stevewin Posted July 10, 2019 Posted July 10, 2019 (edited) In the 80s I met Darryl Talley at the Brick Bar - think it was after his rookie year he was still kind of obscure at that time. It was a very memorable night - my last night in town before going off to Boca Raton Fl for my first college internship. Other luminaries that were there that night included the Earl of Bud ("You got one!"), also the guy who used to play trumpet on the bar caught fire. Those were the days. Matt Kofler used to be married to a girl I went to high school with - had some drinks with him once long ago. He had some stories - Ben "Baby" Williams was a favorite of his. In the category of not obscure player but obscure way to meet - back in the mid 90s I used to live across the street from the golf course(s) that the annual Jimmy V Celebrity Golf tournament used to be held. One year it was like 100 degrees and I was was a spectator and I saw James Lofton on one of the holes. I told my wife "I'm going to run home and get our camera to get a picture with him" - so I took off running, and soon realized it was very hot, and a lot longer than I thought. I had to hurry though because it was getting late and they were winding up. So by the time I get back to the tee were Lofton was I was a heaving, sweating mess. I'll never forget the look of horror/confusion as I approached him on the tee - I'm pretty sure he started gripping his club a bit tighter just in case he needed to use it in his defense against me. When I got to him I breathlessly blurted out "JamesIusedtowatchyouatRichStadiumCanIhaveapicureGoBills!!!" He was very nice, and took the picture - not sure if he thought maybe I was a "slow adult". Edited July 10, 2019 by stevewin
Tboy79 Posted July 10, 2019 Posted July 10, 2019 (edited) Bruce Smith (he's not an obscure player but the way I went about meeting him that day was) - The Thursday after week two last year. I was on the driving range at my club and two guys pulled up to me. The passenger asked "Hey man, do you know where #10 tee is at" and I was thinking "HOllY @*$&(! Bruce Smith is asking me where #10 is" I replied "I'll take you there IF you promise to come back and play for my Bills again" He laughed. Said "this dog don't hunt" and went on to say he thinks the Bills would be fine in the long run. Likes the coaching and the young qb (JA). Looking back he was pretty spot on especially the way they showed up week 3 against the Vikings. Oh, the other guy he was with was dale curry. Pretty cool day. He also signed a score card for me even though I don't like to ask another grown man for his autograph I told him I had his poster on my wall as a kid and needed to make an exception. Edited July 10, 2019 by Tboy79 2
stuvian Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 On 7/8/2019 at 5:55 PM, Kwai San said: I did meet John Wayne Bobbit of the Dismembered ***** Fame once outside a Bills game - I have a pix laying around somewheres.....I know not a Bill but funny he was outside a Bills game and he def had only a small window of 15 minute fame..... I hope you got an autographed dick pick 1
keepthefaith Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 (edited) O.J. Simpson. He was in obscurity for years. Actually a guy who was a WR or DB on the '87 strike team. Can't recall his name, very obscure. Played in an indoor football league on his team in about '93 in Buffalo. Dude was an amazing athlete (compared to the rest of us). Edited July 11, 2019 by keepthefaith
Plano Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 Jerry Ostroski---A former O-lineman for our Bills. My dad and I were at a bbq restaurant and we see this absolute "WALL" of a human having lunch, wearing a bills cap, we say go Bills! And he says hey kid, come here, introduces himself as Jerry Ostroski--a current bills player-- and we take a photo with him and he signed a piece of paper for us. He said he protects the Quarterback (JK at the time), pretty cool. I wasn't as good with faces and what not as I am now, but I remember him being a gigantic human being and very nice.
formerlyofCtown Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 When I was in high school I had a night job as a cleaner at Thomas&Betts. One of the other employees told me he was drafted by the Bills but got his ankle destroyed in TC. I dont remember his name but I do remember he was a DB.
DCOrange Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 Tory Woodbury. I remember playing with him in old Madden games and then he ended up in Bills training camp one year and I basically just went and hung out with him while everyone else was pursuing the notable players for autographs.
chaccof Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 Julian Nunamaker - this was the fall of 1971 and my parents were building a house so we lived in an apt and Nunamaker lived across the hall. My parents gave him one of those footballs with two white panels which he took to practice and got many of the team to sign including OJ and Al Cowlings.... 1
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 7 minutes ago, chaccof said: Julian Nunamaker... Although I probably never would have said that if asked to name an ex-Bill, when you hear it you immediately say “what a great name!” ?
bbb Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 I haven't checked all the names in the thread but I doubt anybody has Dudley Meredith. He actually lived on my street when he played for the Bills. I remember him sitting in my living room on Halloween, talking to us. Per his info, I was either 4, 5 or 6 years old: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MereDu20.htm 1
WhoTom Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 My great aunt knows Shane Conlan's family. I think she met him once or twice, too. She lives in Frewsburg NY, Shane's home town, and she went nuts when the Bills drafted him. She's 96 now, and still a fan.
The Senator Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 Chris Keating. Signed by Bills as UDFA in 1979, played LB alongside Jim Haslett from ‘79-‘85. Met him in the late ‘80’s at the wedding of a friend who was buddies with Keating at University of Maine. We talked Bills for a good long while, over several drinks. Great guy. .
YodaMan79 Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 Darryl Wren. He was one of the guys that played in the charity basketball games against the teachers in your school. I remember him being really nice and signing everything. John Fina and Phil Hansen were there, too.
Buffalo716 Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 I met this loud , cheerful guy who boasted that we were going to the playoffs And I believed him
RevWarRifleman Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 Oohhhhhh there's so many of them! Tony Hunter? Ed Wang? The list is endless. Too many for me to have the time to list. But I'll enjoy what's been posted already I'm sure of that.
RevWarRifleman Posted July 11, 2019 Posted July 11, 2019 Who was the linebacker ( I believe he was an LB) that chose to live in Toronto and commute in to Buffalo? I think it was during the Mile Mularky-coached era?
macaroni Posted July 12, 2019 Posted July 12, 2019 Back in the days I worked at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale I had a buddy/co-worker named Mike Tolliver. He was a "smallish" guy maybe 175 - 180 pounds. One day we were on a business trip to DC and at a restaurant eating dinner, he reached across the table and I noticed a particularly blinged out watch, when I commented on it he said that's the watch they gave him for playing in some bowl game (I don't remember which one). I said that I never suspected he was a football player. As it turns out he was a decent WR out of Stanford. I asked him if he ever considered pro ball and he said as a matter of fact he was drafted by the Cowboys, but ended up as one of their final cuts, the next year he was invited to camp by the Bills, but decided football wasn't the life for him about halfway through camp, and gave it up. I asked what had turned him off of football and he laughed and said that he had played football his entire life and the guys in the locker room were his point of reference, he never realized he was small. Once he was cut from the Cowboys he came to Lockheed Martin to work as an intern for a year and his point of reference as to average body size got readjusted to us mere mortals. When he reported to the Bills his first thought was these guys are the biggest human beings on the face of the earth … a small guy like me could get killed so he chose a cushy life as a Lockheed Martin engineer. I asked if he had any regrets and he said he is satisfied with his decision about 98% of the time, but occasionally he'll be watching a game on TV and see somebody he played with/against and think DAMN I was a heck of a lot better than him … I wonder what could have been … but it passes. We both had a good laugh and ordered another beer.
Bullpen Posted July 12, 2019 Posted July 12, 2019 On 7/8/2019 at 2:01 PM, Rocket94 said: I met Jeff Nixon in the summer of 1987. He was selling pools that year. He seemed surprised that I remembered him leading the league in interceptions before an injury took him down years earlier...good guy. Met Jeff at at Hills Department Store promo way back in the day when I was kid. It was one of those meet and greets, sign a picture deal. He was the reason I always tried to get #38 in sports as a kid. (didn't work out so much with youth baseball) On 7/8/2019 at 11:45 AM, BillyWhiteShows said: Mark Maddox - Met this dude over at the old Rainbow Mall in Niagara Falls. It must have been 1991 or 1992 because I remember there were actually stores open! Including a Trench outlet store! He was injured and on crutches but very nice and friendly. It was an autograph signing and there must have been about 10 people in line but it didn’t seem to get him down. Very cool guy Met Mark while shooting photos on the sideline of a preseason game between Houston and the Bills in the Alamodome in San Antone. You're right, super nice guy and really down to earth. This also happened to be time Bruce and Phil Hansen borrowed my camera and zoom lens to scope out the Oilers cheerleaders on the opposite sideline. Interviewed Greg Cater back in 1983 for a mock television program during a kids summer program at SUNY Fredonia. Another fantastic guy with the best southern slang terms 12 y/o me had ever heard. I he was wearing sandals during the interview and I remember being freaked out at the blood blisters on his kicking toe. Knew Bryce Fisher when he was at the Air Force Academy. Spent some time with him and saw him in a couple bars in the local area before he reported to Bills camp back in WNY.
Rocket94 Posted July 12, 2019 Posted July 12, 2019 1 hour ago, Bullpen said: Met Jeff at at Hills Department Store promo way back in the day when I was kid. It was one of those meet and greets, sign a picture deal. He was the reason I always tried to get #38 in sports as a kid. (didn't work out so much with youth baseball) Met Mark while shooting photos on the sideline of a preseason game between Houston and the Bills in the Alamodome in San Antone. You're right, super nice guy and really down to earth. This also happened to be time Bruce and Phil Hansen borrowed my camera and zoom lens to scope out the Oilers cheerleaders on the opposite sideline. Interviewed Greg Cater back in 1983 for a mock television program during a kids summer program at SUNY Fredonia. Another fantastic guy with the best southern slang terms 12 y/o me had ever heard. I he was wearing sandals during the interview and I remember being freaked out at the blood blisters on his kicking toe. Knew Bryce Fisher when he was at the Air Force Academy. Spent some time with him and saw him in a couple bars in the local area before he reported to Bills camp back in WNY. Yes...Jeff Nixon is a great guy. I was at a BBq party and he was overseeing a pool installation. I was the only person that recognized him. This was probably a few months before the Bills made the Cornelius Bennett move. I used to see Ken Jones around too. He worked for a major chain. We talked football on a few occasions. 1
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted July 12, 2019 Posted July 12, 2019 21 hours ago, Buffalo716 said: I met this loud , cheerful guy who boasted that we were going to the playoffs And I believed him Did you go with him to get a guddam snack? On 7/10/2019 at 10:46 PM, keepthefaith said: O.J. Simpson. He was in obscurity for years. He was not in obscurity. He was in Lovelock Correctional Center. (I wonder if I make it onto his Twitter account?...)
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