Van Miller - The Legendary Voice of the Buffalo Bills

Like most people who grew up in the Buffalo, NY area, Van Miller was the voice of my youth. Whether or not you watched WIVB-TV Channel 4 or not, if you listened to a Buffalo Bills game on the radio, you heard him and it was a voice that became ingrained in your brain.

Van Miller called decades of games for the Buffalo Bills. His most memorable was of course the Bills most memorable game, the greatest comeback in NFL history: January 3, 1993. The Bills came back after trailing the then Houston Oilers 32 points in the third quarter (down 35-3) to win 41-38 in overtime. Van Miller took center stage in that game because for thousands of fans, that is how they knew what was going on because they couldn't watch the game because it was blacked out. His words "It's bedlam, it's pandemonium, it's fandemonium, it's... fantastic!" rang through the homes, restaurants and bars across Western New York. The sound of his voice filled with excitement and energy announcing "the Bills have done it! The Bills have won it in overtime!" sent chills down the spines of thousands and delivered one of the greatest moments in sports.

Van called many games after that and was the voice of the Bills throughout the four Super Bowl runs. Even when the Bills were bad, you swore from the conviction in his voice that they were good, that they were still the best team in the league. He was one of the Buffalo Bills biggest fans and it showed.

Born in Dunkirk, Chautauqua County, Western New York had always been a part of Van Miller's life. Last year I got the chance, along with thousands of other fans, to see his name unveiled on the Wall of Fame at Ralph Wilson Stadium during halftime of the Vikings game (an awesome game the Bills won by the way). It was an incredible moment because despite failing health, Van was there. They drove him onto the field in a convertible and presented him with the honor. The crowd roared. They yelled and cheered for him as he had so many years before. (Personally it was an even bigger moment for me coming from a broadcasting background, being a lifelong fan and having it be the first game my daughter ever went to.)

As with Ralph Wilson, Van Miller was a kind of gentle giant. He represented all of what the Buffalo Bills mean to the city, the region and to the fans. They were the Bills. They helped build the Bills. Now we have a team, with the support of some of the Buffalo Bills greats, to revive that legacy that these two men represented. Rest in Peace Van. I am sure heaven was Fandemonium when you got there.

Veronica R. Chiesi Brown @VRCB32

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