Buffalo Bills fans invaded The Villages Sunday, armed with chicken wings, beef-on-weck and a severe case of playoff fever.
All that was missing was a foot of snow and a playoff victory.
An intense, packed gathering at McCall’s Tavern in Spanish Springs wasn’t enough to save the football team from heartbreak city.
In the frigid land of hot wings and blinding blizzards, crushing losses are part of Buffalo fans’ DNA. So it was Sunday as the Bills dropped a Wild Card playoff game, 10-3, to the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
Buffalo lost four straight Super Bowls in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. But that’s not enough to stop the locals from believing.
“In Buffalo, you’ve got to keep the faith,” said Ben Hoey, a longtime fan who spent his youth at the Old Rockpile known as War Memorial Stadium. The Buffalo native now lives in The Villages and has followed the team from the days of Jack Kemp to Shady McCoy.
“I’ve been waiting 17 years for this playoff game,” added Hoey, who noted the last time the Bills made the playoffs fit the lyric of Prince’s song, “1999.”
And what about the loss.
“We lost but we accomplished more than anyone thought this year,” Hoey said.
“We’re always hopeful,” added Ruth Graesser. “In Buffalo, you must always remember: wait until next year.”
The great mantra for Buffalo fans is that following this football team isn’t just about winning.
“It’s about community,” Hoey said. “Look around this room and see all these people. They live in Florida but they’re from Buffalo and today, this place feels like home.”
McCalls – owned by Bills fans Larry and Sue Ducat — has been hosting televised Bills games for the past eight years. Most of those seasons resulted in losing records, but the place is always packed on Sunday.
“Bills fans are amazing – they come out no matter what,” said Stacey Snook, manager at McCalls. “I’ve been with these fans for some major lows and a few highs, but they never lose their spirit. These people love Buffalo and this football team makes them feel a part of it.”
It’s hard to describe the atmosphere at McCalls during a Bills game. There used to be a fight song, “Shout,” played during the Bills Super Bowl years and long before those teams.
Every time the Bills score, the song blasts over the sound system as a couple hundred fans scream and shout the lyrics. Many of them parade around the room, and when’s that’s done, the servers pass out a special cherry dessert.
More than that, is the sense of sharing for these transplanted Buffalonians who find themselves snowless in the Florida sunshine of The Villages.
“These are Buffalo people; these are our people,” said Anne LoBue, who attended with her husband Jim. She baked a cake for the occasion.
“I’ve waited 17 years to make this cake; we’re in the playoffs and it tastes good.”
Ruth and Dan Graesser were passing the time nibbling on that Buffalo culinary favorite called chicken wings. Until Buffalo came along, most people tossed out the wings and ate the chicken.
Then, at a place called the Anchor Bar, the chicken wing became a rage on the shores of Lake Erie and now across the land.
“It isn’t Buffalo without the wings,” Dan Graesser said.
Another Buffalo specialty is beef-on-weck, a salted bun so thick with roast beef you practically have to bench press it off the plate.
“Buffalo people love it,” said McCalls server Mary Brannon. She was toting around a couple of beef-on-weck plates and seemed happy. “I’ve been doing these games for seven years. I know what the people want.”
The playoff drought was on everyone’s mind.
“It’s been so long,” Monica Buchanan said. “I never thought we’d make it, but here we are.”
Could there be a Buffalo jinx? The Bills always seem to find a way to lose a playoff game.
“There’s no jinx, it’s just the way the ball bounces,” said Richard Senator. “This team and these fans have a lot of heart. We lost, but we made it to the playoffs. Nobody thought that would happen but it did.”
Patty and Chuck Jannack feel the same way.
“It’s not about this game, it’s about what Buffalo means to people who lived there,” Chuck said. “It’s the fans who make the Bills special,” Patty said.
Bob Daniels works with the local Bills Backers organization. Nearly 150 Villagers belong to the group.
What’s it like being a Bills fan?
“Pain, pain, pain,” Daniels joked. “Over the years, they’ve lost games every way you can imagine. But they’re still our team. And we will always support the Bills. It’s part of being from Buffalo.”
Carol Backes and Jim Ziemer use the Sunday games at McCalls to raise money for local charities. Backes said this year they presented $1,200 to the Wildwood Food Pantry and $1,200 to the Lady Lake Food Pantry.
“That’s how it is in Buffalo, we care about people as well as football,” Backes said.
Then she provided the final coda to a remarkable season for the Buffalo Bills.
“Buffalo fans are very devoted,” Backes said. “Win or lose, we’ll be back.”