Legendary Bills' announcer Van Miller passes at age 87 -PPI

It is announced with a heavy heart that legendary Buffalo Bills’ broadcaster Van Miller has passed away today at 87 years of age.

Miller, who called Bills’ games for a span of 37 years, was around for the start of it all, becoming the “Voice of the Bills” during their inaugural season in 1960 and serving in that role from 1960-70 and 1978-2003.

“On behalf of Terry and Kim Pegula and everyone at One Bills Drive, we are all deeply saddened with the news of the passing of Van Miller,” the team said in a press release this afternoon. “As the ‘Voice of the Bills,’ Van’s historic radio calls of Bills games over the years will forever resonate with our fans. His Hall of Fame and Wall of Fame talent was overshadowed only by his engaging personality, his witty sense of humor and his love for the Bills. We will all dearly miss ‘Uncle Van,’ but his legacy will remain deeply embedded in our franchise’s history and in the hearts of his countless fans in Western New York and throughout the NFL community. Our deepest sympathies, along with our thoughts and prayers, go out to his wife Gloria and all of Van’s family during this difficult time.”

Miller called some of the most memorable moments in Bills history including both AFL Championship victories, the Comeback Game and all four AFC Championship seasons. In total Miller called 605 Buffalo Bills games in his broadcasting career.

Throughout his career, Miller was recognized for his excellence in the broadcasting field. He was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1998, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. He was presented with the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2014, he was named to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.

In addition to broadcasting Bills games, he called games for the NBA’s Buffalo Braves from 1971 to 1977. He also served as the sports director for WIVB-TV and was a weather reporter and a game show host.

“Oh yeah, he was a beloved figure,” current Bills play-by-play man John Murphy told the media this afternoon. “I reached out to Jim Kelly today and he texted back, ‘Oh man, I loved that guy.’ C.J. Spiller, it was amazing, I saw on Twitter that C.J. Spiller tweeted out RIP Van Miller. Van never called one of C.J.’s games here. I’m not so sure that they met. He had that kind of impact. He was kind of a transcendent figure in the organization. There is the Van Miller Press Box Club over there in the stadium with pictures of him all around. I think going on the Wall of Fame last year was big for him and really big for the franchise to acknowledge the role he played in the development of the franchise right from the start, right from 1960.”

“He had that certain enthusiastic sense where he wanted to make everybody laugh,” Murphy added. “Everybody called him Uncle Van and he wanted to be Uncle Van. He wanted to be loved and he truly was.”

Even with being out of the booth for almost a decade, Miller was still a familiar face to see every Bills’ home game, always taking his rightful place in the middle of the press box, in the last row, to take in the sport and team that he loved.

For a man that most people have never met, it is amazing how the region around Buffalo brought him into their family, allowing his voice into their fall and winter afternoons for all those years.

The Dunkirk, NY native is survived by his by his wife of 62-years, Gloria, his daughter Cathy, a son Van, and three grandchildren.

A private service for his family is being planned at this time.