Batavia, N.Y. (WBEN) - Over the course of the 2025 football season, WBEN will reflect on the legacy and lore of Highmark Stadium in its final season, with a number of current and former players, as well as fans and others with deep connections and memories of the building that has played home of the Buffalo Bills since the 1973 season.
Ralph Wilson Jr. founded the Bills back in 1959, and proceeded to own the team up until his death in 2014. Of his 54 years of owning the franchise, 24 of those years were with Mary Wilson by his side.
Today, Mary Wilson has committed her time giving back to the Western New York community through her philanthropy work, which includes her leadership role at the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation that supports several local foundations and causes.
When reflecting on the years of football played at Highmark Stadium, Mary says her late husband was so proud of what was built there.
"There were so many great memories," said Wilson in an interview with WBEN last month. "The joy Ralph had when we beat the Raiders there, going to the Super Bowl. It was just a great, great experience. And people say, 'What are you going to take?' I'm going to take all these great memories."
Mary says it was 1990 when she attended her very first NFL game at the, then, Ralph Wilson Stadium. She admits she had no idea what was going to be in store for her there.
"It was a great moment in time, and I just feel great joy that, first of all, I ever met him," she said of Ralph. "I had no idea what it took to go to a Super Bowl, and there I was going to four-straight Super Bowls. And every year, I said, 'Oh, we'll be back!'"
What was Mary Wilson's greatest memory in that stadium over the years?
"My greatest memory there, No. 1, was the greatest comeback," she referenced of the 1992 AFC Wild Card Round matchup against the Houston Oilers. "We were so far behind, and at halftime, I'm cheering on everybody in our box. One of my best friends from San Antonio was there, who's no longer living - I love her so much - I said, 'OK, everybody, be positive. I know we can do it.' The second half starts, and the weather changes. They score, but then we turn it all around. We ended up winning that game in overtime, and it was one of the greatest memories."
Mary was also fond of many of the players on those '90s Bills rosters. She admits she sees a lot of similarities between those teams and the players in Buffalo today.
"Jim Kelly and that entire team. I just saw Chris Mohr, Ralph used to call him 'Money Bags'. And that entire team - Bruce Smith, Thurman [Thomas], Andre Reed, Cornelius Bennett - they're all so close. And then now, the amazing joy people are getting from from this team, beginning with Josh Allen, but [Dawson] Knox and [Dion] Dawkins," Wilson said.
"I loved 'Hard Knocks', and I can't wait for the next 'Hard Knocks'. I love the fact they're at training camp. Ralph stayed at training camp, and I think one of the things Josh said in 'Hard Knocks' is that how it brings everyone together. There they are, living together, it creates this camaraderie."
As construction of the new Highmark Stadium continues and enters its final year along Abbott Road, Wilson is astonished with the progress that has been made since ground broke back in 2023. She feels her husband would be very happy with what is in store for the new facility in Orchard Park.
Related
"I think Ralph would be, No. 1, happy that it's an open-air stadium, and that Buffalo deserves to be one of the best in the world. And that stadium is going to be one of the best in the world," Wilson said. "It's for the best fans in the world. I think Ralph would feel great joy in Buffalo doing amazing things."
Wilson is very much looking forward to the final game played at the current Highmark Stadium, excluding the potential of playoff games, when the Bills host the New York Jets on Jan. 4. Coincidentally, the Bills opened the current stadium 52 years ago with a 9-7 win over the Jets on Sept. 30, 1973.
She says people have asked her already how the final season at the current stadium is going to feel over the course of the football season.
"I think it's not going to hit me until Jan. 4, with that game," Wilson said. "And the greatest thing would be that we're playing for the AFC Championship in 'The Ralph'. And I wish it would always be called 'The Ralph'. But I'm thrilled for Terry and Kim Pegula, and just to know they will have so many great memories."
Related
