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Story HighlightsVan http://www.coltsonlineprostore.com/WOMENS-PAT-MCAFEE-JERSEY.html Miller will be inducted on Bills Wall of Fame on Oct. 12 game vs.
Yes, Van Miller, the beloved play by play radio voice of the Buffalo Bills for 37 seasons whose trademark phrase "Fandemonium'' to describe the jubilation of fans in the stands is etched in team lore, is the 2014 Bills Wall of http://www.coltsonlineprostore.com/WOMENS-CORY-REDDING-JERSEY.html Fame inductee.
To coin another of Van's memorable lines, "Can you believe it?''
That's because the honor comes a decade after Miller, 86, retired from the booth, making it almost as overdue as a Bills' playoff berth.
We members of the voting committee finally got it right and Van Miller's name will find its rightful place on the renovated stadium's faade at halftime of Buffalo's Oct. 12 game against rival New England.
"Can anybody imagine Bills' history without Van's voice on the soundtrack? Can you tell the team's story without mentioning Van? You can't,'' said John Murphy, Van's popular color analyst for 16 seasons who replaced him as voice of the Bills in 2004. "If there were a fan vote, he would've been on the Wall already.''
For the record, Van, who is also a voting member and ever humble, tried his hardest to convince his peers that the Wall should be reserved for players mostly. After the final vote was taken and he was told he beat out Cornelius Bennett, the great linebacker from the Super Bowl era whose time will come, Van didn't believe it.
It took us a good 15 minutes to convince him Adam Vinatieri Jersey we weren't pulling his leg.
"What? You can't do that. You have to have a player. I voted for Bennett,'' Van protested. "Well, I don't think it's right, but I appreciate it fellas. Thank you.''
After sharing the news with Gloria, his wife of 61 years in June, Van quipped: "She should be on the Wall for putting up with me.''
When he's good, a radio play by play man earns a special place in a sports fan's heart. He paints a Coby Fleener Colts Jersey picture with his words, his voice his brush. And Van Miller was Van Gogh to the ears of Bills' fans.
He called his first football game (Notre Dame vs. Army) when he was 10 years old and talking into his mother's egg beater on the back stoop of his Dunkirk, Chautauqua County home.
He went on to enjoy a 55 year career as one of the most versatile sportscasters in the nation, honored with induction into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and with the Pete Rozelle broadcasting award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004. Incredibly, he never missed an assignment.
Generations grew up not just hearing Van call Bills games, but also NBA Braves basketball, Niagara University basketball, Bisons baseball and Stallions soccer. As sports director at Buffalo's Channel 4, he did sports, the weather and hosted game shows like bowling's Beat the Champ.
As a kid he was my radio/TV friend and as an adult is my real friend. Knowing Van Miller, one of the funniest, kindest and most genuine people on the planet, is one of the great personal and professional highs of my life and I'm far from alone feeling this way.
One of the things I most look forward to on Bills home games is shaking his hand in the press box, chatting, and laughing at one of his million jokes I've Adam Vinatieri Colts Jersey heard a mllion times before.
"I played linebacker, you know,'' Van, dressed in a Bills sweater will say. "I put three people in the hospital all in the maternity ward.''
Or, "I'm (insert age) now. My social security number is 2.''
A few minutes in Van's presence and you're feeling happy for the rest of the day. Love of people makes him such a good man. But what made Van Miller such a good play by play guy?
"His enthusiasm and his Coby Fleener Elite Jersey energy level,'' said Murphy, the Lockport native who when handed Van's microphone felt like Aaron Rodgers replacing Brett Favre. "He didn't have to get himself jacked up for games. The essence of pro football is that there are only 16 games a year, they all matter, and Van intuitively got that and realized, 'This is big, this is an event, people are excited about this' and he just channeled that.''
From the Rockpile to the Ralph, Van was there for the highs and lows in Bills history and brought millions of listeners along for the ride. For him it wasn't a job, but a labor of love. His best memory? That's easy.
"The comeback game against Houston,'' said Van about Buffalo's NFL record 32 point rally during the '92 playoffs. "Nate Odomes intercepted a pass and Steve Christie came on for the winning kick in overtime. That was something but of course the Super Bowls (four losses) were tough.''
