CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Ten months ago, a Cheektowaga couple decided to remodel their basement, then their love for the Buffalo Bills took over.
“Everyone loves the Buffalo Bills, they’re always, it’s every season, it’s never just football season, it’s every season of the year,” said Jennifer Mendez.
When Jennifer and Eddie Mendez decided to remodel their basement, they were looking for ways to decorate.
“It has grown from nothing,” said Jennifer. “It slowly when from Harley Davidson, country type, and now the Buffalo Bills and its moving on,” said Jennifer.
They say their basement is for food, family, and fun, and, of course, a little football.
“Its really a labor of love, and you got to love the Bills,” said Jennifer.
Their collection started last year, when Jennifer wanted the Von Miller “Burn it all” helmet for Christmas. And from there, their display started to grow.
“There’s over 60, we do have a couple footballs, and then a pylon and a few jerseys but jerseys take up a lot of space on the walls so we don’t want too many of those,” said Jennifer.
From signed jerseys of QB 17, to signed mini helmets from players, and even the bills GM, there are sections of their basement that are decorated from the ceiling to the floor.
Now it might seem like they have almost everything Bills, but one thing they’re hoping to get one day is a signature from one key player, Matt Milano.
“He’s just an awesome player,” said Jennifer. “Awesome guy and he really brings a lot.”
Jennifer, the mastermind of organizing the display, has been a fan since the ’90s. She’ll find treasures online, on a Facebook page called “Buffalobilla’s sports” and Esty. Though finding a place for each unique find can be challenging, she’ll find a place for it, as she’s resilient. Something the team itself has taught her and other fans to be over the past few decades.
“Just resiliency, especially the 90s, you know, we went to four Super Bowls and didn’t win,” said Jennifer. “So we are resilient, we bounce back but, you know, we do need the Super Bowl win.”
Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.