Stadium development An original franchise of the
American Football League (AFL) in
1960, the Buffalo Bills played their first 13 seasons at
War Memorial Stadium, a multi-use
WPA project stadium that opened in 1938, located on Buffalo's
East Side. While suitable for AFL play in the 1960s, the "Rockpile" (as the stadium came to be nicknamed), was in disrepair and with a capacity of under 47,000, undersized for a National Football League (NFL) team. The league mandate instituted after the
AFL–NFL merger of
1970 dictated a minimum of 50,000 seats. In early 1971, owner Ralph Wilson was exploring options to relocate the team, possibly to
Seattle, with other cities such as
Memphis and
Tampa soon expressing interest as well. The potential loss of the team hastened the stadium project and Rich Stadium opened in
1973. The location and construction of the stadium in
Erie County were the source of years of
litigation, which ended with a financial settlement for a developer who had planned to erect a domed stadium in
Lancaster. However, plans changed, driven by a desire to avoid being too close to
Lancaster High School. The stadium was ultimately built by Frank Schoenle and his
construction company. Bonds were approved by the county legislature in September 1971.
Naming rights In 1972,
Rich Products, a Buffalo-based food products company, signed a 25-year, $1.5 million deal ($60,000 per year), by which the venue would be called "Rich Stadium"; one of the earliest examples of the sale of
naming rights in North American sports. (The name was somewhat of a compromise, after Bills owner and founder
Ralph Wilson rejected the name Rich wanted to use to promote its
non-dairy creamer, "Coffee Rich Park.") By a vote of 16–4, the county legislature approved the name in November 1972, despite a matching offer from Wilson to name it "Buffalo Bills Stadium." When the Bills organization regularly referred to the stadium without the "Rich" name, Rich Products brought a $7.5 million lawsuit against the team in
1976. After the original deal expired after a quarter century in 1998, the stadium was renamed in honor of Wilson. Rich Products balked at paying a greatly increased rights fee, which would have brought the price up to par with other NFL stadiums. On August 13, 2016, Buffalo-based
New Era Cap Company and the Bills reached a seven-year, $35 million agreement for stadium naming rights. The Bills and New Era officially announced the stadium's new name of
New Era Field five days later, on August 18, 2016. On July 15, 2020, the Bills announced that New Era Cap had asked to be released from their naming rights and sponsorship deal, and the two sides agreed on terms to terminate the contract. The statement referred to the venue only as "the stadium", and the Bills' website scrubbed all references to New Era. Under the terms of the 2012 lease agreement, in addition to Erie County having to approve any new stadium name as the stadium's legal owners, the
government of the state of New York would also have a
veto; the clause was inserted to quash
ambush marketing attempts. Under this clause, Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz rejected a naming rights bid by minitoilet maker Tushy Bidets, saying that any name that "embarrasses the community" would not even be considered regardless of the size of the bid. Signs bearing the "New Era Field" name were removed beginning July 24. On August 20, the team announced they would temporarily use the name
Bills Stadium until they found a new naming-rights partner. On March 29, 2021, the team announced that the stadium’s new name would be
Highmark Stadium after reaching a 10-year agreement with
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York.
Design and renovation The stadium is open-air, with a capacity of 71,870. On December 21, 2012, the lease negotiations between the Bills, Erie County, and the state of New York ended with the Bills signing a ten-year lease to stay in Buffalo until 2023. The agreement included $130 million in improvements to New Era Field. Renovations included new larger entrance gates, larger HD sponsor boards added to each side of the video scoreboard, two new HD video boards, larger LED sponsor board added on the tunnel end of the stadium, expanded concessions, new team store, and redesign of areas and lots just outside the entrance gates. In addition, a life-sized statue of team founder
Ralph Wilson was posthumously added to a new area outside the team store called "Founder's Plaza" in 2015. Buffalo, by virtue of its position downwind of
Lake Erie, is one of the nation's windiest cities, and as a result, Highmark Stadium is difficult for
kickers, with swirling winds that change direction rapidly. This is exacerbated by the stadium's design. The field is below ground level, while the top of the upper deck stands only above ground. The open end lies parallel to the direction of the prevailing winds, so when the winds come in, they immediately drop down into the bowl, causing the stadium's signature wind patterns.
Stadium records and facts The first NFL game at the stadium was on September 30, 1973, a 9–7 victory against the
New York Jets. The first NFL playoff game at the stadium came in the
1988 season, a 17–10 Bills victory over the
Houston Oilers on January 1, 1989. The Bills won every ensuing playoff game at the stadium until they were defeated on December 28,
1996 by the
Jacksonville Jaguars. They would not lose another playoff game at the stadium until January 22, 2023, when they lost 27–10 in the AFC Divisional Round against the
Cincinnati Bengals. The stadium hosted the
AFC Championship Game in 1991, 1992, and 1994. The Bills defeated each of the 31 other teams there at least once and were unbeaten there against three teams: the
Arizona Cardinals (5–0),
Green Bay Packers (7–0), and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4–0), who visited the stadium for the final time on November 16, 2025. The final game at the original stadium was held January 4, 2026, the team's regular season finale against the
New York Jets. A closing ceremony was held as part of the festivities, including the Bills wearing red
throwback helmets, a musical montage and fireworks display featuring "
Iris" by the
Goo Goo Dolls, "
What a Wonderful World" by
Louis Armstrong, one last performance of the Shout! song, appearances by several Bills alumni, and a pre-recorded statement from former coach and general manager
Marv Levy. Though there was an opportunity the team could've hosted the 2026 AFC Championship Game at the stadium had they made it and faced the
Los Angeles Chargers, the only lower AFC playoff seed, that team's loss to the
New England Patriots during those playoffs officially confirmed the end of the Bills' tenure at the stadium.
Demolition Seat removal began in March 2026. These and other stadium artifacts were placed up for sale to the general public in January following the last game at the stadium. The stadium is scheduled to be demolished in March 2027.
Seating capacity ==Other uses==