Ralph Wilsons Legacy

[Virgil]

6 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

??😳 

I don’t know of anyone here who’s old enough to personally know the history of the team, that doesn’t appreciate Ralphs’ commitment to WNY. But the warts are plenty.

*Routinely threatened to move the team

*Consistent meddling in the team operation with disastrous results

*Put friends in high places with little to no experience-including Head Coach!

*Notoriously cheap in contract negotiations 

 

Ralph, more than any one person, was singularly responsible for at least 30 years of terrible, often embarrassing football. At the root of it all, he wanted to own the Lions. (See our original uniforms) Under the gun to name a host city by Lamar Hunt, his Miami preference fell through and we were his default position. He never called Buffalo home and never wanted to. Yes, he was charitable. He was instrumental ($$) in keeping the AFL afloat. He brought us The Bills! He made sure the team would stay here following his death. For these actions alone, he’s a positive part of the WNY story. But the ‘Good’ legacy ends there.

 

I don’t miss him.

I’ll have you know that I’m 173 years old. Please don’t assume my age.  
 

You kids are all the same with your Nintendo’s and sugar cereals 

[WhoTom]

10 minutes ago, Patrick_Duffy said:

Lol, yeah but would it surprise you much if Ralph did say something like that? Or could you potentially see him possibly saying something like that?

 

I suppose it's possible, but I'd believe it more if it came from a reliable source.

 

I also think the "Ralph was cheap" mantra is overblown. Unlike the owners who were uber-wealthy before buying their respective teams, most of Ralph's fortune was the team itself. He couldn't simply "drill another well" in order to pay top dollar for personnel.

 

 

 

[Patrick Duffy]

2 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

I suppose it's possible, but I'd believe it more if it came from a reliable source.

 

I also think the "Ralph was cheap" mantra is overblown. Unlike the owners who were uber-wealthy before buying their respective teams, most of Ralph's fortune was the team itself. He couldn't simply "drill another well" in order to pay top dollar for personnel.

 

 

 

Yeah I remember hearing the "Ralph is cheap" stuff the most I think during the early drought time when he was still around back then. Not sure how much was his doing, or the GM's, or even R. Brandon (heard his name a lot) at that time. I guess all of em had a part in one way or other. Whatever the case, it was clearly a very poorly ran franchise for a good while.

[BillnutinHouston]

4 hours ago, Charles Romes said:

The poison pill he created to save the team at a cost of half a $B to his family will not be forgotten. 

 

This, plus his foundation gifts were incredibly generous to WNY.

[Saxum]

6 hours ago, 2020 Our Year For Sure said:

Sure lost a lot of football games

 

Every one he played in, same as you.

1 hour ago, Patrick_Duffy said:

Lol, yeah but would it surprise you much if Ralph did say something like that? Or could you potentially see him possibly saying something like that?

 

Would not be surprised to see some posters and one reporter in particular to make such a thing up.

[Patrick Duffy]

11 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

Would not be surprised to see some posters and one reporter in particular to make such a thing up

Where did the "Ralph is cheap" come from anyway? I mean was it something that a few fans started to say and it spread from there? I guess it had to be because Hard for me to think the any reporter from the media would say something like that. 

[Mikie2times]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Stop at Tony Packo's and grab two Hungarians and a side of pierogis for me.

You got it!

[BillStime]

You take the good, you take the bad,
You take them both and there you have the facts of life, the facts of life.

 

Thanks Ralph

[longtimebillsfan]

9 hours ago, KzooMike said:

As I sit here in what I consider to be the arm pit of Ohio, Toledo, a city of 276k, packed with probably as many restaurants as it has citizens. Median household income of 37k. How is that even possible? Then I look at Buffalo and go figure, exact same population and exact same median income. I also understand like any city outlying suburbs have more money. About double the median income, again, no different than Toledo. I also understand the impacts of Buffalo having Rochester, Syracuse, and Toronto close by. Toledo is blocked by the Lions about an hour north, Cleveland an hour and half east, but you aren't getting near a pro football team anywhere inside an hours drive. Again, not all that different on distance compared to the outside populations that support the Bills. This is probably the biggest edge Buffalo has in a debate of why they should have a pro football team vs a city like Toledo that is so similar. 

 

I'm 30 years into this, like Ralph, from the Detroit area. I understand Ralph was a cheap and meddling owner and he drove us bat crazy. That said, I don't think I have read one positive post about Ralph Wilson since Terry grabbed the torch. I don't see Bills fans as thankful for what Ralph gave us and that's not what I have come to associate myself with in being a Bills fan. We are a die hard, loyal, appreciative group.

 

Can we start appreciating Ralph for what he did and not the things he failed at doing? If the NFL picked a location for each team starting anew, Buffalo isn't on the list. They aren't even on the 2nd list. Ralph put Buffalo on the list and he kept us there. I don't care about the ways he failed. What he did for WNY is special and it should always be considered special. 

Ralph took a chance on Buffalo back in 1960.  He is also very instrumental in the success of th e AFL and th we merger with the NFL.  He gave s lone to AL Davis to make his payroll in the early 1960s.

 

He could be frustrating, but under his ownership we went to four consecutive superbowls.

 

Thank you Ralph for giving us the opportunity have our own Professional Football team and exoerience a life long passion that is the Buffalo Bills!

[Mikie2times]

Some really good responses. I understand the polarizing nature of all of it. Some of you just know more about Ralph and the story than I do. All I know, even not being a WNY native, if the team ever left Buffalo it would be over for me. I'm just very thankful that we have our team. 

[Saxum]

15 minutes ago, Patrick_Duffy said:

Where did the "Ralph is cheap" come from anyway? I mean was it something that a few fans started to say and it spread from there? I guess it had to be because Hard for me to think the any reporter from the media would say something like that. 

 

First time I remember hearing it was from an agent as quote in news article.

[Mr. WEO]

2 hours ago, WhoTom said:

 

I don't think of OJ as a reliable source.

 

 

Yeah.  No way Ralph would have said something like that right??

 

lol

36 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

Every one he played in, same as you.

 

Would not be surprised to see some posters and one reporter in particular to make such a thing up.

link?

[oldmanfan]

8 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

??😳 

I don’t know of anyone here who’s old enough to personally know the history of the team, that doesn’t appreciate Ralphs’ commitment to WNY. But the warts are plenty.

*Routinely threatened to move the team

*Consistent meddling in the team operation with disastrous results

*Put friends in high places with little to no experience-including Head Coach!

*Notoriously cheap in contract negotiations 

 

Ralph, more than any one person, was singularly responsible for at least 30 years of terrible, often embarrassing football. At the root of it all, he wanted to own the Lions. (See our original uniforms) Under the gun to name a host city by Lamar Hunt, his Miami preference fell through and we were his default position. He never called Buffalo home and never wanted to. Yes, he was charitable. He was instrumental ($$) in keeping the AFL afloat. He brought us The Bills! He made sure the team would stay here following his death. For these actions alone, he’s a positive part of the WNY story. But the ‘Good’ legacy ends there.

 

I don’t miss him.

I am.  Yes, Ralph had warts as an owner.  Later in life it was because he let Litman have too much say.  But Buffalo is a major league city because of him.  As you say, he kept the AFL afloat, and the number of charities in WNY that benefitted and continue to benefit from him are many.  And  without Ralph negotiating the merger may not have occurred, and for sure the lucrative TV deals that ultimately over the years have made both owners and players rich would not have happened without Ralph.

 

No, he did not choose to live full time in WNY, but he is in the top three most important individuals in the history of the region.  God bless his memory.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

28 minutes ago, Patrick_Duffy said:

Where did the "Ralph is cheap" come from anyway? I mean was it something that a few fans started to say and it spread from there? I guess it had to be because Hard for me to think the any reporter from the media would say something like that. 

Despite his cheapness, somehow Kelly became the highest paid QB/player in the league when he finally signed his deal in ‘86…

 

“Mr. Wilson alluded to the fact that he’s sometimes called cheap and he’s sometimes castigated for not doing what he can to build a championship team,” General Manager Bill Polian said. “The fact that Jim is sitting here to my left is an enduring monument to Ralph Wilson’s commitment to building a winner for the city of Buffalo.”
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-08-19-sp-16974-story.html

[BADOLBILZ]

 

Ralph doesn't need anymore props..........he stashed away $20M-$30M per year at the expense of the roster during most of the drought to fund his expected inheritance tax for his family.    He couldn't get good help in the front office or in the coaching staff for the last decade because of the LONG record of bad treatment and meddling with the likes of Knox, Polian, Butler and Phillips in the past.    He was always mercurial but he and Littman basically stole from a generation of Bills fans and our kids during that drought.......and then the value of the franchise exploded and thanks to Pegula paying top dollar all those ill-gotten gains from the drought could be put into his charitable foundation to make him look like a saint.    The foundation does great work,  that's where he gets his props and it will likely be operating long after everyone whose expense it was funded at is long gone.    But Ralph deserves props from Bills fans in the same way that Bills fans deserve to be listed as co-founders of his foundation.      

[clearwater cadet]

9 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

??😳 

I don’t know of anyone here who’s old enough to personally know the history of the team, that doesn’t appreciate Ralphs’ commitment to WNY. But the warts are plenty.

*Routinely threatened to move the team

*Consistent meddling in the team operation with disastrous results

*Put friends in high places with little to no experience-including Head Coach!

*Notoriously cheap in contract negotiations 

 

Ralph, more than any one person, was singularly responsible for at least 30 years of terrible, often embarrassing football. At the root of it all, he wanted to own the Lions. (See our original uniforms) Under the gun to name a host city by Lamar Hunt, his Miami preference fell through and we were his default position. He never called Buffalo home and never wanted to. Yes, he was charitable. He was instrumental ($$) in keeping the AFL afloat. He brought us The Bills! He made sure the team would stay here following his death. For these actions alone, he’s a positive part of the WNY story. But the ‘Good’ legacy ends there.

 

I 

I agree with you, but I believe he was planning to sell the team to Ted Rodgers and move them to Toronto at the time of his death, the only thing that stopped that is Ted died before Ralph at a much younger age.  I don't miss Ralph either and this constant reminders of the competitive disadvantage that come with owning a team in WNY.

[Buffalo716]

47 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Despite his cheapness, somehow Kelly became the highest paid QB/player in the league when he finally signed his deal in ‘86…

 

“Mr. Wilson alluded to the fact that he’s sometimes called cheap and he’s sometimes castigated for not doing what he can to build a championship team,” General Manager Bill Polian said. “The fact that Jim is sitting here to my left is an enduring monument to Ralph Wilson’s commitment to building a winner for the city of Buffalo.”
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-08-19-sp-16974-story.html

Mr Wilson made OJ Simpson the highest player in the NFL. Jim Kelly the highest paid player in the NFL

 

The '90s bills were called the million dollar bills

 

He gave Mario Williams the largest defensive contract in NFL history

 

He gave Marcel Darius a hundred million dollars

 

he wasn't cheap.  He just spent his money on the wrong people over 40 years for the most part

[BADOLBILZ]

34 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

Mr Wilson made OJ Simpson the highest player in the NFL. Jim Kelly the highest paid player in the NFL

 

The '90s bills were called the million dollar bills

 

He gave Mario Williams the largest defensive contract in NFL history

 

He gave Marcel Darius a hundred million dollars

 

he wasn't cheap.  He just spent his money on the wrong people over 40 years for the most part

 

 

Pegula gave Dareus the big contract.    Dareus' agent Todd France was a former Pegula-owned company employee.........which is how Marcel got the sweet terms that didn't penalize him for misconduct.    

 

I gotta' make a point on that because there is no way Wilson's shrewed lieutenant J. Littman leaves Ralph that exposed.  

 

 

[Buffalo716]

Just now, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Pegula gave Dareus the big contract.    Dareus' agent Todd France was a former Pegula-owned company employee.........which is how Marcel got the sweet terms that didn't penalize him for misconduct.    

 

I gotta' make a point on that because there is no way Wilson's shrewed lieutenant J. Littman leaves Ralph that exposed.  

 

 

At this point it's literally been like over half a decade, and it was right on the cusp so I forgot who was the owner at that time 

 

I'll do one replacement 

 

In the early 2000s Ralph Wilson made Derek dockery the highest paid guard in the NFL

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Buffalo716 said:

At this point it's literally been like over half a decade, and it was right on the cusp so I forgot who was the owner at that time 

 

I'll do one replacement 

 

In the early 2000s Ralph Wilson made Derek dockery the highest paid guard in the NFL

 

Yeah,  the Dareus mistake was egregious though.........he had earned that big contract.........the problem with that deal was solely not having strong punitive clauses for misconduct for a repeat offender.    NO WAY Ralph and Littman let that contract happen.    That was a careless rookie owner mistake.

 

Ralph wasn't "cheap" by nature he was "mercurial" by nature..........which periodically included penny pinching tactics like "cash to the cap" as an excuse to horde cash during the drought.