ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Return of the Blue & Red practice is a Buffalo Bills tradition that allows Bills Mafia to see their team for the first time at Highmark Stadium before the regular season even begins. Tickets are free to the public, and Friday night's Blue & Red practice attendance broke the record for previous years with 39,224 fans!
Here's some of the fans I got to meet on Friday who traveled from near, and far.
"BEST DAY EVER"
Before the players even got dressed for practice, 16-year-old Maylee Cross, of Rochester, and 13-year-old Joseph McBride, of Oregon, got a tour of the Bills locker room. The two teens were there with Make-A-Wish.
"This is insane, this is awesome," said Cross, laughing with excitement in front of Josh Allen's locker. "We love you Josh"
Cross battled hodgkins lymphoma, and McBride a brain tumor. Thankfully both teens are in remission.
"I'm almost as strong as him," said McBride in front of Joey Bosa's locker. Both teens went around the locker rom finding their favorite players in awe of where they were standing.
"Best day ever," said McBride.
Both teens got to sit in front of the microphones in the Bills media room where players give postgame press conferences. They later headed out to the field to watch practice and then get autographs from players.
McBridge explained that his great-great grandparents were from Buffalo, and moved to Oregon. On this trip back to Western New York with his family, he got to visit their grave sites.
"IT'S GOOD BECAUSE I HELP THE KIDS"
10-year-old Christian Ramos sat in the front row with his family holding a sign that said, "Hey Josh I've donated $4,900 and counting to the Patricia Allen Fund. Can i get a fist bump?"
"We started crafting together, and I said you can either keep money or donate it," explained Stephanie Ramos, Christian's mom. "He wanted to donate it."
Ramos, of Hamburg has made keychains, bracelets, pens and ornaments to sell. The first year he raised $500 for the Ten Lives Club. Then he became a football fan, and learned about Josh Allen's Patricia Allen Fund at Oishei Children's Hospital. He has now raised close to $5,000 for the fund.
"It's fun when I'm bored," said Christian Ramos. "It's good, because I help the kids."
"WOW THIS PUTS US ON THE MAP, IMPRESSIVE"
For many fans, Friday's practice at Highmark Stadium was the first time they got to see the new stadium's progress across the street. The new stadium was in the background for the hundreds of fans that waited to get inside Friday's practice.
"I'll totally admit I never thought we needed a new stadium, but then when I came up I said wow this puts us on the map," said Jennifer Steiner, of Lockport. "Impressive."
"Its nice to actually see it," said Amber Reid, of Canistota, NY. "We hear a lot about it on TV, and I was just sending pictures to my friends on Long Island going here's the tax dollar money, here it is it's huge."
