Everything about Ralph Wilson Stadium totally explained
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.
History
What is now known as Ralph Wilson Stadium was commissioned as a result of the
AFL-NFL merger. While suitable for a second-tier league such as the
American Football League,
Buffalo War Memorial Stadium was both in disrepair and grossly undersized for a National Football League team, with a capacity of under 47,000.
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. However, plans changed because it wasn't wanted near
Lancaster High School. In 1972,
Rich Products signed a 25-year, $1.5 million deal, 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
On
January 1,
2008, the
Buffalo Sabres hosted the
Pittsburgh Penguins in the
AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic. The Penguins won 2–1 in a shootout.
It has also hosted, three times, the
Drum Corps International championships and annually hosts the region's Section VI high school football playoffs. Occasional large-scale concerts are held at the stadium, although these are increasingly rare.
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 were installed. Total cost for the project was $5.2 million. The new scoreboard replaced the old 41.5' by 31.5'
Sony JumboTron installed 13 years earlier for $8 million (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
Image:Buffalopats.jpg|Buffalo Bills vs Patriots 10/22/06 Orchard Park, NY
Image:Ralph Wilson Stadium.jpg|Bills facing the Patriots in 2006
Image:Bills.jpg|100, 200, and 300 seating levels illustrated
Image:BillsFieldhouseattheRalph.jpg|The field house is home to off-season OTAs and weekly practice
Image:RalphWilsoninterior.jpg|Interior concourse
Image:RalphwithBuffaloskylineindistance.jpg|Buffalo's downtown skyline as seen from upper deck during dusk.
Image:Buffalobills stadeorchardparc.png|Ralph Wilson Stadium from above.
Image:RalphWilsonStadiumLogo.gif|Stadium logo
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ralph Wilson Stadium'.
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