When the "Average Joe" thinks about the Buffalo football program, they tend to get an image of a mediocre team who has recently been pushing hard on the field and is starting to win games. This might be true for the current Bulls squad, but for the past 113 years, the Bulls have shown many different faces to the city of Buffalo.
Ranging from Bowl invitations to massive blowouts, the rich history held by the football program is one that shows both character and athleticism. As the story goes, in 1894, a group of 14 University at Buffalo medical students got together and decided they wanted to play some football. They purchased uniforms and practiced after their classes, playing whenever they could at either Brown's Riding Academy on East North Street or John's Riding Academy on East Utica. Little did they know that because of a simple passion to play the sport, they would not only be creating the University at Buffalo's first football program, but the athletics program as a whole.
"The program was around from 1894 straight to 1970 except for the World War II era because mostly every school across the country stopped playing due to the amount of people involved in the war," said UB Associate Athletic Director Paul Vecchio. "It was dropped from 1971 to 1976 because UB had gone from a private school to a public school in the mid-'60s, and SUNY wasn't really for athletic scholarships as a state-wide institution, as well as the campus being very politically charged, causing a decrease in interest."
From the first play with the pigskin, the University at Buffalo program was a little rusty, earning a 1-2-4 record in its first three years as a squad. In 1897, however, under head coach C.W. Dibble, Buffalo earned its first undefeated season at 7-0, which is the only undefeated season to date in Bulls history.
Because of their success, the team began to spark interest in residents from the City of Buffalo, which helped them earn the rights to play at a once in a lifetime event - the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. The happy feelings were short-lived, however, as the Bulls were slaughtered by national powerhouse University of Michigan by a resounding score of 128-0 defeat, the worst loss ever by any UB squad. The loss was symbolic of the times that would come, with the team having sub-par seasons until 1929.
It was not until 1958 that the Bulls had a team that the city could stand behind proudly. The 1958 squad compiled an 8-1 record, earning them the title of Lambert Cup College Division Champions. Interestingly enough, the trophy was presented to the team on an episode of the Ed Sullivan Show, giving the Bulls the national spotlight that they earned on the field. This was also the first and only time the team was ever invited to a Bowl game. The Bulls, earning the rights to play in Orlando at the Tangerine Bowl, turned down the offer due to a problem that was hurting America at the time - segregation.
"At that time, that team had an opportunity to play in the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando versus Florida State, or another Southern school," Vecchio said. "The team had two African American players on it, and the administration here found out that they were not going to be able to be with the rest of the team due to Orlando being segregated, so the University turned down the bid to play on principle. They felt that if everyone wasn't going to be treated the same, then we weren't going to play."
Since that point, the football program started to slide, pulling out a .500 season here and there, with a few winning seasons coming to them as well. After the football program ceased operations in 1971, UB students, as well as alumni and administration, fought for the team to come back for six years before their voices were heard. In the fall of 1977, the program was restarted, answering the thousands of voices heard.
From 1980 to 1984, the "Run to Division I" began, with the Bulls posting a 30-21 record. After an appeal from then UB President Steven Sample, the IAB granted the Bulls Division I-AA status. This was not enough for the Bulls, as they stampeded through the '90s with I-A status on its mind. A few months into 1995, then-President William R. Greiner wowed Western New York as he announced that the Bulls would be heading to Division I-A, as well as the Mid-American Conference in 1999, where they have sat ever since.
In their history, the Bulls have had 33 players follow football to a professional level, with names such as Gerry Philbin, Ed Ellis and Ramon Guzman popping up in the National Football League.
"The most significant guy in our history is Gerry Philbin," Vecchio said. "He played here and graduated in 1963, and he went on to play with the New York Jets on the team that won the Super Bowl with Joe Namath. Not only was he on that team but he was their star defensive linemen, being named on the All-American Football League team. Since going to Division I, we've had other guys like Ed Ellis, who was drafted in the fourth round by the New England Patriots, or Ramon Guzman, who was picked up as a free agent by the Indianapolis Colts."
With 33 overall players making it to the professional level, as well as winning seasons and a Bowl invitation behind them, the Bulls have a history that shows that the possibilities to win are there, and the taste of victory is within grabbing distance.
"Our goal is to win MAC Championships," Vecchio said. "That's not our only goal, but realistically, it's very simple. We want to win the MAC East, and then we have an opportunity to win a MAC Championship. When we get ourselves to that position, we can be a 'Bowl team.' I'd say this year, that's a reasonable goal."
After an amazing start to an unbelievable season, Vecchio believes that Bulls fans should fasten their seatbelt for what is to come in the future.
"You are going to see the continued growth of a very young football team," he said. "The future is very bright when you look at the number of guys that are coming back. We won't catch people by surprise next year, but people will realize that this team can be good and that they will be good. Simply put, the sky is the limit on where we are going."
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
