AM Buffalo visited the Buffalo History Museum and Emily chatted with Anthony Greco. The Icons section of the museum open a few years ago. Anthony says they asked the community to identify who the most icon sports figures and moments were in Western New York history and this what the people came up with.
Anthony gives us this trivia question regarding the Bills Super Bowl era. Jim Kelly was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 1983 NFL draft. That year the Bills had two picks in the first round. Jim Kelly was not the first pick. We picked him at number 14. The trivia question is, which player did we pick at two spots earlier at number 12? (The answer is at the bottom of the article so you can guess.)
Anthony says, “The museum has over 100,000 two dimensional items, so paper items, tickets, programs to the games, 8,000 three dimensional items, so like helmets, jerseys and things like that and really the one of the kind things, the game worn jerseys, the things you aren’t going to find anywhere else. And then additional collectors who collect Buffalo Sabres items, other Western New York sports, they all contributed, and a lot of these items are on loan but that’s how we assembled this great collection of really unique sports objects.”
Anthony says you can’t talk about Bills history without talking about Ralph Wilson. He bought the rights to the team in 1959 and he builds the franchise and not just that, but he helps the other teams in the NFL get started.
The most asked about Bill’s item or identified item they have there is the helmet worn by Scott Norwood during Super Bowl 25 and the wide right kick.
Here’s your next trivia question: In what year was the first season for the Buffalo Bills in the AFL? The answer is at the bottom of the article.
Emily spoke with Brian Hayden, director of communications at the museum and Brian says, “We are in the icons, the makers, the moments of Buffalo sports exhibit and such a part of our sports history are these legendary broadcasters that we developed connections with over the years, who we invited into our homes, we cheer on the teams because we listen to their voices, play by play, game by game.” They have a display dedicated to some those legendary broadcasters like Van Miller and Rick Jeanneret. If you come out to the Buffalo Museum of History you can take part in a little bit of history with their, You Make the Call exhibit. It is an interactive exhibit where they have in a recording, they have some of the most legendary plays by those iconic broadcasters. You select a play and watch and listen to it and then you get to make the same call.
Here is the final Bill’s trivia question for you. What stadium did the Bill’s first call home? (The answer is below.)
Answers to the trivia questions:
1: Tight end out Notre Dame, Tony Hunter who ends up playing for the Bills for a couple of years before heading to another team. He had a short career. He had a leg injury which ended his career early.
2. The first season for the Buffalo Bills in the AFL was 1960.
3. War Memorial
