Buffalo Bills Fans Reflect On Memories At Highmark Stadium

This is the last year that the "old" Highmark Stadium will be in operation in Western New York, but there has been a lot that's happened to look back on.

I know people are excited for a new stadium. It already looks beautiful, and it's not even close to being done. Before you know it, this new stadium will be the only way that some generations will remember the Buffalo Bills. But for people my age (47 right now), the place that is now known as "Highmark Stadium" will always hold my favorite memories.

We've done so much in that stadium

I was lucky enough to be one of the many high school football players who got to play in that stadium for a championship game not once, but twice. I was a season ticket holder for years as we watched the Bills struggle to miss the playoffs, again. I've watched concerts there, and pageants. We saw bands and performers like The Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Elton John, Luke Combs, and George Strait. We even got to eat wings there as part of the National Chicken Wing Festival.

So much has happened at that stadium.

The Name Has Changed, But The Stadium Is Still The Same

It started out as Rich Stadium in 1973 and it stayed that way for years. When the naming rights deal ended in 1998, they simply named the stadium "Ralph Wilson Stadium" after the owner and founder of the Bills, Ralph Wilson, but everyone called it "The Ralph."

Then, in 2016, the name changed again when New Era Cap Company bought the rights to make it New Era Field. Just four years later, they said they wanted out of their contract, and the Bills allowed it. That's when they simply called it "Bills Stadium" for a while.

It was 2021 before the stadium was finally named Highmark Stadium, and that name has not only stuck for the last four years, but will continue for the foreseeable future.

But the big thing has always been the games

Think of how many memories you have as a Bills fan just being in that stadium for all the big moments. That stadium only holds around 70,000 people, but it feels like everyone says they were there to watch the greatest comeback of all time as Frank Reich brought his team back to beat the Houston Oilers. How many of you were there when the Bills clobbered the Raiders to head off to the Super Bowl? Were you there when Josh Allen threw a perfect game against the Patriots?

There have been some incredible games, and even more unforgettable moments.

Check out these highlights from every game played at that stadium from every year in chronological order through 2024.