Throughout his whole lifetime as a Bills fan, David D’Angelo has only ever left one game early. He and his two sons were all soaking wet by the third quarter, watching their favorite team play, bluntly, horrible football in the pouring rain and sleet. D’Angelo would go on to give up his season tickets the next year, saying goodbye to 23 years of loyal attendance at Highmark Stadium. But he had already passed on his fandom to his family—or rather, they had no choice and were born into it, says his daughter Britini—creating a whole new crew of Bills fans ready to embrace the Bills Mafia when it finally came along.
D’Angelo pinpoints the true start of the Bills Mafia to align with when Josh Allen came to town. He compares Buffalo’s energy today to when Jim Kelly took the team to a record four consecutive Super Bowls in 1991–94—but better. With Allen, he says, fans can see that the quarterback loves Buffalo; Allen has made it clear that he wants to be in New York and play with the Bills, and that makes all the difference for the community. (It doesn’t hurt that his accuracy has improved immensely, D’Angelo adds.)
“Tailgates have never been bigger than they are now, like all of the fandom, all of the traditions in terms of slamming tables and breaking tables, and just like everyone coming together for tailgates has never been bigger and never been more packed,” Britini says.
