When Buffalo Sat Atop the Sports World

by Sal Maiorana

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, through 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 startlingly 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 was 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.

364 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2020

Reviews

[Michael Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book that Buffalo Sports fans have been waiting for thirty years. Anyone who grew up in Western New York and is a sports fan in the 1970's will love this book. Sal does a great job telling the story of the Golden Age of Buffalo sports when all three teams not only made the playoffs regularly but were led by superstars that would all make their prospective Hall of Fames. How lucky were Western New York sports fans to watch OJ Simpson and Gilbert Perreault and Bob McAdoo all playing in Buffalo and winning rushing and scoring titles and MVP's at the same time. Sal does a great job detailing the rise of all three franchises and then the sudden demises in the case of the Bills and the Braves. This book will return you to the times of plaid pants, bad haircuts, and listening to Braves & Sabres games on transistor radios at night with earphones so your parents don't know. I highly recommend this book to all Western New York Sports fans and all sports fans of the 1970's (Boston fans might want to skip it though--lol).

[Chris Sanzone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read as a fan of Buffalo sports. An in-depth of an era before my time has allowed me to have a better grasp of the roots of Buffalo sports. The only thing I didn't enjoy was that a few parts just felt like it was rattling off statistics. Being a stat guy, it didn't bother me a ton but I can see it being a turn-off to others who are not. I hope he continues to write fantastic books about the best sports town in America.