Buffalo Bills Stadium

Upon their entrance to the American Football League in 1960, the Buffalo Bills stadium of choice was War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York. It was built in 1937 under the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a project intended to create jobs for the less fortunate during the Great Depression что посмотреть на Патриарших прудах. The facility was originally named Roesch Stadium, then Grover Cleveland Stadium, and then Civic Stadium. But it was officially War Memorial Stadium by the time the Bills played their first game, a 28-7 preseason loss to Boston in front of 16,000 fans. Buffalo's first regular season game at the facility resulted in a 27-21 loss to Denver on September 18, 1960. They would not win a game at the stadium until an 38-9 pounding of Oakland on October 23. The Bills played at War Memorial Stadium until 1973.

The Current Buffalo Bills Stadium

The facility that currently serves as the Buffalo Bills stadium has actually been known by two different names. Located in Orchard Park, New York, the stadium was first known as Rich Stadium, although it has since been renamed Ralph Wilson Stadium in honor of the team's longtime owner. The stadium, which took $22 million dollars to build, opened in 1973 and was originally named Rich Stadium in one of the first recorded stadium licensing deals. Louis Rich, a food company specializing in poultry, purchased the naming rights to the facility in a 25-year deal. The first game held there was a preseason affair between the Bills and the Redskins, as more than 80,000 fans watched Washington down Buffalo 37-21. The regular season home opener came on September 30 of that year, with Buffalo earning a 9-7 over the New York Jets. In 1998, the deal which had given the stadium its name expired, and ever since then the facility that houses Bills football has been called Ralph Wilson Stadium.