours ago, Bronxbomber21 said:

I became a bills fan when my older brother by 7 years made me hold the wire hanger over the tv for the whole Buffalo vs Houston playoff game.

 

Gotta love the older brothers.  I have one that sounds like the same.  My dumb joke is when I was a kid, my dad’s remote control was me.  Dan turn o channel 7.  Ok now to channel 2.  Meanwhile all I wanted to do is watch channel 29 as that was where all the cool shows were like Star Trek, the Brady Bunch, and so on.  

 

Anyway, I like the brother story Bomber.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

this helped keep me interested