What year you became a Bills fan and Two Bills Drive camaraderie

[Solomon Grundy]

On 2/21/2022 at 3:42 PM, Greg S said:

My fandom started in the 70's. OJ was my favorite player growing up and that is how I got hooked on the Bills.

This^^. I lived down the street from the Rockpile. We used to walk to games and sit on those hard wooden seats that were probably the cause to my hemorrhoids 😀

[The Avenger]

1. You've been a fan since

 

Late 70s when I started watching as a kid growing up in Buffalo, although nobody in my family really followed the team or watched the games

 

2. Your first Bills memory

 

I remember as kid a car going down the street and they had some sort of PA system, yelling "The Juice is Loose" - I didn't know what that meant but then learned they were talking about OJ

 

3. One of your favorite Bills memories

 

Watching the comeback game on TV in my small NYC apartment - had turned it off and was miserable and my wife made me turn it back on because she didn't want to deal with my bitching and couldn't get away from me - I love that woman! Also, being at the Pats game when they blew out Brady and Company and watching big Sam Adams rumble for a pick 6.

 

4. Your favorite player of all time and your favorite player currently

 

Always like Jerry Butler back in the day. Today I love Josh Allen (who doesn't) but I've been on the Gabe Davis bandwagon since day 1 - good hands, good footwork on sideline catches and we got to see what he could do vs. KC

 

5. Some of you guys have some awesome forum names. What does your forum name say about you?

 

I was part of the old Rochester D&C HyperBills that descended into chaos so I dropped an e-mail to Scott and suggested that maybe he wanted to add a message board to HIS site - I'm surprised he hasn't hunted me down and killed me for that suggestion and executing on it all those years ago - talk about a life changer! I picked my name because I thought handles were a little silly and The Avenger sounded like some dark mysterious figure from an old radio program (I'm actually not a comic book guy at all and have seen none of the movies)...

[SoMAn]

22 minutes ago, DD4Bills said:

1. You've been a fan since - 1970 when I moved to the Buffalo area as a young 6 year old

2. Your first Bills memory - First Bills game in person. 1972 vs the 49ers at the Rockpile. I recall having endzone seats, that it was raining, and that the Bills won

3. One of your favorite Bills memories - Two, actually. The Comeback Game - I actually missed the first half for some BS family lunch nonsense, was driving home listening on the radio when the Oilers scored on the pick 6 early in the 3rd quarter, then got home and turned on the TV to watch to comeback. Second was this season - first game seeing them live in Orchard Park since 1974 (the year before we moved away), and enjoyed it with my daughter.

4. Your favorite player of all time and your favorite player currently - All time - Andre Reed, Current - Josh Allen (ask me again in a few years and he may be my all time favorite too)

5. Some of you guys have some awesome forum names. What does your forum name say about you? - My forum name is an unimaginative bore, chosen in a hurry when creating my login. So I guess it says that I too am an unimaginative bore.

I was at that 49ers game- the final season at War Memorial. Our seats were 4 rows from the visiting team bench. I believe that was the first win ever for the Bills against a pre-merger NFL team. 
John Brodie was their regular QB. Can’t recall if he hurt, but backup QB Steve Spurrier played most of the game for the  49ers. 
Side note -all the games I went to at the rockpile were the same 4th row seats. Dad’s company season ticket seats. The visitors bench was almost at the wall where row 1 started. I remember being maybe 15 feet away from Namath, Lamonica, Unitas and many other HOFers.  I thought those company tickets were given up when they moved to Orchard Park. It was a family business, long since gone. About 2 years ago, Got a call from cousin asking if me or my brother wanted to keep the seasons. What!? They’ve been in the family for about 60 years of seniority for pick of seats and nobody ever offered game tickets. I don’t live there anymore or I might have kept them. 

[frostbitmic]

1. I grew up a Colts fan until they moved from Baltimore in 1984. After a couple of years without having a team I started following the Bills in 86 or 87.

 

2. My first Bills memory was going to a game at the old Rockpile. It was the Colts vs the Bills sometime in the late 60's or maybe 1970. The Colts won 43-3 or something. We had seats on the 5 yard line, all points except a FG were scored at the other end.

 

3. Been tons of favorite memories but Josh being nearly perfect against the despised patriots in this past playoffs is a good place to start.

 

4. Bruuuuuuuce & JA17

 

5. I really have no memory why I picked this name, I used the same one at BBMB... I must've been cold and my first name is Michael.

[GunnerBill]

Just scrolling through responses..... is my fandom the youngest on this board? Like the next most recent fans are guys from the late 80s / early 90s run. I will have supported the Bills TWENTY years this August, after coincidently watching a pre-season game on a trip to America when I was 18... and I am the most recent new fan?

 

Some of you guys are a) and b) loyal 😛

[John from Riverside]

Long time.......

[Augie]

1 hour ago, The Avenger said:

1. You've been a fan since

 

Late 70s when I started watching as a kid growing up in Buffalo, although nobody in my family really followed the team or watched the games

 

2. Your first Bills memory

 

I remember as kid a car going down the street and they had some sort of PA system, yelling "The Juice is Loose" - I didn't know what that meant but then learned they were talking about OJ

 

3. One of your favorite Bills memories

 

Watching the comeback game on TV in my small NYC apartment - had turned it off and was miserable and my wife made me turn it back on because she didn't want to deal with my bitching and couldn't get away from me - I love that woman! Also, being at the Pats game when they blew out Brady and Company and watching big Sam Adams rumble for a pick 6.

 

4. Your favorite player of all time and your favorite player currently

 

Always like Jerry Butler back in the day. Today I love Josh Allen (who doesn't) but I've been on the Gabe Davis bandwagon since day 1 - good hands, good footwork on sideline catches and we got to see what he could do vs. KC

 

5. Some of you guys have some awesome forum names. What does your forum name say about you?

 

I was part of the old Rochester D&C HyperBills that descended into chaos so I dropped an e-mail to Scott and suggested that maybe he wanted to add a message board to HIS site - I'm surprised he hasn't hunted me down and killed me for that suggestion and executing on it all those years ago - talk about a life changer! I picked my name because I thought handles were a little silly and The Avenger sounded like some dark mysterious figure from an old radio program (I'm actually not a comic book guy at all and have seen none of the movies)...

 

It’s OK, we get it. You can’t pick your family. 

 

Repeat after me:

 

It’s not your fault…

 

It’s not your fault…

 

It’s not your fault….

 

 

😋

[DrW]

1. 1990. After getting my PhD in Germany, I went to Rochester in September 1990 as postdoc. Every Monday the whole lab was very excited about "football" and "the Bills". The first football game I watched on TV left me utterly confused. Over the course of the season I began to understand more. The first game I remember was - unfortunately -

2. Super Bowl XXV

3. Don Beebe hustling down Leon Lett.

4. Frank Reich/Josh Allen

5. The nickname my postdoctoral mentor in Rochester gave me. My last name starts with W, the rest should be obvious.

Edited February 23, 2022 by DrW

[cwater10]

1) Fan since 1966

 

2) First Bills memory is a very non descriptive mental image of watching Jets at War Memorial on miserable snowy muddy day.  I remember a Jets running back crashing into the snow fence.  Strange what sticks from so many years ago.

 

3) Favorite memory:  Oh my so many, so many!  OJ breaking 2000 yards, 1980 opener vs Dolphins, 1980 Rams game with the curtain call, 1983 first road game was Bills getting first win in Miami (OT) since the 60's and Joe Ferguson had career day in what was otherwise known as Marino's first start, 51-3, and so many more.  But really have to say that my truly favorite and most treasured memories are years of watching games with loved ones and friends who have since passed on.  I get choked up watching today's Bills and thinking of them.  I can feel the hugs and high fives that never got to happen.

 

4) It feels like I'm getting a bit long of tooth for favorite players, but bloody hell, how do you not love Josh?  Along the way, have really enjoyed Robert James, Ahmad Rashad, Bob Chandler, OJ, Reggie McKenzie, Fergy, Butler, Haslett, and some really random sorts like Jamie Mueller, Sam Gash, Tony Greene, Daryl Irvin and so many more.

 

5) User name is a twist on a location and what I was looking at when I joined this site and when that was.  It was 2010 and I was looking out of my office at the beautiful waters of Clearwater Beach. 

 

Fun topic.  Thanks!

[Mark Vader]

1. You've been a fan since

Began paying attention to the Bills when Jim Kelly joined. Began cheering for the Bills in 1987.

I'm born, raised and still living in San Jose, California. My family is all 49'ers fans, I made my decision and rejected the team of the 80's. Oh well. Still a Bills fan. You can imagine what it was like trying to follow the Bills in the 80's in California.

 

2. Your first Bills memory

First game I ever saw of the Bills was before I was a Bills fan. I believe it was 1981, Bills at Dolphins on NBC, and it was one of the games where NBC did not have announcers. It was an interesting experience.

 

3. One of your favorite Bills memories

1993, The No Punt game against the 49'ers. My favorite memory because I was there. The talent on that field was a once in a lifetime moment.

 

4. Your favorite player of all time and your favorite player currently

Andre Reed was all-time. Josh Allen is current.

 

5. Some of you guys have some awesome forum names. What does your forum name say about you?

First name is my real name. Second name is my favorite Star Wars character.

 

[bobobonators]

On 2/21/2022 at 2:31 PM, BillsFan619 said:

Hey Bills Mafia!

 

Besides staying up to date on all things Bills, one of the reasons I like coming to this site is for the Bills camaraderie. I figured the best time to get to know you a little more is to do this in the long abyss of the offseason. I'm sure there will be some that don't like this post and will flame it (ie- "Man, it's going to be a long off season", "🤦‍♂️" or worse) because it's not a Bills news post. That's fine, either move on from it or say why you hate the post and then move on from it. That said, if you'd like to participate, here's some things to answer.

 

1. You've been a fan since

2. Your first Bills memory

3. One of your favorite Bills memories

4. Your favorite player of all time and your favorite player currently

5. Some of you guys have some awesome forum names. What does your forum name say about you?

 

My answers:

1. 1988

2. Bills at Bears in 1988. We lost 24-3 in Soldier Field. I should've known then 😜😂

3. Breaking the drought and experiencing it with my kids/Going to the Bills vs Cowboys Thanksgiving game with my kids/Experiencing the 2020 season with my kids (While I have fond memories as a child, yes, the best experiences are with my kids because they're huge Bills fans as well) 

4. Jim Kelly/Josh Allen

5. The first part of my forum name is obvious. Bills fan through and through! 619 stands for the area code I live in, which is San Diego

 

Okay, Bills Mafia, share (or flame) away.

1. 1982

2. The Wide Right super bowl

3. The Comeback

4. Josh Allen

5. My forum name sucks. Its just a play on an old friend’s name - Bob

[Wizard]

My first game watching the Bills was in the fall of 1988 against Miami. 

 

I became a Bills fan initially for 3 reasons: Born in New York, liked the colors, and the no huddle concept.

 

My childhood favorite players were Thurman Thomas and Steve "a tisker" a Tasker (Chris Berman phrase).

 

3 Favorite Memories

1. The Greatest Comeback 

 

2. A no punt game in the early 90s against the 49ers

 

3. Leon Lett getting punked by Beebe

 

My favorite player besides Allen is Levi Wallace. I think Wallace represents the underdog, the hardworking but not uniquely talented, the guy that is maddeningly inconsistent at times, but he gives his very best. I relate to and appreciate that kind of character.

 

My screen name was chosen from the cheesy late 80s/early 90s movie, The Wizard. I watched this at the theatre and got my first Bills starter jacket that same weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by Wizard

[MiltonWaddams]

1. Fan since 1986

2. Clay Matthews intercepting Kelly in the 89 playoffs 

3. Keeping the radio on despite being down big and Reich leading the greatest comeback in league history.

4. Kelly, but Josh is really pushing that.

5. I lost my previous screen name, VanCity, to a glitch in the TBD matrix. I picked my favorite character in my favorite comedy movie as my new one. Not sure what that says about me. 

 

 

[BillsFan619]

5 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Just scrolling through responses..... is my fandom the youngest on this board? Like the next most recent fans are guys from the late 80s / early 90s run. I will have supported the Bills TWENTY years this August, after coincidently watching a pre-season game on a trip to America when I was 18... and I am the most recent new fan?

 

Some of you guys are a) and b) loyal 😛

You might be bro, you might be.

 

Although, I think @newcam2012 may be a younger Bills fan as well but I'm not sure. And, I think I remember connecting with one another person on here who started their fandom around the drought but I don't remember their forum name.

[BillsFan619]

3 hours ago, cwater10 said:

1) Fan since 1966

 

2) First Bills memory is a very non descriptive mental image of watching Jets at War Memorial on miserable snowy muddy day.  I remember a Jets running back crashing into the snow fence.  Strange what sticks from so many years ago.

 

3) Favorite memory:  Oh my so many, so many!  OJ breaking 2000 yards, 1980 opener vs Dolphins, 1980 Rams game with the curtain call, 1983 first road game was Bills getting first win in Miami (OT) since the 60's and Joe Ferguson had career day in what was otherwise known as Marino's first start, 51-3, and so many more.  But really have to say that my truly favorite and most treasured memories are years of watching games with loved ones and friends who have since passed on.  I get choked up watching today's Bills and thinking of them.  I can feel the hugs and high fives that never got to happen.

 

4) It feels like I'm getting a bit long of tooth for favorite players, but bloody hell, how do you not love Josh?  Along the way, have really enjoyed Robert James, Ahmad Rashad, Bob Chandler, OJ, Reggie McKenzie, Fergy, Butler, Haslett, and some really random sorts like Jamie Mueller, Sam Gash, Tony Greene, Daryl Irvin and so many more.

 

5) User name is a twist on a location and what I was looking at when I joined this site and when that was.  It was 2010 and I was looking out of my office at the beautiful waters of Clearwater Beach. 

 

Fun topic.  Thanks!

You're welcome, bro. It's been super fun to hear everyone's responses.

 

Thanks for sharing yours.

[smuvtalker]

On 2/21/2022 at 4:08 PM, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

1. You've been a fan since

 

 

 

I joined here as a lurker “guest” in 1998, and had some boring names for many years. Feel like I hit my stride with Miyagi— favorite movie is Karate Kid, and Mr. Miyagi brings a zen-like calm to this board! 

True story.  The first movie I ever got to go see, by MYSELF, was the Karate Kid.  I believe I was 10 at the time it came out, and I already had a job!  I would walk my neighbor's dog every day after school. I'll never forget, he was a German Shepherd named Dallas, and she paid me 1 dollar per day.  So by that Friday, I had earned myself 5 big ones, and my neighbor, the sweet lady that she was, knew I was going to the movies to watch the Karate Kid, gave me an extra 2 bucks.  Do you know that seven dollars bought my movie ticket(prime time 7pm), a bag of popcorn, a little box of junior mints, and a large Hawaiian Punch??And after the movie was over, I crane techniqued myself all the way home 😄

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

12 hours ago, SoMAn said:

About 2 years ago, Got a call from cousin asking if me or my brother wanted to keep the seasons. What!? They’ve been in the family for about 60 years of seniority for pick of seats and nobody ever offered game tickets. I don’t live there anymore or I might have kept them. 

This is worthy of a Morty Seinfeld rant, similar to when Morty found out Leo scammed gift money to Helen from her father's win at the track. 😁

[papazoid]

1. early 60's (6-7 yrs old)

2A. collecting pop bottle caps with player likeness on inside.  2B. obstructed view at rockpile from steel girders

3A. 51-3, 3B-watching the crowd tear down, carry and then throwing the goal post over side of stadium (still amazed no one was killed). 3C-comeback game.

4. i waffle between bruce & thurman.  soon all time & currently Josh...still SMH over the players from 90's for partying ways immaturity and lack of discipline.

5. long time ago spin off wifes name mommazoid. TBD is my only social media outlet (no facebook, IG, tik tok, linkedin, etc..) lucky you guys...lol

 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

17 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Long time.......

we weren’t asking about your personal life.

 

 😝 😂 

[John from Riverside]

4 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

we weren’t asking about your personal life.

 

 😝 😂 

I was actually adding up the years this morning.

 

John from Cape Cod

John from Hemet

John from Riverside

 

I have a few more cities left to go but I think I have been a member of this site for over 30 years.