RALPH WILSON STADIUM

'Ralph Wilson Stadium' is a football stadium located in the town of Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. It is the home stadium for the Buffalo Bills National Football League football team. It was originally named 'Rich Stadium'.

Contents

History

Other Events

Design

Photo gallery

Notes

External links

History

The stadium opened in 1973. The construction of the stadium and its location were the source of years of litigation, which ended with a financial settlement for a developer who had planned to erect an all-weather stadium in Lancaster, New York. In 1972, Rich Products signed a 25-year deal for $1 million per year, by which the venue would be called "Rich Stadium"; this is one of the earliest examples of the sale of naming rights in North American sports. After the original deal expired in 1998, the stadium was renamed in honor of Bills founder and owner Ralph C. Wilson.
The first playoff game at the stadium was a 17-10 Bills victory over the Houston Oilers on January 1, 1989. The Bills won every ensuing playoff game at the stadium until they were defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 28, 1996.

Other Events

Ralph Wilson Stadium is expected to host an outdoor NHL game on January 1, 2008. The Buffalo Sabres will host the Pittsburgh Penguins in what is tentatively being called "The Ice Bowl."[1]

Design

The stadium is open-air, with a capacity of 73,967. The field is made of AstroTurf GameDay Grass, which replaced the AstroTurf that was original to the stadium. The stadium originally had a capacity of 80,020, however the capacity was reduced in 1998 as a part of the Bills lease renewal with Erie County, New York. The stadium at that time was refitted with larger seats and more luxury and club seating. The lease agreement also stipulated that Erie County would continue to upgrade the stadium; in summer 2007 a new High Definition Mitsubishi LED board measuring 88.8' by 32.5' and ribbon boards will be installed. Total cost for the project is 5.2 million dollars. The new scorboard will replace the old 41.5' by 31.5' Sony JumboTron installed 13 years earlier for 8.0 million dollars (including inflation).
Buffalo is one of the nation's windiest cities, and as a result, Ralph Wilson Stadium often is a difficult stadium for kickers to play in, with swirling winds that change direction rapidly. This is exacerbated by the design of the stadium. The main bowl of the stadium is fifty feet under ground level, while the upper deck stands above ground. The open end lies parallel to the direction of the prevailing winds, so that when the winds come in, they immediately drop down into the bowl, causing the stadium's signature wind patterns.

Photo gallery

Notes

External links

★ Stadium page from official Buffalo Bills site

★ The Standard

★ BillsDaily