It may have been Stevie Johnson's day off, but on September 25th, he was taking fans where no fans have gone before.
Johnson escorted Northtown Automotive contest winners around the Ralph Wilson Stadium facilities, giving them an exclusive tour of the areas that the general public doesn't usually have the opportunity to visit.
"It's a great experience for the fans and for Stevie to interact with the fans," said Danielle Schreiber, Marketing Coordinator at Northtown Automotive.
Thirteen fans had the opportunity to bring a friend to the stadium and meet Stevie. The tour started out at the front offices at 1 Bills Drive, and moved through the stadium, visiting the Healthy Zone Fieldhouse, locker room, field and more.
"All the fans really see is news clips from practice or from the game, but they don't get to see where we come every day and every morning," said Stevie Johnson. "I'm going to take them on the field so hopefully they have a good time."
Contest winner and Stevie Johnson fan Adam Mccann expressed his excitement for the tour. "I'm anxious to have some time to talk to him, see how he handles his life 'handling biz and having fun,' said Mccann. "I'm looking forward to seeing the locker room most."
"It's great that got everybody out here," said the Bills wide receiver. "Most of these fans follow me on the internet, and it's a great thing that they can enter a contest, win, and come check me out at the facility. I'm pretty sure that most of these men and women are happy today and I'm going to give them some entertainment."
Almost every fan had on Bills paraphernalia, as many were wearing Stevie Johnson jerseys.
"I'm a big Stevie fan," said Mike Taylor, contest winner. "I'm very excited and looking forward to seeing everything, checking it all out and meeting Stevie. It's pretty cool to be able to come here and get a tour of all the area and see what the players go through."
Following the tour, contest winners and Johnson had a reception in the Players Club. Stevie autographed footballs, took pictures with fans, and even made phone calls to the contest winner's friends who did not have the opportunity to be on the tour. Johnson says he enjoys connecting with his fans off the field.
"It means a lot to me to especially the type of person that I am, where I came from and the type of work that I put in," said Johnson. "It means a lot to be able to connect with the fans. They can look at me like one of those guys that they can feel at home with, like I can invite these guys to my house and hang out."
