ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In a tailgating crowd, Samantha and Tylor Hartnett look like your average die hard Buffalo Bills fans.
“My dad’s from Gowanda, my grandparents are from Gowanda, I’ve been a Bills fan since I was born,” said Tylor. “We met in 2014, and he taught me all the ins and outs of football. I made the Bills earn my loyalty. But it was easy,” said Samantha.
What You Need To Know
The new Highmark Stadium is set to open in June
One couple travels from Colorado twice every year to Highmark Stadium to watch the Buffalo Bills
The Hartnetts make the 21-hour drive straight through
But believe it or not, they are not from Buffalo.
“Being from Wyoming and then also getting Josh Allen on our team just happened to be the icing on the cake. But once we started coming to games in 2022, that kind of really put things even more into perspective. How real everything is, how big the fan base is, how much the love is,” Samantha said.
Now living in Colorado, there’s only one thing between them from making it to a Bills game twice every year — the drive.
“Twenty-one hours. Very, very long. Sometimes he makes the long haul, sometimes I do, but yeah, 21 straight.”
The only stop they make is for the bathroom. The whole 21 hours, both are thinking about one thing.
“Pulling up to the stadium. It’s our first stop. We like the stadium, and that’s our first stop every time we come,” Samantha said.
But as for many fans from near or far, the drive is worth it.
“My dad used to shovel this place. My grandparents used to go to these games. My dad used to go to these games,” said Tylor.
“We do a lot of shopping when we come here. So we have a lot of things to take back with us. So we’re always, the vehicle was the way to go,” said Samantha.
The tradition will carry over to the new Highmark Stadium, which is set to open in June.
“We’ll probably be able to make the trip a little bit easier. Enough with all the excitement, knowing that we’re going to the new stadium,” Samantha said.