National Football League - Buffalo Bills

Bills to Host Celebration of Champions

The Buffalo Bills will recognize their heroes from the past with the Celebration of Champions Weekend presented by Dick's Sporting Goods and Reebok, a four-day event at Ralph Wilson Stadium beginning Thursday, June 2nd and lasting through Sunday, June 5th.

As part of the Celebration of Champions, the Bills will reveal the club's third jersey, which will debut during the 2005 season, in a special presentation on Saturday afternoon in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The Bills will welcome back past legends such as 1964-65 AFL Champions, quarterback Jack Kemp and linebacker/punter Paul Maguire along with four-time AFC Champions, quarterback Jim Kelly, center Kent Hull, wide receiver Andre Reed and special teams standout Steve Tasker and others to take part in the weekend-long festivities.

The Celebration of Champions weekend will include several other exciting events such as the first-ever Buffalo Bills Carnival, a viewing of an NFL Films special presentation 'The Comeback - Bills vs. Oilers 1/3/93' the greatest comeback in NFL history, a WKBW live television special, an NFL Network television special, the Bills Select-A-Seat event and a special performance by Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell.

"This is an exciting opportunity for our team and fans to honor and celebrate the rich tradition of our franchise," said Bills President/GM Tom Donahoe. "The Celebration of Champions weekend will provide a variety of exciting and family-friendly events for the people of Western New York to enjoy."

Tickets for the 'The Comeback' viewing are $5 and all proceeds benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Tickets will be required for all Saturday afternoon events and admission is free. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, the Ralph Wilson Stadium Ticket Office, The Bills Store at Pittsford Plaza, calling 877-BBTICKS and visiting buffalobills.com. Parking for all events is free and available in the Erie Community College lots across from the stadium.

Media sponsors for the Celebration of Champions weekend include 97 Rock, the voice of the Bills, The Buffalo News, and WKBW-TV, the official Bills station.

Attached is a brief summary of the weekend's events:

Buffalo Bills Carnival - Thursday, June 2 - Sunday, June 5
The weekend kicks off at 5:00 pm Thursday night with the first-ever Buffalo Bills Carnival. The event features music, rides and attractions for kids.

The event will take place at the Ralph Wilson Stadium parking lots adjacent to Abbott Road.

Below is a schedule for the Carnival and the musical acts:

Thursday, June 2: 5 pm - 9 pm (Specials and reduced prices for rides and games)

Friday, June 3: 5 pm - 11 pm Universal Grille Band: 7-10 pm

Saturday, June 4: 12 pm - 11 pm Disco Duck: 6-9 pm Anatara: 9-11 pm

Sunday, June 5: 12 pm - 6 pm Only Humen: 1-4 pm Terry Buchwald: 4-6 pm

BUFFALO BILLS AND WKBW-TV CELEBRATION OF CHAMPIONS PREVIEW Thursday, June 2 - 7:00 pm
The Buffalo Bills and WKBW-TV will produce a live 30-minute special hosted by John Murphy, the play-by-play voice of the Bills, with special guests President/GM Tom Donahoe and Head Coach Mike Mularkey.

Murphy, Donahoe and Mularkey will preview the Celebration of Champions weekend, Bills training camp and the 2005 regular season. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions to the Bills' top decision makers live on air.

MAKE-A-WISH VIEWING OF NFL FILMS SPECIAL COLLECTION PRESENTATION 'THE COMEBACK' Friday, June 3rd - 7:00 PM
The Bills and Make-A-Wish of Western New York will air a special presentation featuring 'The Comeback' on the Ralph Wilson Stadium JumboTron. Hosted by Steve Tasker, fans will have the chance to relive the dramatic details of the 1993 Bills-Oilers AFC Wild Card game, the greatest comeback victory in NFL playoff history. Tickets for the 70-minute film are $5 and all proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

BUFFALO BILLS SELECT-A-SEAT EVENT Saturday, June 4th - 9:00 AM - Noon
Prospective season ticket holders will have the chance to browse various seat locations at Ralph Wilson Stadium and select their seats for the 2005 season. Bills ticket office staff will be on hand to facilitate seat searches for fans.

NFL NETWORK ONE-HOUR SPECIAL - Saturday, June 4th - 1:00 PM
NFL Network's Paul Burmeister will host a one-hour special from Ralph Wilson Stadium highlighting the tradition of Buffalo Bills football. Before a live audience, Burmeister will be joined by former Bills Jack Kemp, Paul Maguire, Jim Kelly, Kent Hull, Andre Reed, Steve Tasker and others. The Bills' legends will offer candid recollections of their playing days in Buffalo. Tickets for the special are free and the event will lead into the unveiling of the Bills' third jersey.

BUFFALO BILLS THIRD JERSEY UNVEILING - Saturday, June 4th - 2:30 PM
The Celebration of Champions' pinnacle event culminates with the presentation of the Bills' third jersey. Kemp and Maguire along with Kelly, Tasker, Hull, and Reed will join current Buffalo Bills to reveal the jersey while Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell will provide the musical entertainment.

Celebration of Champions weekend sponsors Dick's Sporting Goods, the official sporting goods retailer of the Buffalo Bills, and Reebok, the official outfitter of the NFL, will offer fans an exclusive opportunity to purchase the third jersey for the first 72 hours after the unveiling. The third jersey will be available immediately after the event at all Buffalo and Rochester Dick's Sporting Goods locations, The Bills Store at Ralph Wilson Stadium and Pittsford Plaza, retail locations throughout Ralph Wilson stadium, and buffalobills.com.

Tickets for the jersey unveiling are free and available at all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, The Ralph Wilson Stadium ticket office, the Bills Store at Pittsford Plaza and by calling 877-BBTICKS, and buffalobills.com.

This article was taken from www.buffalobills.com.  All rights reserved.