Did anyone become a Bills fan later on in life or convert from another team?

[Bring it]

Lived my entire life in western New York! I was a Steeler fan as a kid because they could beat the stinken Cowboys!! When Bruce Smith was drafted I realized that I really identified with the Bills much more than Pittsburgh. That was it. There is no other franchise like the Bills!!!

[stuvian]

being a western Canadian I began life as a Raider and Seahawk fan and was not "converted" until a trip to the Ralph in my late 20s. Yes I still hold affection for those former teams but I live and die with the Bills now

[NWPABillsfan]

                        Back in 1972-73 I entered 7th grade. I decided the Cowboys was my team. I than followed the cowboys until 1981. I than decided I wanted to follow a local team, that I could go see sometimes. So because of where I live just south of Erie Pa. The browns and the Steelers and the BILLS are all about 2 hour drive. So without telling anyone what I was thinking I sort of just watch the 3 for the 1981 season. There is a lot of Steeler fans around there. The Browns are well the Browns. So starting with the 1982 season I was a Bills fan for life. I have been ever since. My wife says if I ever change teams I would have to get a totally new wardrobe. I make it to 2 or 3 games a year.    GO BILLS

[RevWarRifleman]

9 hours ago, Smitty75 said:

Awesome ! Alsace is a really nice region, «Strasbourg» is a city that you should visit there, if it’s not already done  I never been to this festival because I’m not a wine guy ahah.

 

Thanks for the Welcoming ? #GoBills!

Thanks Smitty.  Yes, been to Strasbourg twice. Once in 1998 by myself. Then in 2010 with my Alsacian family. In the floor of the Cathedral there, is a stone block that

comemorates the soldiers from the US that come over in 1916, before the US formally got in the war (WWI) to help with the allied effort. I didn't know about it. My

French cousin, Valentin pointed it out to me when we were there. He already knew about that stone. Brought tears to my eyes!

    Also while over there in 2010, some more of my French cousins took my wife (who did all the geneology work in finding my French cousins) and I out to a real nice

restaurant several miles outside of Bernwiller, where they are from. We passed through a village that had a large mural painted on the side of a building showing the

American troops during WWII being transported in trucks with the US flag flying on the truck going through that town!  All of this I videoed on my camcorder. Couldn't

believe it, that after all of these years,  they had that mural up, expressing their gratitude for our effort over there. What a great statement about the French people!

 

Hope I didn't bore you with all this history. Just trying to say how awesome the French people are.  Concerning the Bills, I've been a fan for a very long time.

 

[Smitty75]

53 minutes ago, RevWarRifleman said:

Thanks Smitty.  Yes, been to Strasbourg twice. Once in 1998 by myself. Then in 2010 with my Alsacian family. In the floor of the Cathedral there, is a stone block that

comemorates the soldiers from the US that come over in 1916, before the US formally got in the war (WWI) to help with the allied effort. I didn't know about it. My

French cousin, Valentin pointed it out to me when we were there. He already knew about that stone. Brought tears to my eyes!

    Also while over there in 2010, some more of my French cousins took my wife (who did all the geneology work in finding my French cousins) and I out to a real nice

restaurant several miles outside of Bernwiller, where they are from. We passed through a village that had a large mural painted on the side of a building showing the

American troops during WWII being transported in trucks with the US flag flying on the truck going through that town!  All of this I videoed on my camcorder. Couldn't

believe it, that after all of these years,  they had that mural up, expressing their gratitude for our effort over there. What a great statement about the French people!

 

Hope I didn't bore you with all this history. Just trying to say how awesome the French people are.  Concerning the Bills, I've been a fan for a very long time.

 

Haha no worries, it’s always interesting to share some story with different peoples.

The WWII has a rich history !

I’m glad to know that you like France and our culture here.

[RevWarRifleman]

1 hour ago, Smitty75 said:

Haha no worries, it’s always interesting to share some story with different peoples.

The WWII has a rich history !

I’m glad to know that you like France and our culture here.

Sure thing, Smitty. It's been my pleasure. Looking forward to seeing you on the message board this fall when the 2020 season starts. It should be pretty exiting.

 

How cool is this? I'm communicating with a French Bills fan!  Awesome!!

[Another Fan]

On 2/27/2020 at 1:31 PM, Chris from Rochester said:

I was born into a Bills house but after playing Tecmo Super Bowl as a kid started to love the Eagles because of QB Eagles (Randall Cunningham). While still rooting for the Bills I was a full blown Eagles fan, then as i got into Jr High/HS went back to the Bills. So while I guess I wouldn't say I'm a converted fan, I did stray off the path for a few years

Sort of same here.

 

My first football memory was crying after Wide Right.  I still always liked the Bills but went through periods in my teen years liking the Jets and the Eagles.   The Eagles appealed to me then because of how big of an enemy the Cowboys were at the time to then.  That 4th and 1 play was a great memory.

 

But once I started working in my 20s, Bills fandom came full circle to me.  Especially after going to a game.   I do like to see the Browns do well as well.

[row_33]

On 3/3/2020 at 7:48 AM, Another Fan said:

Sort of same here.

 

My first football memory was crying after Wide Right.  I still always liked the Bills but went through periods in my teen years liking the Jets and the Eagles.   The Eagles appealed to me then because of how big of an enemy the Cowboys were at the time to then.  That 4th and 1 play was a great memory.

 

But once I started working in my 20s, Bills fandom came full circle to me.  Especially after going to a game.   I do like to see the Browns do well as well.

good thing you missed Ronnie Harmon dropping the gimme winning TD pass 1 year earlier 

 

that kind of garbage ruined stronger sports dynasties.  

 

[edit:  still so shook by this that i said at first 2 years before the first SB, it was only one, the comeback from that dismal season and its ending speaks so highly of the organization!!]

Edited March 5, 2020 by row_33

[PaoloBillsFanFromItaly]

I am a 37 years old man from Italy and here a few people follow American Football.

I have been following American Sports since I was a child (6 years old) and in particular american football was my favourite, even though I was playing basketball at that time.

I have a vivid memory of watching Superbowl XXV (for sure it wasn't live) and I remember I was already a diehard Bills fan. I remember the wide right episode and the following superbowls.

After some years the american sports channel was trasfered to pay tv and I didn't follow the Bills for quite some time.

Then Internet came and I was able to follow the matches on NFL gameday site and radio streams.

Then again my parents purchased pay tv and football was back on TV!!!

Since I have been living on my own I use to purchase NFL Game Pass every year.

 

But I have another vivid memory of my childhood years.

When my soccer ball used to get punctured I didn't throw it in the thrash can, instead I used to throw it with my hand like an NFL QB, and in particular the player I was "interpreting" was.....JOE MONTANA.

So probably somewhere back in time I switched to the Bills from the 49ers  :-)

Edited March 4, 2020 by PaoloBillsFanFromItaly

[BillsFan17]

People who convert teams arent real fans. Barring their original team being relocated or abolished all together.

[BuffaLoko]

On 2/28/2020 at 8:38 PM, Rc2catch said:

 
Lol you question my fan hood sticking by the team through the last 20 years?? 
Only to jump to another team now. I’m here in East Tennessee with my Bills flag hung proudly in my yard in good years and bad years all the same. As a fan I take a beating in all sports between the Mets, Knicks and Bills. Nobody gets their heart broken in sports possibly more than me the last 20 years. 

May I suggest you add the Sabres to your menu of teams? ?

[Rc2catch]

26 minutes ago, BuffaLoko said:

May I suggest you add the Sabres to your menu of teams? ?

I don’t do hockey, but I occasionally hear about the mess there 

[BuffaLoko]

17 hours ago, Rc2catch said:

I don’t do hockey, but I occasionally hear about the mess there 

LOL

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

I was born and raised a Bills fan. But my wife was born and raised in Houston. Her dad was a die hard Oilers fan, and since they left, has only been a very mild Texans fan. But she started coming to the Bills bar with me every week, and is now a dedicated fan.

[Beach]

I was 7 years old in 1985 and instantly became a Bears fan because that team was so cool to me then.  In the late 80's as i turned on the tv to watch games it was the Bills on tv every week and it was hard to not get converted.  

[DrW]

I came to the US in September 1990 as a postdoc at the University of Rochester. Each week on Monday, my coworkes in the lab would have lengthy discussions about the "Bills". I got curious and started to watch football on TV. Initially, it did not make any sense to me. After Superbowl XXV, the game, and the Bills grew on me, and I have been a Bills' fan since. 

 

In 2003, we moved to Texas. My son, although he was only 4 at the time of the move, is a staunch Bills fan.