Buffalo Bills: Terry and Kim Pegula Save the City of Buffalo
By Ryan Brennan
The Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres help make this city the greatest to be a sports’ fan in.
Being from Buffalo, I have never met someone from this area that wasn’t a Buffalo Bills and/or Buffalo Sabres fan. It’s something we’re born into and something we grow to die for.
The joy started on October 28, 1959 when Ralph C. Wilson was awarded the Buffalo Bills — who were entering the American Football League (AFL).
“On a Wednesday in October, a team was created.” – Chris Berman
After 10 strong seasons, which included 2 championships, the city of Buffalo was ready to take their sports to the next level.
1970 was a big year for Buffalo, who were welcoming the Bills to the NFL, the Braves to the NBA and the Sabres to the NHL. It was a year that started a lifelong relationship for people living in this city. A year that began to bring this city together. A year for unity.
Over the next 30 years, both franchises gained a lot of respect in the sports industry and proved that they belonged on a national stage. Both teams built a very long, rich and storied tradition to this city.
Our rosters have sported some of the biggest names in both the NFL and NHL, whether it be a player, coach or contributor to the game. With four straight Super Bowl appearances and 2 Stanley Cup appearances, it’s hard to believe that this city has never brought home the ultimate prize.
And that’s where most of the “lost faith” and “bashing” come from, which is understandable.
However, it’s always important to look back at what these two franchises have done for this city and what having a professional sports team in your city means. As I stated above, the Buffalo Bills and Sabres have helped bring this city together in ways that wouldn’t have been possible any other way.
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That’s why having the Pegula’s on our side is so important to the city of Buffalo.
Terry Pegula first entered the world of owning a sport’s team when he purchased the Buffalo Sabres from previous owners Tom Golisano, Larry Quinn and Dan DiPofi for $189 million in Feb. 2011. Included in the deal was the Buffalo Bandits, who play in the National Lacrosse League (NLL).
Several months later, Pegula continued to bring this city together when he purchased the Rochester Americans — who were the affiliate team for the Sabres from 1979-2008.
Over the next three years, Pegula started to rebuild the Sabres’ franchise. Although he failed to bring the team to the playoffs, they continued to draft good talent and show promise for the future.
After three years, the city of Buffalo was hit with a tragedy and the future of the Buffalo Bills’ organization was up in the air.
On March 25, 2014, Buffalo was faced with the loss of one of this city’s most prized possessions: Ralph Wilson.
Not only did Wilson give this city a professional football team, but he helped build it into one of the most storied NFL franchises in the history of the game. He helped pave the way for some of the greatest players to ever play the game.
Most of all, he was down-to-earth and a loving member of the city of Buffalo. He will always be remembered for what he did to this city.
Related Story: The Sad End of the Ralph Wilson Era
With his death, Buffalo was faced to enter a new era with their Bills as they were faced with searching for a new owner. If you don’t remember, that’s when just about every Buffalo Bills’ fan started to hate Jon Bon Jovi — who was trying to take the team to Toronto.
On September 14, 2014, the Buffalo Bills announced that the winning bid for the team had gone to familiar faces and faces that every Bills’ fan were happy to see:
Terry and Kim Pegula.
Less than a month later, on October 8th, 2014, the Pegula’s were given unanimous approval from the rest of the NFL owners and were officially awarded the team.
“And on a Wednesday in October, a city was united.” – Chris Berman
The Pegula’s did something rarely done in sports, but something you see done in some of the greatest sports cities in the world. Owning multiple professional sports franchises is never an easy task, but Terry and Kim knew that it was what was best for this city.
With their dedication to Buffalo, we are no longer Buffalo Bills’ fans or Buffalo Sabres’ fans — we are #OneBuffalo.
One Buffalo was a campaign started by Pegula Sports and Entertainment (PSE) that’s goal is to bring excellence to Buffalo and keep it here. As described by PSE’s President and CEO:
"“One Buffalo provides a link between Bills fans, Sabres fans, and the city of Buffalo,” said Kim Pegula. “We are all moving in the same direction: One Team; One Goal; One Community; One Family; One Buffalo. It is our goal to continue to contribute to the resurgence of Western New York, and we are very optimistic about the future. We are proud to be able to play a role in our city’s redevelopment at a time when our community has never been closer together.”"
No sports city is connected like Buffalo is and it’s only a matter of time before all of the hard work and dedication pays off.
Yes, it’s been a while since the Bills have seen the playoffs or the Sabres got close to the Stanley Cup. That’s not why we love either team, though. Wins are always preferred and championships are the ultimate goal, but at the end of the day we are competing against 31 other teams fighting for the same thing.
As fans, our job is to go out there week in and week out — following a win or following a loss — and scream for our team until we can’t anymore.
And I think we do a pretty darn good job of that.
Stay strong One Buffalo, it’s been a long time and there’s no way of knowing when it will come to an end, but when our drought does finally end…
This city will go nuts.
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