BLASDELL, N.Y. (WIVB) — When you walk down the stairs of Keith Marshall’s basement, you get a sense of Buffalo pride. He has dedicated his basement, to Buffalo sports, and the community around them.
“After having been watching them for 30 plus years, I’d say, to me they make me feel like a part of the community,” said Keith Marshall, a dedicated bills fan from Blasdell.
Marshall is an army veteran, who lives one mile away from Highmark Stadium, and has everything Bills. He lost his hearing later in life, and now wears cochlear implants, and even those are decorated for the Bills.
Last year’s Halloween game was his first game wearing the implants, and it was an experience he will never forget.
“Just a great game to hear the whistle on the field, just the cheering crowd around me, that I haven’t heard in years. It was just overwhelmingly awesome, and just great to be apart of,” said Marshall.
Whether cheering the team from the stands, or from his basement, his love for the Bills grows, one collectible at a time.
“It’s fun, but it’s tedious and I guess that’s part of what I enjoy, is just finding a place for everything,” said Marshall.
Over the years, he’s gotten creative with decorating his basement. From a Bills themed Christmas tree, to a crochet tissue box, to an antique Bills clock, found in Arizona–every treasure, has found it’s place.
After years of receiving gifts from his family and friends, every item on display has a story to be shared.
“One day, I received a package in the mail, which was oddly shaped, which happened to be the spatula and I opened it up and I was a bit confused,” said Marshall.
The spatula he showed us, belonged to Marshall’s friend’s late father, who he used to watch the game with when he was younger. He continues to remember him every game, as the spatula hangs near the screen.
“I’m honored to at least have it passed down to me, and I’m proudly going to display it because it is meaningful,” said Marshall.
From helmets, to tickets, to everything Buffalo–he says every piece is a puzzle piecing together a bigger picture.
To submit your Bills Basement to be featured, send us photos and a little bit about your basement to our news room email at wakeup@wivb.com.
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.