Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - Aside from political representatives at the state and county level, as well as current faces of the Buffalo Bills franchise, many former team legends and icons were on-hand for Monday's official groundbreaking ceremony for the new state-of-the-art football stadium set for completion in 2026.
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"It's a wonderful day," said former Bills Pro Bowler Steve Tasker. "It's great. Wonderful to be a part of it, see it and be a part of this moment in history of not just the organization but the city, the region, and the people. People mark milestones in their lives by events like this.
"The generations of Bills fans are going to say where they were, and the seats they used to have in the old stadium, and the ones they have in this one. I ran into a guy on the way in today, who had season tickets [during] the Rockpile season, season tickets all the way through Ralph Wilson, Highmark, New Era [eras]. His plan is to be sitting there in this stadium as well. It's pretty cool."
"To see this thing grow here, in the next three years, man, it's going to be unbelievable," said Bills Hall of Famer running back Thurman Thomas. "If you do get an opportunity to watch the changes as they go every three, four or five months, come and do it, because I'll be here, because I want to see it too. I think about three years from now, you know, it'll be another younger crowd that will be coming through here, and some of the older crowd will still be here. It's spectacular. I think the city and this team, they deserve something like this, and for a new beginning."
Thomas' Buffalo-based construction company, 34 Group, is working with contractors Gilbane | Turner, overseeing construction as part of this joint venture.
"I played in a lot of stadiums, I never actually built one. So now, this is the exciting part for me," Thomas said.
Ed Rutkowski, former Erie County Executive and former Bills wide receiver, was also in attendance for the historical event.
"A tremendous day. As Marv Levy would say, 'Where else would you rather be than, right here, right now?' It's so great," said Rutkowski on Monday. "I was talking to some of the people who are going to be building the stadium and they were telling me the height of the stadium is going to reach out to the top of the lights. That's going to be something you're going to be able to see from all over the state."
What would longtime Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. say if he was still with us? Mary Wilson shares what her late husband might have said if he was able to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for this new Bills stadium.
"I think he would say thank you. I think he would be very proud that so many people came together to make this happen," said Wilson on Monday. "It's going to be a beautiful state-of-the-art stadium this team deserves. Buffalo really has that leadership to make this happen. I think Ralph would be really proud because he went through many great moments like this."
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