Ralph Wilson Stadium was the name carried from 1998 to 2015 by the Buffalo Bills’ home venue in Orchard Park, New York, a building that first opened on August 17, 1973, as Rich Stadium. Erie County renamed the facility in honor of Ralph Wilson, the Bills’ founding owner, and the name stuck in the memory of generations of Buffalo fans even after later corporate rebrandings carried it forward as New Era Field, Bills Stadium, and finally Highmark Stadium.
Over more than five decades the stadium hosted every Bills home game, four consecutive Super Bowl runs in the early 1990s, and one of the most famous games in NFL history. The Buffalo Bills moved into a newly built Highmark Stadium next door for the 2026 season, and the original structure was closed on January 4, 2026, with demolition completed that August.
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Buffalo Bills (NFL)
- Location: Orchard Park, New York
- Opened: August 17, 1973 (as Rich Stadium)
- Renamed: Ralph Wilson Stadium, 1998–2015
- Closed: January 4, 2026
- Demolished: Structural demolition completed August 5, 2026
- Capacity: About 71,600 in its final seasons (originally about 80,000)
- Notable fact: Site of the largest comeback in NFL playoff history
The Comeback
The stadium’s signature moment came on January 3, 1993, when the Bills trailed the Houston Oilers 35-3 in the third quarter of an AFC wild-card game and rallied to win 41-38 in overtime, still regarded as the largest comeback in NFL postseason history. The venue also anchored the Bills’ run of four straight AFC championships and Super Bowl appearances from 1990 through 1993.
A Name, and a Final Chapter
The Ralph Wilson Stadium name honored the team’s founding owner while he was still alive, a tribute that outlasted him after his death in 2014; the venue reverted to a sponsor name the following year. The original bowl eventually gave way to a new, publicly funded Highmark Stadium built on the adjacent site, and crews finished tearing down the old structure in the summer of 2026, closing the book on the Bills’ longtime home.
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For upper-deck seats. Watch line play at the stadium, or the far side of the park from the top of a lift hill.
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For late-season football, outdoor hockey and October park nights. Shake, pocket, and stay warm for hours.
Ralph Wilson Stadium FAQs
Why was it called Ralph Wilson Stadium?
Erie County renamed the Bills’ home Ralph Wilson Stadium in 1998 to honor Ralph Wilson, the team’s founding owner, who had run the franchise since 1960.
What happened to Ralph Wilson Stadium?
The building, by then called Highmark Stadium, closed after the Bills’ 2025 season and was torn down, with demolition finishing in August 2026 after the team moved into a new stadium nearby.
What was the biggest game ever played there?
On January 3, 1993, the Bills erased a 32-point deficit to beat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime, the largest comeback in NFL playoff history.
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Photo: Quintin Soloviev / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.