Love of Bills Stems from History of Franchise, Dad's Desire

My love of the Buffalo Bills was fostered and nurtured by my father, David Licata. He helped me by explaining the nuances of the game, like watching the guards when the ball was snapped to see where the play was heading.  

Super Bowl XXV provided me my one of my earliest sports memories. It endured me the team early on, and I knew then that there will eventually be a parade in downtown Buffalo celebrating a Super Bowl win.  

The best times I’ve had with my father are attending those Sundays at Ralph Wilson Stadium. I love the smell of the tailgate outside the stadium. It’s a distinct blend of charcoal, hot dogs, sausage, chicken wings, beef on weck, and beer.

I know some of those people have been cooking since eight and nine that morning. The atmosphere inside of a sold out stadium is something I’ll always cherish because it meant trouble for the visiting team. They weren’t going to be able to hear the snap counts and cadences from the quarterback.

My father also taught me the history of the franchise. At 13, he looked at me and asked if we wanted to make the trek from western New York down to Canton, Ohio to see the annual induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I asked him why we were going to Canton. He wanted to see his favorite Bills player get inducted, Billy Shaw. I told him I didn’t recognize the name and then he sat me down and explained the history of the team, starting in 1960 with the birth of the American Football League and the rivalry with the older National Football League.

He also told me stories of how Shaw used to block for Bills greats like Jack Kemp and opened holes for Cookie Gilchrist. I was sold on going just on those names alone.

The proudest moment I’ve had with my dad was during the parade the HOF puts on the morning before the induction speeches. There weren’t too many other Bills fans around, but my father was decked out in all his old gear, including the white hat with the standing red buffalo.

As Shaw's vehicle drove by, my father started jumping up and down, cheering in order to get his attention. My father got the attention of Eddie Abramoski, the former Bills trainer and the man tasked with inducting Shaw into the Hall.

Well, Eddie, upon seeing my father, tugged on Shaw’s shirt and pointed to my dad. Shaw smiled and waived just to my dad. He was in heaven, seeing his childhood idol wave to him.

Love of sports teams carries down from father to son. I grew up steeped in Buffalo Bills tradition, and when I have kids, I plan on passing down the tradition my father gave to me.