Signs, seats and turf: Bills fans grab pieces of legendary stadium before demolition - BERITAJA

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — It’s not each time that NFL play summons holders could beryllium successful their seats — successful their backyards.

But the demolition of Highmark Stadium successful Orchard Park aft a historical and drama-filled 53 years has afforded Buffalo Bills fans the uncommon opportunity to bargain existent pieces of the venue wherever they’ve laughed, cried and endured stiff fingers for generations.

“This is for illustration nary different stadium aliases metropolis I’ve ever dealt pinch wherever the committedness is truthful precocious and the intent is really there,” Brandon Steiner, the collectibles guru tapped to waste parts of 1 of the NFL’s about legendary stadiums, told Beritaja. “The authenticity is really there.”

Fans could acquisition thing from seats and conception signs to chunks of turf — and yes, moreover the troughs successful the bathrooms.

Pretty overmuch anything, Steiner says, is for sale.

Brandon Steiner is successful complaint of taking down and trading items from Highmark Stadium. Sam Siegel / Beritaja

“This is 1 of the much typical buildings, without a doubt,” Steiner said. “I put [Highmark] up location pinch Yankee Stadium. The level of intensity, really the history and the passion that fans have.”

Construction workers return isolated parts of Highmark Stadium. Sam Siegel / Beritaja

Steiner would know. He’s the personification who oversaw the demolition and waste of parts of the aged Yankee Stadium and Texas Stadium, arsenic good arsenic memorabilia from Madison Square Garden’s renewal and a big of different famed spaces successful sports.

For members of the “Bills Mafia,” arsenic they’re affectionately known, it’s a aureate opportunity to seizure memories held for about of their big lives and return them location pinch them.

“I would for illustration my spot conscionable to look backmost connected things and say, ‘This is wherever I sat for 25 years,’” longtime instrumentality Rich Peterson said pinch a smile. “I want to put it successful my backyard and beryllium capable to look backmost and say, ‘Yeah, Buffalo Bills, Bills Mafia!”

Longtime play summons holders Rich Peterson and Derrick Norman.Sam Siegel / Beritaja

Peterson, a retired transit worker, and his adjacent friend Derrick Norman, a retired firefighter, person been play summons holders for 25 years. They’re known arsenic “The Chefs” about Highmark Stadium, wherever they beryllium together successful the first statement down the extremity zone.

“Right wherever the missive ‘S’ is,” Peterson said.

Norman said he was excited to walk his spot down to his children and grandchildren.

“I deliberation they’ll for illustration it,” he said. “They’ll look backmost and say, ‘Yeah, my granddad utilized to beryllium successful this seat!’”

Jerry Young — besides a 25-year play summons holder, who turns location buses into makeshift tailgate sites connected crippled time — has already purchased six seats astatine a costs of $300 apiece and plans to adhd much items to his statement bus.

“I’m going to get immoderate cup holders connected the caller bus,” Young said. “It conscionable would punctual maine of the past and friends and family coming to games and being portion of this full thing.”

Jerry Young, a 25-year play summons holder of the Buffalo Bills.Sam Siegel / Beritaja

A fewer miles from the epicenter of each that shot history, 2 Bills legends, Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas, are seated successful a ample storage taking turns signing the backs of seats successful superb Sharpie silver.

Their numbers are retired by the organization, and some still unrecorded successful the Buffalo area, wherever their gridiron legacies were fashioned, excited for the adjacent section successful Bills football. But they are besides alert of the value of closing a venue that meant truthful overmuch to truthful galore people.

“The memories conscionable support coming back, and each bully memories,” Kelly said. “Especially correct present successful Buffalo and knowing that the group that went time successful and time retired ... that went to the stadium, sat successful these chairs, and the memories that they have.”

Bills fable Jim Kelly signed seats for fans.Sam Siegel / Beritaja

Thomas — for illustration Kelly a Pro Football Hall of Famer who appeared successful 4 consecutive Super Bowls for the Bills — said there’s a typical relationship betwixt Bills fans that is being rewarded pinch the expertise to ain uncommon stadium memorabilia.

“If you’re raised present successful Buffalo, you’re going to beryllium a Buffalo Bills fan, and you’re going to about apt return complete the tickets that your mom and dada near you. So it’s a typical place,” Thomas said. “The group that are Bills fans, there’s capable to spell about for everybody. ... They conscionable emotion their city, man, and emotion their teams.”

Seats extracurricular the stadium.Sam Siegel / Beritaja