Of All the Memories, The Kyle Williams game is King.

Some of my greatest memories as a young boy were walking from the concourse, through the vomitory and then seeing the full length of the football field at Rich Stadium.  I always thought it looked so much different in person than it did on TV.  There was something, almost religious about it.  Seeing the field, finding your seats and then hearing the announcer’s voice.  Many people talk about baseball stadiums in this way, but for me… it’s football.  It always has been.

I’ve been going to Bills games since I was 8 years old.  I’ve seen the best Bills players ever play on that field.  I watched Jim Kelly throw the ball to Andre Reed, Don Beebe, James Lofton, Pete Metzelaars, and Keith McKeller.  I saw Thurman Thomas terrorize defenses with his relentless rushing attack.  I watched Bruce Smith chase down guys like Dan Marino.  I didn’t know it then, but I was watching future Hall of Famers become Hall of Famers.

I’ve see legends in person inside that stadium.  Guys like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, John Elway and Brett Favre.

I have so many memories from Bills games.  I remember when the Bills were losing to the Broncos late in the game, but somehow scored 3 touchdowns in 77 seconds for the win.  I was almost 10 years old.  The Bills were losing 21-9.  The Broncos were lining up for a field goal which probably should have been the final nail in the coffin.  But the attempt was blocked and either went a mile in the air or my brain made it happen in slow motion… anyway, Cornelius Bennett caught it and ran 80 some yards for a TD.  Then a Leonard Smith pick 6 on the next drive put the Bills up 22-21 (the Bills extra point was blocked).  Then, the legend that I mentioned earlier, John Elway fumbled a snap that was recovered by… Cornelius Bennett.  Kenneth Davis would run for a TD to make it 29-21.  The Broncos did score another TD but lost by 1 because there was no 2 pt conversion back then.

The Bills would go to their first Super Bowl this season.

I’ve seen playoff games there.

I was there when Fred Jackson could have had a TD but went down at the 1 yard line so that the Bills could run out more clock before scoring, and ultimately beating the Patriots for the first time in forever.  It’s now called the Fred Jackson Game

Having had season tickets as an adult for the last 14 years, I have seen so many memorable things inside the walls of that stadium.

Today, I was there for what is probably going to be the most memorable, and emotional thing I have ever witnessed at a Bills game.

The one-game retirement tour of Kyle Williams.  Which started with him running out of the tunnel by himself after the rest of the team.

It continued as he was used as a decoy on offense in a goal line situation in which Josh Allen scored on a 1 yard TD run.

Then, Kyle caught a pass and then ran for a 9 yard gain.

But the coolest thing I have ever seen in that stadium was when Sean McDermott channeled his inner Dan Devine and gave Kyle Williams a “Rudy” moment of his own.  He had the offense, who could have ran out the clock, kneel down on the ball on 3rd down and 4th down of that same drive, without running much time off the clock.  They forced their own turnover on downs so that the Bills Defense had to go back out on the field so that McDermott could call a timeout and give Kyle a curtain call.

It was a very classy moment for McDermott and the Bills organization and it was well deserved for Kyle Williams.

Not many players have started and finished their career on the same team, and not many of them embody the culture of the community that they play for.  Kyle Williams is a class act, he laid his everything on the line on every play, and he was one hell of a football player.

This, meaningless week 17 game for a team that had no chance of making the playoffs, will now forever be remembered as the Kyle Williams game, and it’s my favorite memory inside the walls of the Rich/Ralph Wilson Stadium/New Era Field.