Little league football is a very big deal in Buffalo, and it has always been that way, like many young men in Buffalo, I played little league football as a youth. Well, let me just say I was on a team. Back in the early 80s, the team you played on primarily depended on the neighborhood you lived in. I did not grow up in Central Park, but that was the home of the Buffalo Vets, and that was the closest team to my neighborhood. In the 80s that team was stacked with outstanding athletes and unbelievable talent, that's why when you mention the biggest rivalries, the Buffalo Vets name was mentioned with almost every other team.

So Who Were Some Of The Biggest Rivalries?

I asked the question on-air and on FaceBook, and the responses can pouring in. I'll start it like this, there were two major organizations, the Tyro League and ECJFL. The Tyro league was not as big as ECJFL, but they did get a bunch of mentions, and the biggest rivalry of that league in the 80s was the Westside Bulls vs The South Buffalo Shamrocks. Now bringing it back to the east side of Buffalo, everyone had it out for the Vets, because they were the team to beat. The most popular rivalry according to comments received on-air and online was the Vets VS Lackawanna, then the Vets VS Hill Butler (JFK). The Kensington Panthers were a team to deal with as well.

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There were so many great memories and good times back in those days, many of us did not have video games or anything else to keep us busy besides sports, so we all looked forward to Saturday mornings.


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