BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — When the Buffalo Bills eat pizza together, they win more football games. This was something the team discovered at the end of last season thanks to newcomer Connor McGovern, and now the tradition is here to stay.
"During the season last year, I think we did seven pizza parties and we went 6-1 during it," McGovern told 7 Sports. "When we went on the winning streak that's right when we started the pizza parties, so I'm just saying, maybe there's something in the dough."
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The pizza parties were a tradition McGovern started in Dallas as a member of the Cowboys. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the lifetime pizza lover got really into cooking his own pies at home and it became his favorite hobby.
"It took about three years of perfecting the recipes to where we're at now," McGovern said. "Growing up I just loved pizza and that was always my thing. Every Friday my family always had a pizza night and this was something I always loved."
Anyone in the mood for a hot honey, cheese, & pepperoni pizza? 😋🍕Just starting to look through our shoot with Bills center Connor McGovern and now I'm hungry #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/JEqY07d0kk
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) June 7, 2024
McGovern and his Cowboys teammates had a few pizza parties but in March of 2023, his time in Dallas came to an end as he became a free agent. The Penn State grad and Pennsylvania native came closer to home by signing with the Bills a few days into free agency, and quickly his new teammates learned about his love for pizza.
"Probably within the first few weeks of being here, people were talking about cooking food and I was like 'Oh, I love to cook,'" McGovern said. They asked what and I said I love making pizza, and they asked where do you get your dough from, and I was like 'I make everything,' and they were like, you make everything?"
He wasn't exaggerating about his passion for pizza. During the Bills off-season program McGovern and I spent an afternoon at the La Nova test kitchen so he could show me his pizza-making prowess. He made the dough a few days before we met. His homemade sauce was prepared the night before. He ordered his cheese directly from Wisconsin and had some of his favorite ingredients from his time in Dallas.
On the menu for our day together were some of his teammate's favorite recipes. We started by making a few three-cheese pizzas with pepperoni and hot honey. McGovern prefers a sweeter sauce and thin crust, closer to a New York-style slice than a typical Buffalo slice.
We then made McGovern's famous steak and cheese calzones. These have become increasingly popular with his teammates, especially towards the end of the season.
Both were exceptional and a big reason why the pizza parties now have a waiting list. If you miss more than two parties you're out and the next person on the waiting list is invited. Each party has about 30 or so people with wives and significant others always welcomed.
"I do attend Connor's pizza parties because the best pizza is free pizza," Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins said. "You walk in the house, he's got the music playing, I'm thinking I'm on a date, you know what I'm saying? But it's the whole o-line though, so it ain't like one-on-one."
"They're unbelievable," tight end Dawson Knox said. "He hosts the offense as a whole, it's a great team-building experience eating Connor's pizza."
"You don't really expect a bunch of NFL guys to get together and have a pizza party but it's definitely something good and gets us together as a team," tackle Ryan Van Demark said.
McGovern also makes a few specialty dishes and appetizers based on what he has available. His pizza muffins are usually a hit and the favorite dish of Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
"Those little pizza muffin deals, I don't even know what they're called," Allen said. "It's pure delight in a little breaded ball, it's fantastic."
McGovern and his wife just had their first child a few months ago. Having more than 20 football players at their house every week while also caring for their daughter is a heavy lift, but the McGovern's say it's worth it to help bring the team closer together.
