Payments first-ever recreation in new stadium wasn't legendary. However boy that visitors jam certain was – Democrat and Chronicle

The Buffalo Bills first ever recreation in Orchard Park was 37-21 preseason loss to Washington on Aug. 17, 1973.
All people remembers the visitors jam, each the ingress and the egress, an unlucky byproduct when you’ve 80,000 friends coming to your housewarming occasion with no concept the place they have been going and getting nearly no assist from the under-staffed and overwhelmed deputies who have been armed with a very non-functional plan because the gridlock shaped.
The confluence of these going to the sport, others heading to the Erie County Truthful in Hamburg, plus the traditional summer season Friday night time rush-hour visitors and weekend trip journey created a congestion nightmare and the stadium supervisor, Thomas Calpin, admitted, “We have been working below worst-case circumstances.” In fact, that begged the query, why not play the primary recreation on Saturday?
My father, uncle, cousin and I have been someway in a position to get there in time, however that was not the case for a lot of 1000’s.
As I dug into the analysis of that night time, I discovered that Frank Cardon, at the moment the sports activities editor of the Rochester Instances-Union, deserted his automotive about 3 miles from the stadium and walked the remainder of the best way and didn’t get to the press field till halftime. He wasn’t the one one who selected that choice as there have been streams of followers on the facet of the roads doing the identical factor.
I learn that two buses coming from the Nation Membership of Buffalo in Amherst didn’t arrive till there have been 10 minutes left within the fourth quarter, practically 4 hours after their journey started. There was one report of a bunch who took a bus, gave up, discovered a pay telephone and known as a cab to get a trip again to wherever their vehicles have been parked.
“We received right here two minutes earlier than halftime,” Pittsford’s Jarrett Kling instructed Bob Matthews of the Democrat and Chronicle. “It took us 1 ½ hours to cowl the final 3 miles to the stadium.”
It was simply as unhealthy attempting to get out which is why some folks, hoping to keep away from one other depressing commute, have been exiting the stadium early within the second half when some have been simply arriving. The parking heaps weren’t fully emptied till 1 a.m.
As I recall, we stayed into the fourth quarter earlier than my father made the choice to depart and that helped shorten our drive dwelling, but it surely nonetheless took practically two hours to navigate what ought to have been a 25-minute commute again to North Buffalo.
If I’m in a visitors jam in the present day, provided that my endurance are shorter than an ant’s legs, I lose my thoughts however again then, not fairly 11 years outdated and thus not behind the wheel of the household station wagon, I doubt I actually cared that a lot. In truth, in spite of everything the joy of that Aug. 17, 1973 night, I in all probability fell asleep.
The opposite factor that everyone remembers about that historic night time in Buffalo — a minimum of for individuals who managed to get into the stadium on time – was the opening kickoff which was returned 102 yards for a landing by Washington’s Herb Mul-key. Given how poorly the Payments had performed for the earlier six seasons, that was about as acceptable a gap as there might have been for the shiny new venue.
“I had hen wings with sizzling sauce final night time and I used to be raring to go,” Mul-key joked afterward. “Earlier than the sport, (Redskins QB) Sonny Jurgensen instructed me that he wouldn’t be stunned if I took the opening kickoff all the best way again. Two guys brushed me, however nobody had a very good shot at me.”
So yeah, issues have been removed from good for the Payments and their followers, however for me, what I bear in mind most from that heat and infrequently moist summer season night was the awe of arising the concourse tunnel on the best way to our seats – positioned within the higher deck, Payments bench facet of the sector, and within the administration finish of the stadium – and seeing for the primary time the enormity of the place.
To look out after most everybody received there, 80,000 folks congregated in a single place, setting a brand new file for largest gathering for a stadium sporting occasion in New York State, was breathtakingly superior. I feel I spent half the night time trying on the crowd versus the motion on the pristine synthetic turf which was additionally fairly cool in comparison with the muck at outdated Struggle Memorial Stadium.
There have been a number of issues that befell that I didn’t bear in mind which I unearthed in my analysis.
Payments stadium: Payments followers boo Ralph Wilson, politicians at first recreation
Earlier than kickoff, Payments proprietor Ralph Wilson and NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle offered engraved silver trays to Eric County Government Edward Regan, Buffalo Mayor Stanley Makowski, and Orchard Park city supervisor Eugene Woodward, and so they have been vociferously booed. The followers might have cherished the brand new stadium, however they have been nonetheless upset with Wilson who had threatened for years to maneuver the staff, to not point out that taxpayers footed a part of the development price.
Nor do I bear in mind Sixties Payments receiver Glenn Bass, by then an ordained minister, giving an invocation; or the moments of silence noticed for former Payments’ public relations man Jack Horrigan who handed away earlier that summer season, and for former Payments’ participant Bob Kalsu who had died in Vietnam in 1970; or that the gang sang America the Lovely because the phrases have been displayed on the brand new huge-for-its-time $1 million scoreboard that would additionally present immediate replays, although as I recollect it was like taking a look at an outsized tv display screen that wanted rabbit ears to make clear the snowy image.
And sitting within the higher deck, I additionally was fully unaware of the drama surrounding controversial Redskins operating again Duane Thomas. In the course of the nationwide anthem he turned his again to the flag and the followers behind Washington’s bench heaped abuse on him all night time and it boiled over within the fourth quarter. Somebody threw a thermos that just about hit him and he picked it up and threw it again in addition to his helmet and tried to go up into the gang to battle.
Teammates needed to forestall him from going over the wall, and several other escorted him to the locker room after coach George Allen gave the OK for him to depart the sector earlier than the tip of the sport for his personal security.
Fairly an evening, certainly, for a younger, rising Payments fan.
It was a preseason recreation so nobody really cared that the Redskins have been up 31-7 at one level and in the end spoiling the festivities with a 37-21 victory. This was all in regards to the expertise of being there, and of the Payments lastly graduating to the large time after enjoying their first three NFL seasons – and first 13 relationship again to their 1960 inauguration within the AFL – within the embarrassment that was Struggle Memorial Stadium.
Wealthy Stadium price round $22 million to construct, a far cry from the $2.2 billion price ticket of the brand new stadium now being constructed throughout Abbott Street, and regardless of all of the political battles it took to make the stadium a actuality, it was value each penny.
“Buffalo followers are used to adversity,” Pittsford’s Mark Holdren instructed Matthews that night time. “Even when there have been good groups, the stadium was unhealthy. You needed to battle your technique to the restrooms and concessions. Now that the franchise has made the transition to a pleasant stadium, the efficiency of the staff would possibly decide up.”
That turned out to be true. Since shedding the AFL Championship Recreation in 1966 to Kansas Metropolis, the Payments’ file over the next six seasons was a disgraceful 17-64-3, however in 1973, with O.J. Simpson changing into the primary participant in historical past to hurry for greater than 2,000 yards in a single season, the Payments went 9-5 and practically made the playoffs.
The subsequent 12 months, they went 9-5 once more and that did get them to the postseason which turned out to be the one one Simpson performed in his quick 10-year profession.
Sal Maiorana has lined the Buffalo Bills for 4 many years together with 35 years because the full-time beat author for the D&C, he has written quite a few books in regards to the historical past of the staff, and he’s additionally co-host of the BLEAV in Payments podcast/YouTube present. He may be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you’ll observe him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.

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