For as long as NFL games have been on television, fathers and son (and moms and daughters) have sat and watched the game together. It's part of many coming-of-age stories. It's time to thank dad by telling his story to us in the comments section. I'll share mine here:
The Buffalo Bills' comeback against the Houston Oilers in the 1993 playoffs was famously blacked out on local television. Since we couldn't park it in front of the tube, my dad, brother, and I went downstairs to clean out our basement. Our dusty cellar had become a catch-all for stuff we weren't using, and it was time to get rid of some of it, sweep up, and get in some early spring cleaning while listening to Van Miller.
As the game wore on, I think we eventually turned the radio to music because the Bills were getting pummeled. Ten-year-olds don't like it when their heroes - who hadn't lost in the AFC playoffs in two years - are getting blown out at home. If we did turn off the game, we eventually found our way back. It probably happened when one of us went upstairs to get a pop out of the fridge and Miller's voice was excitedly telling us the Bills were back in it. We sat on milk crates (and the other random stuff in the basement) listening to the rest of the game, until jumping up and down like everyone else when Steve Christie's winning kick went through. For some reason, Christie's onside kick recovery sticks out in my memory as being an especially jovial moment.
22 years later, that radio is still in the basement at my parents' house in the same spot. Every time I'm in the basement, I remember that day, and someday in the distant future this will be the way I remember the little moments I had with my dad.
We've put together some pictures of the Bills being dads. Share your story in the comments below. Happy Father's Day!