Bills To Remain In Buffalo

With a flurry of faxes and phone calls in the final hours, the Bills narrowly beat Tuesday's noon deadline for selling $11 million in premium seats. That ensures the team will stay in Buffalo for at least another five years.

Just two days after one of the Bills' most frustrating moments on the field -- a 25-21 loss to New England decided after dubious last-second officiating calls -- the Bills beat the clock to win perhaps the greatest off-field struggle in their history.

"When Houston lost their franchise, when Los Angeles lost their franchise, and now Boston loses its franchise, the Buffalo Bills are staying in Buffalo and western New York," said Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski.

Gorski was referring to Patriots owner Robert Kraft's recent announcement he would move his team to Hartford.

The $11 million in seat sales to western New York businesses and fans releases $63 million in state funds for renovations to Rich Stadium. The project will start as soon as the season is over, Bills treasurer Jeffrey Littmann said.

Had the Bills fallen short of the $11 million goal, team owner Ralph Wilson could have thrown away the lease deal negotiated with Erie County and the state and leave after this season.

The team, working with a marketing group known as Business Backs the Bills, sold two luxury suites and 103 outdoor club seats Monday to cut the deficit to $155,000.

There were enough verbal agreements to cover the remainder by Tuesday's deadline, Littmann said. But the team waited until 3 p.m. to make the announcement in order to get paperwork in order.

"We were down to fourth-and-inches ... given the time of day," said Erkie Kailbourne, chairman of Business Backs the Bills. "But this is a great day for western New York."

Sales of outdoor club seats, which cost $4,300 to $6,300 on a five-year lease, took off after the Bills started winning under quarterback Doug Flutie.

With the renovation project due to be completed by next August, the team said the deadline could not be extended. Contracts must be awarded shortly after the last bids on the project are opened later this week.

Ray Calhoon of Buffalo, who tagged alon with his son -- who came to the stadium to buy club seats just minutes before the deadline -- said he has been following the Bills "forever and ever."

"I go back to the rockpile," Calhoon said. "That was football, not like it is today. Domed stadiums -- sheesh!"

Like most fans, Calhoon hoped the Bills would stay, but shook his head over the financial concerns for the people of western New York.

"I think it's ridiculous, the things we have to go through to keep them," he said.

Buffalo Sabres chairman of the board John Rigas, CEO and president of Adelphia Communications Corp., said Tuesday that Adelphia and four other companies made a commitment to help bail out the Bills if the team fell short.

Littmann refused to comment, citing the investors' right to privacy, but did say such a last-minute rescue was unnecessary. "The Rigas family and Adelphia have been great supporters," Littmann said.

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