WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM

BUF-01

War Memorial Stadium (affectionately known as The Rockpile) is the name of a stadium that formerly stood in Buffalo, New York. It was originally named Roesch Memorial Stadium, though the name was changed to Grover Cleveland Stadium later in 1937 (honoring the former President and Buffalo public official) and then to Civic Stadium in 1938. The name was changed to War Memorial Stadium in 1960. The stadium originally sat 35,000, but many expansions took place over the years, raising the capacity to over 46,500. Despite this, by the time of the AFL-NFL merger it was one of the smallest stadiums in the league (below the league's 50,000-seat minimum), and so in 1973 (after considering and ultimately rejecting a move to Seattle) the Bills left War Memorial Stadium in favor of their current stadium, now known as Ralph Wilson Stadium, which had a capacity of over 80,000.

The stadium hosted the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, and later the National Football League from 1960-1972, the unrelated Buffalo Bills of the AAFC from 1946-1949, the Buffalo Indians and Chiefs of the third American Football League in 1940 and 1941, Canisius College's baseball and football teams, and baseball's Buffalo Bisons of the International League during the 1960s and again from 1979-1987 (as part of the Eastern League and American Association). The track also hosted a NASCAR Grand National race on July 19, 1958, won by the Ford of Jim Reed, but is better known as the US debut of NASCAR legend Richard Petty.

Unused 4" x 6" continental size postcard.

Photo by The Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society