page_title: Buffalo, New York
section_title: Sports
hierarchical_section_title: Buffalo, New York / Sports
caption_attribution_description: English: HSBC Arena at a Sabres Game Section 324
context_page_description: Buffalo is the second largest city in the U.S. state of New York and the largest city in Western New York. As of 2019's census estimates, the population was 255,284. The city is the county seat of Erie County and serves as a major gateway for commerce and travel across the Canadian border, forming part of the bi-national Buffalo Niagara Region and Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. As of 2018, the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area had a population of 1,130,152; the combined statistical area, which adds Cattaraugus County, had a population of 1,215,826 inhabitants.
  The Buffalo area was inhabited before the 17th century by the Native American Iroquois tribe and later by French colonizers. The city grew significantly in the 19th and 20th centuries as a result of immigration, the construction of the Erie Canal and rail transportation, and its close proximity to Lake Erie. This growth provided an abundance of fresh water and an ample trade route to the Midwestern United States while grooming its economy for the grain, steel and automobile industries that dominated the city's economy in the 20th century.
context_section_description: Buffalo and the surrounding region is home to three major leagues professional sports teams. The NHL's Buffalo Sabres and the NLL's Buffalo Bandits both play in KeyBank Center, while the NFL's Buffalo Bills play in suburban Orchard Park, New York, where they have been since 1973.
  The Bills, established in 1959, played in War Memorial Stadium until 1973, when Rich Stadium, now New Era Field, opened. The city of Buffalo brought home its two major league sports titles when the Bills won the American Football League Championship in both 1964 and 1965. The team competes in the AFC East division. The Bills currently have 10 Division Titles to their name. Since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, the Bills have won the AFC Championship four times (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993), resulting in four lost Super Bowls (Super Bowl XXV, Super Bowl XXVI, Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII).
  The Sabres, established in 1970, played in Buffalo Memorial Auditorium until 1996, when Marine Midland Arena, now KeyBank Center opened. The team plays in the Atlantic Division of the NHL. The team has won one Presidents' Trophy (2006–2007) and three Prince of Wales Trophies (conference championships) (1974–1975, 1979–1980 and 1998–1999). However, unlike the Bills, the Sabres don't have a league championship, having lost the 1975 Stanley Cup to the Philadelphia Flyers and the 1999 Stanley Cup to the Dallas Stars. Since 2014, both the Bills and Sabres have been owned by Terrence Pegula, a key investor in Buffalo's revitalization efforts.
  The Buffalo Bulls are a Division I college team representing the University at Buffalo. The Buffalo Bulls football team were champions of the 2008 Mid-American Conference Football Championship, as well as three MAC East championships (2007, 2008, 2018), and the 2019 team were champions of the Bahamas Bowl.
  The Bulls Men's Basketball Team has won 4 MAC Championships in a span of 5 years (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019) as well as 4 Regular Season Championships (2009, 2015, 2018, 2019), and 5 Divisions Titles (2009, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019).
  The Bulls women's team has won two MAC Championships (2016, 2019) and has advanced to the round of 32 twice (2018, 2019) as well as the Sweet Sixteen in 2018.
  The Buffalo Bandits were established in 1992 and played their home games in Buffalo Memorial Auditorium until 1996 when they followed the Sabres to Marine Midland Arena. They have won eight division championships and four league championships (1991–1992, 1992–1993, 1995–1996 and 2007–2008)
  The Buffalo Braves played in the National Basketball Association from 1970 to 1978, with their home games held at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. After the team struggled financially, it relocated to California and became the San Diego Clippers.
  Buffalo is also home to several minor sports teams, including the Buffalo Bisons (baseball; an affiliate of the MLB's Toronto Blue Jays since 2014), FC Buffalo (soccer) as well as a professional women's team, the Buffalo Beauts (hockey). The Buffalo Beauts were the NWHL Champions in 2016-2017 and have appeared in all four NWHL finals.
  * American Football League (AFL) championships were earned prior to the NFL merging with the AFL in 1970.
  
  † Date refers to current incarnation; Buffalo Bisons previously operated from the 1870s until 1970 and the current Bisons count this team as part of their history.
  Buffalo Bulls championships are Mid-American Conference championships which the University at Buffalo joined in 1998.
caption: KeyBank Center, in Downtown Buffalo, has been home of the Sabres since 1996
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