Winter Classic, UB's championship season bookend great '08
High schools, Western New York Olympians had plenty to celebrate
The sports year in Western New York was simply stuffed in 2008.
It started with the Winter Classic hockey game Jan. 1 at Ralph Wilson Stadium, and finished with UB preparing for its first-ever bowl game. There was plenty in-between, too.
Picking the top 10 stories in order is a great way to start an argument, but at least there are plenty of options this year.
1. UB wins MAC football championship:
The University at Buffalo may not have been the worst college football team in America when Turner Gill arrived in December 2005, but it was in the photo. UB was a perennial doormat in the Mid-American Conference, with little apparent hope for a turnaround.
Now look where the Bulls are. In Gill's third season, they upset previously unbeaten and nationally ranked Ball State in the MAC championship game. Buffalo (8-5) will play Connecticut in the International Bowl on Saturday, its first such postseason game.
What's more, Gill opted to stay at UB after interviewing for jobs with other universities. That can only help the program in the immediate future.
2. Bills play two games in Toronto:
The announcement that the Bills would play five regular-season and three preseason games in the Rogers Centre from 2008-2012 wasn't filled with immediate significance. But, the series, which will put millions in the Bills' bank account, has potentially huge repercussions.
When the Bills played the Dolphins there in early December, there wasn't a home-field advantage for Buffalo. In fact, Miami may have had more supporters in the building in a game that felt like a neutral-site matchup. Was it worth it? It will take some time to know whether the transaction helped keep the Bills in Buffalo, or was the first step in their departure.
3. Bills have good start, bad finish:
It all seemed so promising back in mid-October. The Bills knocked off Seattle! Won in Jacksonville! Thumped San Diego! Had 4-0 and 5-1 records!
The exclamation points turned into question marks as the losses mounted and the team finished 7-9. It was tough to know where the low point of the unraveling season came. It could have been a soggy home loss to San Francisco, or a dreary defeat to the Dolphins in Toronto, but it was probably The Fumble that led to a stunning loss to the Jets. It's clear no one was happy about the 2008 season, but it wasn't enough for Dick Jauron to lose his coaching job. Bills owner Ralph Wilson made Jauron's three-year contract extension official Tuesday.
4. Four area high school football teams win state titles:
We knew it was a good year when Orchard Park, Sweet Home, Southwestern and Maple Grove all advanced to the state finals in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse in November. The area had never sent four teams there before. What's more, those teams had a weekend to remember by going 4 for 4 in the class finals.
Suddenly Section VI was the state's premier football power. It had never won more than two championships in a given year, so this was an achievement that was historic by local standards.
5. The Winter Classic highlights an otherwise forgettable Sabres year:
Local hockey fans will always remember the Jan. 1 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
It featured the largest crowd in NHL history, huge television ratings -- and a shootout loss on a goal by Sidney Crosby. It was that sort of year for the Sabres, who drew sellout crowds but missed the playoffs with a 39-31-12 record. They also traded star defenseman Brian Campbell -- who had Buffalo's only goal in the Winter Classic -- rather than lose him as a free agent. The Sabres did re-sign Ryan Miller and Jason Pominville in the summer, ensuring that those two cornerstones would be around for a while.
6. Western New York claims gold, silver and bronze in Beijing:
Michael Phelps wasn't the only big winner during the Olympics in August. Buffalo native Tom Terhaar coached the U.S. women's rowing team to gold in the women's eight event. Jenn Stuczynski of Fredonia won the silver in the women's pole vault and should be a factor in that event on the world stage for years to come. Steve Coppola, who once rowed for the West Side Rowing Club, was part of a bronze-medal winning team in the men's regatta.
Caitlin Lever even added a local touch to Canada's team. The Williamsville South grad and daughter of ex-Sabre Don Lever played softball for a squad that finished fourth.
7. Bandits win championship:
Western New York isn't completely title-deprived in professional sports. The Bandits claimed their first crown since 1996 with a dramatic, 14-13 win over Portland in the National Lacrosse League championship game in May. Mark Steenhuis had five goals, while goalie Mike Thompson's last-second save proved to be the difference.
The Bandits have won four championships in their 17 years of play. Based on last season's average attendance of more than 15,000 per game, winning never gets old.
8. Bisons change affiliation, ballpark's name:
Buffalo's on-field season was a rare dull one, as the Herd fell out of contention quickly and stayed there for the rest of the summer with a 66-77 record. Then the fireworks began.
The Cleveland Indians ended a 14-year association with Buffalo and moved their Triple-A team to Columbus. While speculation first centered on Toronto as the Bisons' new parent club, the Mets swept in and reached a two-year agreement with the Herd. The Bisons' downtown home will be called Coca-Cola Field next year, as Dunn Tire Park joined North AmeriCare Park and Pilot Field in the history books.
9. Two local teams win state basketball championships:
This was overshadowed a bit in the grand scheme, but it was still a very good year in hoops for local high schools. Olean won the Class B title while Maple Grove took the Class D championship.
Niagara Falls came close to joining those two schools in victory lane, but the Wolverines were defeated in the Class AA final. Add it up, and Section VI was more than well represented in Glens Falls in 2008.
10. Dudley Hart is PGA's comeback player of the year:
Hart, a Clarence resident, would just as soon forget 2007. He stopped playing when his wife was diagnosed with a nonmalignant tumor in her lung.
But Suzanne's health improved, and Hart came roaring back to the tour. He won $2.2 million in 22 events, with six top-10 finishes. Hart, 40, has plenty of good golf left in him.
The just-missed list
You could make a case for some of the following, and you could be right:
Richard Zednik of the Panthers suffers a dangerous injury during a game with the Sabres when his throat is cut by a skate.
Niagara's men's hockey team qualifies for the NCAA tournament.
Thomas McCollum of Sanborn is taken in the first round of the NHL draft by the Detroit Red Wings.
South Buffalo's Patrick Kane wins the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.
Henry Sypniewski was named the nation's best runner in the 90-94 age-group after setting several records after he turned 90 in July.
And, closer to home, our sports staff will always remember 2008 as the year we lost Tom Borrelli in a tragic accident. We'll think of him often in the years ahead.
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