 Ralph
Wilson Stadium
Buffalo, NY
On Sundays during the Fall, the town of
Orchard Park comes alive as Bills fans invade the town for
football at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills history in upstate New
York began in 1959 when Ralph Wilson was awarded an expansion AFL
football team that would begin playing in 1960 at War Memorial
Stadium in Buffalo. War Memorial Stadium, a 47,000 seat stadium
built in the 1930s, was constructed to host numerous events. When
the Bills became a part of the NFL in 1970, it was apparent that a
larger stadium was needed for the team. Owner Ralph Wilson sought
a new domed stadium in Buffalo but was unable to gain support.
Wilson met with officials in Seattle about the possibility of moving the
team there, but instead he reached an agreement to build a stadium on a 130
acre tract of land in Orchard Park, a town south of Buffalo.
Once the stadium was completed in 1973, Rich Foods bought
the naming rights to the stadium for $1.5 million a year, for 25
years. The Bills became one of the first teams ever to sell the
naming rights to their stadium. It was known as Rich Stadium until 1998,
when the stadium was renamed Ralph Wilson Stadium.
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