Many fathers' and their children share a special bond revolving around the Buffalo Bills. Fans have memories of attending snowy winter games with their dads, tailgating for the first time, and watching the Bills win at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
These fans shared their stories with us for Father's Day, and are the winners of the 2012 Buffalo Bills Father's Day contest.
Here are their inspiring stories:
Jim Harrison of Rochester, NY
Two years ago I took my only son to his first Bills game on a beautiful Western New York fall day. After a little tailgating including hot dogs, Doritos and hot coco, we hit the Bills Fieldhouse, and then onto the sideline for pre-game warm-ups. George Wilson then gave my son a memory of a lifetime, when he pulled him onto the field and started playing catch with him. I could not have been happier for my son, and he could not have been more thrilled. It was truly a day that this Father /Son team will never forget! It really made him feel closer to the team, and from that day, he became a Bills fan.
Alex Blizniak of Virginia
My family and I were staying in Buffalo during the Christmas of 1996. On that Christmas Day when I was 9 years old, I opened up my present from my Mom and Dad and saw that I had received the big Buffalo Bills winter jacket that I had so deeply coveted. My father told me to ''check the pockets.'' I reached in the pocket and there were two tickets for Sunday's AFC Wildcard game between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. My father told me how he had waited in line for two hours to buy them at the box office and now he was going to get to take his son to see the team that they would immortalize while playing catch in their backyard in Virginia.
Game day arrived. I wore my brand new jacket to the stadium and my dad put on his old Super Bowl-era Bills sweatshirt. It was very cold; the only way to see a Bills postseason game. I saw the sign that read, ''Rich Stadium, Home of the Buffalo Bills.'' My dad turned to me and said, ''Welcome to Mecca.'' I said, ''Dad, I've never seen so much red, white, and blue in my whole life!''
Upon returning to Virginia I had to tell everyone what we did over the Christmas break and have a ''show and tell.'' I wore that big, bulky Buffalo Bills jacket in class that day and stood up and proceeded to tell the class how I went to the AFC Wildcard playoff game to see the Buffalo Bills. That's when I grabbed the ticket out of the coat pocket and held it up over my head, turning in a circular motion so everyone could get the chance to look on with the same wonder and amazement that I had. I don't have that Bills jacket anymore, it stopped fitting by about the 6th grade, but I still let people know that my dad took me to Jim Kelly's last game.
Angela Johnson
My father wanted a boy. Instead he had one head-strongdaughter and raised me to be one of the biggest Bills fans of all time. This picture was taken at the Monday night game vs. Dallas. It was my first Monday night game, and I was taking in the atmosphere. My father tapped me on the shoulder and said,"Angela, look at the field." I was wearing my father's old Jim Kelly jersey and he was wearing the authentic Jim Kelly that I bought him for Christmas, and there on the field was Jim Kelly. He said he really liked our jerseys and then tossed me the ball he had in his hands. It is the one my father is holding in this picture. It was one of the best days of my life. Thank you for giving me something to be happy about!
To view the Father's Day fan photo album click here.
