Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills is located in Orchard Park, New York Getty Images Scott Boehm
Cost to build- 22 Million
Time to Build- two years
Home to- Buffalo Bills, 2008 NHL Winter Classic
Capacity- 73,967
Surface- AstroPlay
Owner- Erie County
Year Opened- 1973
Average Ticket Price- 51 dollars
This stadium was born out of the merge between the AFL and the NFL. Old Buffalo War Memorial Stadium was just fine for an AFL football crowd, but after the merge league rules were changed to mandate that stadiums sat a minimum of 50,000 fans. Since, the old stadium only sat 47,000 and was in disrepair the Bills needed a new home.
The actual construction of the stadium was held up for many years due to litigation. A developer was trying to build an all weather stadium in Lancaster, New York. However that community did not want the stadium there given its proximity to the local High School. The Orchard Park location was finally picked after the original developer received a financial settlement.
In 1972 Rich Products signed a 25 year 1.5 million per season deal for naming rights for the new stadium. This is one of the earliest stadium naming rights deals in the NFL. When the deal expired 1998, Rich Products balked at the price, since the Bills wanted to bring the price more in line with what clubs were getting then. It was then that this stadium was named Ralph Wilson Stadium, in honor of Bills founder Ralph Wilson.
It is currently one of the oldest stadiums still in use by an NFL team, and one of the sticking points towards keeping the Bills in Buffalo long tem will certainly rest around a new stadium for the team. It seems that as long as the Ralph Wilson remains in control of the franchise they will be a Buffalo team.
Related Links:
• Buffalo Bills News and Notes
• Stadiums of the NFL
• Bills Owner Ralph Wilson
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