Longtime Bills announcer and TV anchor VAN MILLER died late Friday afternoon at the age of 87, and he is being remembered "for his sense of humor, playfulness and what a prominent member of the TV sports industry said was his ability to 'deliver the moment' during big games," according to Alan Pergament of the BUFFALO NEWS. Miller, a member of six HOFs with his name on the Bills’ Wall of Fame and a seating area at Ralph Wilson Stadium, "called Bills games for 37 seasons" (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/19). ESPN.com's Mike Rodak noted Miller "called 605 games during his 37-year career broadcasting for the Bills" (ESPN.com, 7/18). The BUFFALO NEWS' Pergament wrote when it "came to special play-by-play moments" in the history of the Bills and the former NBA Buffalo Braves, "Van was the Man." Miller "was easily the most versatile play-by-play man in Buffalo sports history, even becoming a part-time coach at one point." He "always seemed to be 'on,' whether it was walking around in his fur coat inside the Bills press box or interacting with people at a restaurant or on the tennis court" (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/19). In Buffalo, Bucky Gleason writes Miller "was a broadcasting legend who had an incredible gift for making his listeners feel as if he were sitting with them on the couch." Miller "had his pulse on the community, especially during the Bills’ glory days, and will be remembered for talent, longevity and professionalism." He was "a terrific storyteller and funny man who owned every room he entered" (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/20).
