ORCHARD PARK, NY – The Buffalo Bills announced today that the organization will commission a statue to be made of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.  The statue will be displayed outside of Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. passed away one year ago today at the age of 95.  Mr. Wilson was the sole owner of the Bills franchise for 54 seasons after purchasing the team on October 28, 1959.  Under his leadership, the Bills won two American Football League Championships in 1964 and 1965 and appeared in an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowls in the 1990s.  Mr. Wilson along with former Bills Head Coach Marv Levy, former General Manager Bill Polian plus eight of his players have earned football’s highest honor by being inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

“Mr. Wilson was an icon in both the professional football world and in the Western New York community,” said Bills Owner Kim Pegula.  “This is our opportunity to honor his legacy and to allow our fans to share their gameday experience with the man who brought professional football Buffalo.”

The construction of the statue is a collaborative effort between Terry and Kim Pegula and Mary Wilson.

The statue will serve as the anchor display in the soon-to-be-developed Founder’s Plaza.  Founder’s Plaza will be located northwest of The Bills Store at Ralph Wilson Stadium.  Mr. Wilson’s statue will be the first statue in history to be displayed on the grounds of Ralph Wilson Stadium.

“It just seems so fitting to honor Ralph with a statue in Founder’s Plaza where fans will have the opportunity to interact and pose for photos. Ralph was so approachable and he absolutely loved the fans and he would have been honored and humbled to stand among them for all-time,” said Mary Wilson.  “I think everyone will appreciate the detail in the statue, even to the point that it replicates what Ralph wore to the stadium on game days, and I want to thank Terry and Kim Pegula for honoring Ralph in this special way.”

The life-size statue is based on a photo taken of Mr. Wilson with Thurman Thomas along the sidelines on October 21, 1990 during Buffalo’s 30-27 victory over the New York Jets.

Additional details regarding the construction and official timeline for completion of the project will be announced at a later date.

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