LedZeppfan77 Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 http://www.cbssports.com/ What will this mean for the Bills? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul carruthers Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Condolences to the Wilson family & all the Bills fans... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in_the_evening Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Ralph did a WHOLE LOT for the NFL, from starting the AFL to making the merger go through. And he made sure the Bills were competitive for years. He's going to be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bong-Man Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 My condolences. Kind of ironic that Wilson and Ford died 16 days apart. Wilson was once a part-owner of the Lions, and was a neighbor of Bill Ford in Grosse Pointe Farms. Wilson tried to buy the Lions, and it was the NFL old guard that threw things Bill Ford's way. This was a major step towards the forming of the AFL. They also detested each other for years. Also found this in a local article...... Ralph Wilson considered it the perfect town for a pro football club. Buffalo was so similar to his hometown of Detroit. The climates were similar, often icy and windy. The people were similar — lots of factory workers, shot-and-beer guys. Ralph had been a Lions season-ticket holder during the championship dynasty seasons of the 1950s. But those tickets were gone — part of a divorce settlement. He kept his involvement in football. And Ralph loved to tell stories. Among the souvenirs Ralph inherited in Buffalo was an ancient, misshapen stadium full of cobwebs, broken bricks and rotting wood — plus a vagabond placekicker named Booth Lusteg. Lusteg would become a legend in the history of the AFL. “The story’s true,” Wilson told me 31 years after the startup of the AFL. “Lusteg, we had him in 1966. He had a cinch field goal against the Chargers. He missed it at the end of the game. He goes inside and gets dressed. And then he goes into downtown Buffalo, and three tough guys run over a curb and get out of their car and beat him up.” A roughneck town, Buffalo. The stadium the Bills played in reflected the gray, grimness of the city. It was called War Memorial Stadium, cockeyed in shape with several jerry-rigged additions. They played there for a dozen or so years before Buffalo built a genuine pro football stadium. Still with Jack Kemp throwing jump passes and scrambling, Ralph Wilson’s Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965. The two leagues dueled over draft choices. Al Davis, an AFL original, became the league’s commissioner and started trying to heist the NFL’s starting quarterbacks. Lamar Hunt and the Dallas Cowboys’ Tex Schramm negotiated a merger between leagues. The Foolish Club indeed! From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140325/SPORTS0101/303250115#ixzz2x4WDgufP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedZeppfan77 Posted March 26, 2014 Author Share Posted March 26, 2014 My condolences. Kind of ironic that Wilson and Ford died 16 days apart. Wilson was once a part-owner of the Lions, and was a neighbor of Bill Ford in Grosse Pointe Farms. Wilson tried to buy the Lions, and it was the NFL old guard that threw things Bill Ford's way. This was a major step towards the forming of the AFL. They also detested each other for years. Also found this in a local article...... Ralph Wilson considered it the perfect town for a pro football club. Buffalo was so similar to his hometown of Detroit. The climates were similar, often icy and windy. The people were similar — lots of factory workers, shot-and-beer guys. Ralph had been a Lions season-ticket holder during the championship dynasty seasons of the 1950s. But those tickets were gone — part of a divorce settlement. He kept his involvement in football. And Ralph loved to tell stories. Among the souvenirs Ralph inherited in Buffalo was an ancient, misshapen stadium full of cobwebs, broken bricks and rotting wood — plus a vagabond placekicker named Booth Lusteg. Lusteg would become a legend in the history of the AFL. “The story’s true,” Wilson told me 31 years after the startup of the AFL. “Lusteg, we had him in 1966. He had a cinch field goal against the Chargers. He missed it at the end of the game. He goes inside and gets dressed. And then he goes into downtown Buffalo, and three tough guys run over a curb and get out of their car and beat him up.” A roughneck town, Buffalo. The stadium the Bills played in reflected the gray, grimness of the city. It was called War Memorial Stadium, cockeyed in shape with several jerry-rigged additions. They played there for a dozen or so years before Buffalo built a genuine pro football stadium. Still with Jack Kemp throwing jump passes and scrambling, Ralph Wilson’s Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965. The two leagues dueled over draft choices. Al Davis, an AFL original, became the league’s commissioner and started trying to heist the NFL’s starting quarterbacks. Lamar Hunt and the Dallas Cowboys’ Tex Schramm negotiated a merger between leagues. The Foolish Club indeed! From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140325/SPORTS0101/303250115#ixzz2x4WDgufP Memories of the "rock pile" as its referred to. Yes Wilson had strong ties to Detroit, his hometown and he passed away in Michigan with his family by his side. This is a monumental day in Bill's history. It will bring uncertainty to our team. We just signed a new 10 year lease and Ralph Wilson stadium is to be renuvated. Alot of money will go into this. I have seen not only countless Bill's games there since the late 60's but also many a Rock concert with the likes of the Rolling Stones and summerfest was there in the 70's. http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/communities/bright-lights-big-market-of-la-becomes-big-threat-for-bills-fans-20140326 The above arcticle in the Buffalo news brings in the concern of LA and the return of a franchise there. Who ever thought LA would go this long without a team? One of the top two markets in sports has no team. I hope they get their team but I pray it is not my Buffalo Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in_the_evening Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Well LZFan77, I don't see the Bills moving to LA. More likely St. Louis. Possibly Oakland, but if I had to bet, it would be on St. Louis doing the moving. If Buffalo fans rally around Wilson's passing and Kelly's upcoming battles, I don't think they will let anyone move their team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedZeppfan77 Posted March 26, 2014 Author Share Posted March 26, 2014 Well LZFan77, I don't see the Bills moving to LA. More likely St. Louis. Possibly Oakland, but if I had to bet, it would be on St. Louis doing the moving. If Buffalo fans rally around Wilson's passing and Kelly's upcoming battles, I don't think they will let anyone move their team. The word here is we are safe for at least 7 years. A 10 year renewal lease was signed and huge renovations to the stadium are funded and underway. In 7 years the new owner whoever that may be, would have to pay a $400 million dollar fee to move the Bills. Ralph bought the team for $25,000 back when the AFL was formed with his help and the late Lamar Hunt. Of course Al Davis must be mentioned too and others. So with that, I would say we are likely safe for ten years. It would be terrible if we lost the Bills or Sabres. Of course Pegula is backing the Sabres and maybe, just maybe he will be interested in buying the Bills? That would be great. It was Ralph Wilson's wish that upon his death the team be sold by his family within a reasonable amount of time. The words were spoken behind closed doors often I am sure. And the intention has always been to do anything possible to keep the team in Buffalo. I do hope LA returns to the league and I wish it was the Rams. But that is not likely. But its very hard to imagine LA not having a team much longer. It saddens me that Ralph did not live to see us win it, as well as many of my late friends. The Bills are getting better and the QB position may be the only thing that makes us or breaks us. Maybe Ralph's passing will light a fire under them? I hope so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in_the_evening Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Not to go off topic LZFan77, but when there was a team in LA, weren't the games poorly attended? It just seemed like they couldn't get the population fired up about a football game... Maybe the Panthers move. New owner, not rabid fan base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Jaguars are the best bet to move out to LA, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the chase Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 A friend of mine from work is originally from the Buffalo area and a huge Bills fan. He was telling me some great Ralph Wilson stories yesterday.. It sounds like he was a very cool owner and person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstork Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Condolences to the Wilson family & all the Bills fans... Ditto. As a Raider fan it's a sad day too, it's likely the Raiders wouldn't exist today if not for the generosity of Ralph Wilson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 A great loss, Rick. End of an era for sure. When I read the news of Ralph Wilson's passing, I immediately thought of the old AFL days when Ralph Wilson and Al Davis were just getting started..but I see Bong-Man has already mentioned that bit of history. It'll be strange this year with both Detroit and Buffalo entering the season without their long-time owners. A new era begins for both teams. Not to go off topic LZFan77, but when there was a team in LA, weren't the games poorly attended? It just seemed like they couldn't get the population fired up about a football game... Maybe the Panthers move. New owner, not rabid fan base. Jaguars are the best bet to move out to LA, IMO. BITE YOUR TONGUE, WALTER! We don't want no stinking Panthers out here! And relax Rick...no way is Buffalo losing the Bills to L.A.! Your team is safe. In the Evening, actually LA had two teams...the Rams and the Raiders...and both teams drew more fans than most every other team in the NFL. But because the Coliseum's capacity was near 100,000, it was impossible to sell out every game. The Rams and Raiders would regularly draw 75,000-80,000 but because of the NFL's arcane TV blackout rules, none of the games would be on TV. Living in LA with both the Rams and the Raiders in town sucked because you often got only one Sunday game on TV. The 1975 NFC Conference Championship game between the Rams and Dallas at the Coliseum still holds the record for largest attendance at a conference title game. The 1983 AFC Conference Championship game between the Raiders and Seattle is close behind. There are plenty of football fans out here. But we don't want another city's castoffs like Jacksonville or Carolina. And the Coliseum is ancient and unsuited for the modern NFL. Plus the Coliseum Commission is inept and corrupt...they were the reason the Lakers, the Rams, and the Raiders all left L.A. in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandu Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Sad to see Ralph go... Why do you guys a leave Toronto out of the mix as an eventual destination for the Bills? They already play 1 home game a year here, it would not impact any other team's market as its only about 100 miles away from Buffalo, it is North America's 4th largest city with tons of corporate sponsorship available for the league, the NFL has been looking to go international for a while now (Mexico City, London) - and the list goes on... My money is on Toronto... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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