When Buffalo Sat Atop the Sports World

From generation to generation there are some things that never change in Buffalo, New York. Every winter is cold and miserable; there is no place on earth that has better chicken wings despite many pretenders to the throne; and the professional sports teams that are in many ways the lifeblood of Western New York break the hearts and crush the souls of a passionate fan base that, nonetheless, though all the disappointment remains loyal and supportive. Born in 1960, the NFL’s Buffalo Bills have never won a Super Bowl. Born in 1970, the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres have never won a Stanley Cup. And in their brief eight-year existence, the Buffalo Braves never won an NBA championship.But there was a time, fleeting as it was in the mid-1970’s, when all three of Buffalo’s teams were winning consistently, were in the championship conversation, and were led by nationally-recognized superstars and future Hall of Famers in their respective sport – O.J. Simpson of the Bills, Gilbert Perreault of the Sabres, and Bob McAdoo of the Braves.Buffalo was a city in decline in the mid-1970’s with unemployment rising and the population falling in terrifying numbers. Neighborhoods were in disrepair, businesses were closing down, and the economy was on life support, but the one thing that helped the city cope were its sports teams.The Bills, Sabres and Braves provided an outlet as Rich Stadium and Memorial Auditorium were places where people could go to forget about it all and spend a few hours being entertained by exciting teams and players who made Buffalo proud in the face of all the struggles.This is a remembrance of what it was like for Buffalo fans between the fall of 1973 and the spring of 1976, which was truly the golden age of Buffalo sports.