Buffalo Rumblings
The 2025 season is Buffalo’s final campaign in the original Highmark Stadium.
The 2025 NFL season will mark the final year the Buffalo Bills play at 52-year-old Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. With the new (and improved) Highmark Stadium set to open across the street in 2026, Bills Mafia are feeling a bit nostalgic as it relates to what many are already referring to as the “old stadium.”
This past week I spent some time thinking about the first game I attended at the current stadium, and how much I could remember. My first Bills game was the 51-3 playoff victory over the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship game. I do realize that this is one of those games that everyone claims they attended, but I promise you I was there. Being completely honest, I don’t remember too many specifics from the game. Maybe I was just too young to remember specific plays on the field, but I will always remember how I felt that day.
The memories from that afternoon were less about specific plays, and more about the overwhelming atmosphere that engulfed the stadium that day. It was a party-like setting as there was no doubt that the Bills were heading to the Super Bowl, and being in the crowd felt magical. I was lucky enough to attend the game with my dad, along with one of my best friends and his father (who were both Raiders fans). It was obviously a much better day for us, and I still remember walking back to the car after the game — trying not to gloat too much over such a resounding victory.
While I can look back after all of these years, that will always be one of the best days. Again, it wasn’t about a specific play on the field, but more just a feeling of being so happy that day. I will always feel fortunate that I’ve gotten to experience many different sporting events in my life, but this one will always top the list.
With me feeling a bit nostalgic, hopefully you’ll join in for a stroll down memory lane. If you have a memory from your first Bills game, please feel free to share it in the comments section below. For those old enough to have experienced the move from The Rockpile to Rich Stadium, what memories do you have?
