Highmark Stadium (New York)

This article is about the Buffalo Bills' current stadium in Buffalo, New York. For their future venue of the same name set to open in 2026, see New Highmark Stadium. For the stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, see Highmark Stadium (Pennsylvania).
Highmark Stadium
"The Ralph"
Highmark Stadium in 2022
Highmark Stadium is located in New York
Highmark Stadium
Highmark Stadium
Location in New York State
Highmark Stadium is located in the United States
Highmark Stadium
Highmark Stadium
Location in the United States
Full nameHighmark BlueCross BlueShield Stadium
Former namesRich Stadium
(1973–1997)
Ralph Wilson Stadium
(1998–2015)
New Era Field
(2016–2019)
Bills Stadium (2020)
Address1 Bills Drive
LocationOrchard Park, New York, U.S.
Coordinates42°46′26″N 78°47′13″W / 42.774°N 78.787°W / 42.774; -78.787
Elevation770 ft (235 m) AMSL
OwnerErie County
OperatorBuffalo Bills
Capacity71,608 (current)[1]
SurfaceA-Turf Titan 50
(2011–present)
AstroPlay (2003–2010)
AstroTurf (1973–2002)
Construction
Broke groundApril 4, 1972 (1972-04-04)
OpenedAugust 17, 1973;
51 years ago (1973-08-17)
Renovated1998, 2013
Construction costUS$22 million (1973)
($151 million in 2023 dollars)[2]
ArchitectHNTB
Populous
(2013 renovation)
Structural engineerDavid M. Berg
& Associates Inc.[3]
General contractorFrank Schoenle
Construction
Tenants
Buffalo Bills (NFL) 1973–present
Syracuse Orange (NCAA) 1979
Website
buffalobills.com/stadium

Highmark Stadium is a stadium in Orchard Park, New York, United States, in the Southtowns of the Buffalo metropolitan area. It is the home venue of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium opened in 1973 as Rich Stadium. It was known as Ralph Wilson Stadium from 1998 to 2015, New Era Field from 2016 to 2019, and Bills Stadium in 2020.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference lookhistory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "Dave M. Berg Spring 2006 Newsletter" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
  4. ^ "Bills Stadium renamed Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Stadium". NFL.com. Retrieved 2022-08-19.