The Eastside Will Always Love the Old Rockpile & OJ Simpson
by Betty Jean Grant
Betty Jean Grant
One of my proudest moments was working with Charley Fisher, Beverly A. Gray, James Pitts, Antoine Thompson and others, to name the last remnant of the old War Memorial Stadium, the Johnnie B. Wiley Sport Complex. Members of the elected officials and the community activists wanted to honor a great leader and role model for our young Black men here on the Eastside of Buffalo.
Many who worked to secure Mr. Wiley’s name on that stadium remember the years that OJ Simpson played in a stadium that was located, like the Buffalo Bills’ name, in Buffalo. The records that were broken and his outstanding performance on the football field were legendary and decades later, many of his feats are enshrined in halls of fame from the national and college levels. The world of professional football is still recognizing the unimaginable 2,003 rushing yards OJ Simpson ran in a regular 14 games football season. How or why would a team owner want to hide, erase or whitewash that distinction?
Surely, it was not for the fans, because people who believe in fairness and decency are separating OJ’s professional football career from the troubles in his personal life. They, like this writer, believe that one cannot use allegations or personal opinions to override the verdict of a duly empaneled jury. But like I stated earlier, that decision does not factor in what he accomplished in the world of football.
To Mr. Terry Pegula and the Buffalo Bills leadership team. Please do not break the heart and soul of the black community. The community that felt so proud when that young black man, whom they saw sitting in a barber’s chair and eating John Young’s chicken wings, rushed and ran to become the greatest football player to ever wear a Buffalo Bills uniform.
Please do the right and honorable thing. Return OJ Simpson’s name to that wall where he earned the right to be for the 1969-1977 years as a member of the Buffalo Bills.
If one wishes to help this cause by gathering signatures, please email this writer at: bettyjeangrant100@ gmail.com. Thank you.