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Sports in Buffalo

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Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills
KeyBank Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bandits
Alumni Arena, home of the Buffalo Bulls

Buffalo, New York, and its greater metropolitan area is currently home to two major league sports teams, the Buffalo Sabres (National Hockey League) & Buffalo Bills (National Football League). Buffalo is also home to several other major and minor league sports teams, including the Buffalo Bandits (National Lacrosse League), Buffalo Bisons (International League), Buffalo eXtreme (American Basketball Association) and FC Buffalo (USL League Two). Local colleges active in NCAA Division I athletics include Canisius University, Niagara University, St. Bonaventure University and University at Buffalo.

Sports are a major part of the city's culture. In recent decades, Buffalo based teams have become known for crushing and sometimes controversial defeats. Wide Right, No Goal and the Music City Miracle have come to define the suffering of Buffalo sports fans. In February 2012, Forbes listed Buffalo #4 on its list of "Most Miserable Sports Cities."[1] The city's only major championships were American Football League titles won by the Buffalo Bills in 1964 and 1965.

Buffalo had at one point three franchises in major league sports beginning in 1970, when the Buffalo Bills (established 1960) were joined by the Buffalo Braves of the National Basketball Association and the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. However, the Braves struggled financially and were relocated to California in 1978. This led to the perception that Buffalo's market could not support a third franchise. Sahlen Field was built in 1988 for the minor league Buffalo Bisons with hopes that it could attract a Major League Baseball franchise to the city. The major league franchise never came, although the Toronto Blue Jays would eventually play their home games at Sahlen Field in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Joe Mesi was a professional boxer from Buffalo who earned the nickname "Third Franchise" during his undefeated career between 1997 and 2007 after selling out KeyBank Center and other local venues multiple times.[3]

Current teams

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Professional

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Sport League Club Founded Venue Titles Championship years
Baseball IL Buffalo Bisons 1979† Sahlen Field 3 1997, 1998, 2004
Basketball ABA Buffalo eXtreme 2023 XGen Elite Sports Complex
Football NFL Buffalo Bills 1960 Highmark Stadium 2 1964*, 1965*
Hockey NHL Buffalo Sabres 1970 KeyBank Center
Lacrosse NLL Buffalo Bandits 1992 KeyBank Center 6 1992, 1993, 1996, 2008, 2023, 2024
Soccer USL League Two FC Buffalo 2009 Williamsville South High School
Soccer UWS FC Buffalo Women 2021 Williamsville South High School

* American Football League (AFL) championships were earned prior to the AFL–NFL merger of 1970.

† Date refers to current incarnation; Buffalo Bisons previously operated from 1886 to 1970, and the current Bisons count this team as part of their history.

Collegiate

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Sport League Club Founded Venue Titles Championship years
College Basketball NCAA Buffalo Bulls 1915 Alumni Arena 4 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
College Basketball NCAA Canisius Golden Griffins 1903 Koessler Athletic Center 1 1996
College Basketball NCAA Niagara Purple Eagles 1905 Gallagher Center 2 2005, 2007
College Basketball NCAA St. Bonaventure Bonnies 1902 Reilly Center 2 2012, 2021
College Football NCAA Buffalo Bulls 1894 University at Buffalo Stadium 1 2008
College Hockey NCAA Canisius Golden Griffins 1980 LECOM Harborcenter 2 2013, 2023
College Hockey NCAA Niagara Purple Eagles 1996 Dwyer Arena 3 2000*, 2004*, 2008*

* College Hockey America (CHA) men's hockey championships were earned prior to the league's discontinuation of the conference's men's program in 2010.

Former teams

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Baseball

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The 1878 Buffalo Bisons

Basketball

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Football

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Hockey

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The 2017 Buffalo Beauts

Lacrosse

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  • Buffalo Bowmans (Indoor Professional Lacrosse League) 1932
  • Buffalo Renegades (National Lacrosse League (Canada)) 1991

Soccer

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Tennis

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Major sports events held in Buffalo

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References

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  1. ^ Van Riper, Tom. "America's Most Miserable Sports Cities". Forbes. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Toronto Blue Jays to play in Buffalo for 2020 season". WHEC. July 24, 2020. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  3. ^ ""Baby" Joe Mesi – Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame".
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