The Buffalo Bills are preparing for an emotional farewell to their long-time home, Highmark Stadium, as they host the New York Jets in what is likely the final regular-season game at the iconic venue. The team is set to move into a new, state-of-the-art $2.1 billion stadium next season, closing a chapter that began in 1973.
From Beagle Field to Football Mecca
For Chris Clark, the Bills' vice president of security, the site holds memories that predate the stadium itself. Now 73, Clark recalls the 1960s when the land was an abandoned farm field and former DuPont explosives storage site. Monsignor Leo McCarthy would send Clark and his South Buffalo friends there to let beagles chase rabbits, an effort to keep the kids out of trouble. "What they wouldn't do to keep me out of jail," Clark said with a laugh.
Clark's life has been intertwined with the stadium ever since. He started as an Erie County sheriff's deputy directing traffic on game days in the 1970s and has held his current security role since 2006. He views the impending closure with a sense of melancholy, comparing it to "walking out the door of the home you got married."
A Stadium Full of History and Heartbeat
Highmark Stadium, affectionately known as "The Ralph" after late founder and owner Ralph Wilson, has been the backdrop for countless historic moments. Clark witnessed the Bills' legendary 41-38 overtime playoff comeback against the Houston Oilers in 1992, erasing a 32-point deficit. The stadium has hosted events ranging from Rolling Stones concerts and the inaugural NHL Winter Classic in 2008 to a memorable 2000 incident where country stars Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney were arrested for taking a sheriff's department horse for a ride.
For Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, the fondest memory was making his Bills debut in 1986 and greeting his parents and five brothers in the stands. "To be honest, when I have to call it Highmark Stadium, I do. But I love The Ralph. I'm like, that's the perfect name," Kelly said.
Closing the Chapter with a Championship Dream
The sentiment is shared by Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas, who sees a perfect ending for the old stadium. "The only way that we can leave that stadium and leave it the way it should be with all those memories will be the best memory of all: going to the Super Bowl and winning," Thomas stated. This would bring closure to the heartbreak of the Kelly-era Bills, who lost four consecutive Super Bowls in the 1990s.
The current Bills team, having clinched its seventh straight playoff berth, carries that hope into the postseason, though they will start on the road as the AFC's No. 7 seed.
Mary Wilson, Ralph's widow, reflected on the stadium's intimate design and great sightlines. "All those years and all the people we've had in our box, yeah, Ralph did it right," she said. While nostalgic, she also looks forward to "saying hello to the new" stadium across the street.
Head coach Sean McDermott admitted to feeling emotional. "I'm emotional about it," McDermott said. "I look across out my window and I see the stadium and it's almost, I don't want to say sad — it's not a sad day — but it is a little sad." After a recent loss to Philadelphia, he was among the last to leave, savoring the memories of his nine seasons. "We owe it to the stadium and to the memories that exist in that stadium to go out the right way here," he emphasized.
The final regular-season game provides a historical bookend. The Bills' first game at the stadium was a 9-7 win over the Jets on September 30, 1973, with kicker John Leypoldt hitting three field goals. In the decades since, fans have witnessed everything from the 1980 field-storming after breaking a 20-game losing streak to the Miami Dolphins, to the 51-3 AFC championship rout of the Raiders in 1990, and a 2017 overtime win against the Indianapolis Colts played in near-whiteout conditions.
For Chris Clark, the stadium's legacy is about community. "This is an anchor. It's what brings people together," he said, noting how former Buffalonians travel from across North America to attend games, passing their fandom to their children. "To know how many families, how many couples have met here. It's like a Hallmark movie." As the Bills prepare to turn the lights off at The Ralph for the last time, a city holds its breath, hoping the next chapter begins with the ultimate prize.
