Ryan O'Halloran: First Bills statue at new stadium? Fans have some thoughts
The Buffalo Bills haven't announced any plans for statues outside the new Highmark Stadium, but if they do, fans offered suggestions.
Upon completion next summer, the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium likely will be adorned with pictures of current players and coaches.
What about honoring the past teams and players? Yes, they have the Wall of Fame, but something bigger is required to link the eras.
The Bills, sometime during the 2026 season, should construct a first statue.
Most of the all-time NFL greats have been honored in this manner – from the superstars (Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Johnny Unitas, etc.) to terrific coaches (Don Shula, Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi, George Halas, etc.), impactful owners (Art Rooney Sr. and Lamar Hunt) and inspirational players (Pat Tillman and Steve Gleason).
Who should be first up for the Bills? I have a thought, but first, the fans speak.
(We all agreed: Save one plot of grass for quarterback Josh Allen, Statue Class of 2040.)
In a poll of 10 Bills fans asked who deserves the first statue at the new stadium, quarterback Jim Kelly was the winner.
Buffalo News file photo
Jake Luxemburg and family traveled from Westchester County, and were among the first fans at St. John Fisher University on Thursday morning.
“Kelly, Jim Kelly – Oh, yeah,” Luxemburg said in choosing No. 12. “He’s the one who led the franchise from the cemetery in the mid-’80s. I understand (founding owner) Mr. (Ralph) Wilson (being considered), but he also contributed to why the team was in the cemetery for so many years.”
Luxemburg probably spoke for many longtime Bills fans when he said: “If it wasn’t politically incorrect, then O.J. (Simpson).”
Luxemburg’s son, Ryan, also chose Kelly.
Cory DeKruger and his son had a premium spot to watch practice, right next to the walkway where players and coaches enter and exit. He was a Detroit Lions fan until 2017.
“I thought, ‘How nice would it be to root for the local team and go to games?’” said DeKruger, who lives in Spencerport. “My son is obsessed with the Bills and loves them. We got lucky – Josh Allen came around at the same time.”
The DeKrugers went to last year’s Kansas City regular-season game and Baltimore playoff game – two pretty good ones.
DeKruger’s pick?
“I would have to say (running back) Thurman (Thomas),” he said. “He’s got the MVP (1991). I think he was the main reason the Bills went to all of those Super Bowls.”
Bills running back Thurman Thomas the NFL MVP in 1991, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Buffalo News file photo
Lynn Dingey and Wendy Napier made the drive from Grand Island. Napier went to her first Bills game in “probably 1986,” and Dingey in the “early 2000s.” Dingey has season tickets for the current and new stadiums.
The ladies were unanimous: Coach Marv Levy.
“You’ve got to have the coach to lead the team and everybody,” Napier said.
“We were happy when they brought back Marv for the second time (as general manager),” Dingey said.
On the other side of the complex, I just had to approach James Castaneda, who drove from White Plains with his wife, Patti, and sons, Carter (7) and Harrison (5).
Castaneda was wearing a Bills-themed Hawaiian shirt with pictures of Allen printed throughout.
He voted for Jim.
“Jim, definitely,” Castaneda said. “That was my era back then – my boys have no idea who they are. They like Allen and (running back James) Cook.”
Patti, who grew up in Rochester, also went with Kelly.
Danielle DeGroat, also a Rochester native, was standing along the fence next to the Castaneda family. She attended her first Bills game in 1979.
“Jim Kelly, for sure,” she said. “When he first started, I wasn’t a Jim Kelly fan – he didn’t want to come to Buffalo, but when he came here, Bills Mafia won him over and he was just a fighter to the end.”
DeGroat added: “I love Josh Allen more than all of them. He’s my all-time Buffalo Bill.”
My last stop was Tom and Tina Muto of Fairport – they live 4 miles down the road from training camp. Tom is a season-ticket holder since 1989 – Section 208 in the current stadium and Section 215 (15-yard line on the visitor’s side) in the new stadium.
“Probably has to be Jim Kelly,” Tom said. “He was basically the leader. He embodied Buffalo. He’s the one whose attitude the team rallied around, and you can tell the respect they had for him when he went through his health issues.”
Tina attended her first Bills game in the mid-1990s.
“I would say Marv,” she said. “He’s an iconic coach for the Bills.”
In a poll of fans about who deserves a statue outside the Buffalo Bills’ new stadiium, coach Marv Levy received several votes.
News File Photo
Tom made a good point – don’t hand out the statues just for the sake of it.
“I don’t think you need Mount Rushmore (four selections),” he said. “But I personally think it’s good to celebrate the guys who came ahead and made the sacrifices.”
The final results: Six votes for Kelly, three for Levy and one for Thomas.
To me, Kelly should be the choice.
Bruce Smith is an all-time great, and Thomas was such a great engine for the Bills’ high-octane offense (he missed only eight games from 1989-97). And no question, Levy remains revered for how he helped turn around the franchise.
Owner Terry Pegula, consider this a suggestion: Honor Kelly with a statue during the 2026 season.
