Before the Bills resounding 41-7 victory against the Chiefs on Sunday, Bills fans in downtown Buffalo were blitzed by the Bills with complimentary Sahlen's hotdogs, Pepsi beverages and giveaways on Back to Football Friday, September 9, 2011. To celebrate Back to Football Friday, the Bills invaded Court Street Plaza with a fan appreciation lunchtime event to remember.
Buffalo Jills Cheerleaders, Billy Buffalo and team staff joined valued team partners Sahlen's and Pepsi to distribute free hotdogs and drinks to fans from Noon – 1:00 p.m. In addition, 97 Rock and DJ Jickster held a live remote and gave away Bills prizes. The team handed out the newest and always popular 2011 Bills magnet courtesy of M&T Bank. The magnet is now available at any M&T Bank branch.
"The Bills Back to Football Friday event with our partners Sahlen's and Pepsi was a great way to celebrate with our fans and kickoff our season," said Marc Honan, Bills senior vice president of marketing and broadcasting. "We are always interested in engaging and interacting with our fans, and Back to Football Friday provided a great opportunity for us to do just that."
Fans were also engaged by the team during their game on Sunday with a LIVE Chat with Chris Brown, Bills lead journalist. The team provided fun team stats, facts and game photos via their website buffalobills.com, Facebook and Twitter feeds, and text messaging platform during the game.
The Bills are currently hosting a Fan Photo Contest on their Facebook page, Facebook.com/BuffaloBills and encouraged fans to participate in Back to Football Friday events. Buffalo area schools could show their team spirit and had the chance to win a $10,000 grant, and businesses and fans had opportunities to win Super Bowl tickets.
In addition, the team held three community autograph signings at Tops Friendly markets during Back to Football week. Bills defensive back Aaron Williams visited fans at the Tops in Williamsville on September 6, Bills running back C.J. Spiller met fans at the Tops in Hamburg, NY on September 6, and popular Bills Alumnus and former special teamer Lou Piccone greeted fans at the Tops in Fairport, NY on September 9.
The National Football League officially celebrated being Back to Football on Thursday night as the Green Bay Packers hosted the New Orleans Saints in the season opener. The Bills (1-0) played their first regular season game on Sunday, September 11, 2011 at Kansas City and won by 34 points. The Bills first home game at Ralph Wilson Stadium is vs. the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, September 18, 2011. The game is sold out.
Through the NFL, Buffalo Bills, and United Way, fans have been able to participate in numerous contests and Back to Football events hosted online at backtofootball.org and buffalobills.com.
