{"id":860802,"date":"2026-04-08T11:48:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T11:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860802\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T11:48:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T11:48:02","slug":"bills-fans-grab-pieces-of-legendary-stadium-before-demolition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860802\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills fans grab pieces of legendary stadium before demolition"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. \u2014 It\u2019s not every day that NFL season ticket holders can sit in their seats \u2014 in their backyards. <\/p>\n

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But the demolition of Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park after a historic and drama-filled 53 years has afforded Buffalo Bills fans the rare opportunity to buy actual pieces of the venue where they\u2019ve laughed, cried and endured frozen fingers for generations. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is like no other stadium or city I\u2019ve ever dealt with where the commitment is so high and the purpose is really there,\u201d Brandon Steiner, the collectibles guru tapped to sell parts of one of the NFL\u2019s most legendary stadiums, told NBC News. \u201cThe authenticity is really there.\u201d <\/p>\n

Fans can purchase anything from seats and section signs to chunks of turf \u2014 and yes, even the troughs in the bathrooms.<\/p>\n

Pretty much anything, Steiner says, is for sale.<\/p>\n

\"BrandonBrandon Steiner is in charge of taking down and selling items from Highmark Stadium. Sam Siegel \/ NBC News<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the more special buildings, without a doubt,\u201d Steiner said. \u201cI put [Highmark] up there with Yankee Stadium. The level of intensity, really the history and the passion that fans have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ConstructionConstruction workers take apart parts of Highmark Stadium. Sam Siegel \/ NBC News<\/p>\n

Steiner would know. He\u2019s the person who oversaw the demolition and sale of parts of the old Yankee Stadium and Texas Stadium, as well as memorabilia from Madison Square Garden\u2019s renovation and a host of other famed spaces in sports. <\/p>\n

For members of the \u201cBills Mafia,\u201d as they\u2019re affectionately known, it\u2019s a golden opportunity to capture memories held for most of their adult lives and take them home with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like my seat just to look back on things and say, \u2018This is where I sat for 25 years,\u2019\u201d longtime fan Rich Peterson said with a smile. \u201cI want to put it in my backyard and be able to look back and say, \u2018Yeah, Buffalo Bills, Bills Mafia!\u201d <\/p>\n

\"LongtimeLongtime season ticket holders Rich Peterson and Derrick Norman.Sam Siegel \/ NBC News<\/p>\n

Peterson, a retired transit worker, and his close friend Derrick Norman, a retired firefighter, have been season ticket holders for 25 years. They\u2019re known as \u201cThe Chefs\u201d around Highmark Stadium, where they sit together in the first row behind the end zone.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight where the letter \u2018S\u2019 is,\u201d Peterson said. <\/p>\n

Norman said he was excited to pass his seat down to his children and grandchildren. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019ll like it,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ll look back and say, \u2018Yeah, my granddad used to sit in this seat!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Jerry Young \u2014 also a 25-year season ticket holder, who turns regional buses into makeshift tailgate sites on game day \u2014 has already purchased six seats at a cost of $300 apiece and plans to add more items to his party bus. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to get some cup holders on the new bus,\u201d Young said. \u201cIt just would remind me of the past and friends and family coming to games and being part of this whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JerryJerry Young, a 25-year season ticket holder of the Buffalo Bills.Sam Siegel \/ NBC News<\/p>\n

A few miles from the epicenter of all that football history, two Bills legends, Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas, are seated in a large warehouse taking turns signing the backs of seats in brilliant Sharpie silver. <\/p>\n

Their numbers are retired by the organization, and both still live in the Buffalo area, where their gridiron legacies were fashioned, excited for the next chapter in Bills football. But they are also aware of the significance of closing a venue that meant so much to so many people. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe memories just keep coming back, and all good memories,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cEspecially right here in Buffalo and understanding that the people that went day in and day out … that went to the stadium, sat in these chairs, and the memories that they have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JimBills legend Jim Kelly signed seats for fans.Sam Siegel \/ NBC News<\/p>\n

Thomas \u2014 like Kelly a Pro Football Hall of Famer who appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls for the Bills \u2014 said there\u2019s a special connection between Bills fans that is being rewarded with the ability to own rare stadium memorabilia. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re raised here in Buffalo, you\u2019re going to be a Buffalo Bills fan, and you\u2019re going to probably take over the tickets that your mom and dad left you. So it\u2019s a special place,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cThe people that are Bills fans, there\u2019s enough to go around for everybody. … They just love their city, man, and love their teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeatsSeats outside the stadium.Sam Siegel \/ NBC News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. \u2014 It\u2019s not every day that NFL season ticket holders can sit in their seats…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":860803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2048],"tags":[215,214,53,2086,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-860802","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"tag-bills","9":"tag-buffalo","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-buffalobills","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}