The Buffalo Bills will be honoring the late Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. with a statue. The organization announced it will commission a statute that will be displayed outside of Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park.
Wilson, the former, long-time owner of the team, died a year ago March 25th at the age of 95. Wilson owned the Bills franchise for 54 seasons.
“Mr. Wilson was an icon in both the professional football world and in the Western New York community,” said Bills Owner Kim Pegula. “This is our opportunity to honor his legacy and to allow our fans to share their gameday experience with the man who brought professional football Buffalo.”
The Bills said construction of the Wilson statue is a "collaborative effort between Terry and Kim Pegula and Mary Wilson."
The life-size Wilson statue will be displayed in a Founder's Plaza that will be developed. That Plaz will be located northwest of The Bills Store at the Stadium. The Bills said the statue will be "the first statue in history to be displayed on the grounds of Ralph Wilson Stadium."
“It just seems so fitting to honor Ralph with a statue in Founder’s Plaza where fans will have the opportunity to interact and pose for photos. Ralph was so approachable and he absolutely loved the fans and he would have been honored and humbled to stand among them for all-time,” said Mary Wilson. “I think everyone will appreciate the detail in the statue, even to the point that it replicates what Ralph wore to the stadium on game days, and I want to thank Terry and Kim Pegula for honoring Ralph in this special way.”
The statue will be based on a photo of Mr. Wilson taken in October 21, 1990, with Thurman Thomas along the sidelines when the Bills were victorious over the New York Jets in a 30-27 win.