LOCKPORT —
One of the NFL’s greatest wide receivers in history, Andre Reed of the Buffalo Bills, is coming to Lockport this Saturday to meet fans and sign autographs, as part of yet another Niagara County Deputy Sheriff’s Association dispatchers and corrections’ sponsored fundraiser for Niagara Hospice.
Buffalo Hall of Fame offensive lineman Joe DeLamielleure and current starting running back Freddy Jackson have been in Lockport in recent weeks, thanks to the efforts of NCDSA member Jeff Newman and others.
And there’s more good news on the local professional sports front as Newman announced Tuesday that plans are in the works to bring Buffalo Sabres, past and present, to the Lock City as well, beginning this fall.
Reed will appear at the Bewley Building, downtown, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20.
“We’d just kept brainstorming for years on how to bring attention to who we are what we do,” Newman said. “A lot of people don’t know about corrections or dispatchers and we wanted to do something positive for Niagara Hospice. So, we came up with an idea of doing autograph signings.”
Newman said each Bills player coming to Lockport (former head coach Marv Levy is scheduled in July) was contacted individually and each agreed to come to Lockport. Levy, he said, is coming to do the signing for free.
“I had sent a letter to a couple of different former Bills, like Fred Smerlas, asking if they’d come out to help Niagara Hospice. Marv called back and said, ‘I’ll come, but under one condition — I won’t charge a cent if 100 percent of the ticket sales go to Niagara Hospice,’” Newman said.
“With Andre, I know his agent, who owns a business in Cheektowaga. I told him I was getting Fred Jackson and he said, ‘Have you considered Andre Reed?’”
Reed ranks near the top in nearly all NFL career statistical receiving categories. He went over 1,000 yards four times in a 16-year career, is 10th in NFL history in career receptions with 951, ninth in NFL history in career receiving yards (13,198) and 11th in NFL history in career touchdown receptions (87).
He also rushed for 500 yards and a touchdown on 75 carries. With the Bills, Reed played in four consecutive Super Bowls (1991–1994) and was selected to the Pro Bowl in seven consecutive seasons (1988–94). Reed set season career highs with 90 receptions in 1994, 10 TDs in 1991, and 1,312 receiving yards in 1989.
A tribute to his incredible physical durability, Reed played in 234 NFL games between 1985 and 2000, the 59th most games played by any player in NFL history.
“I thought and still think that Andre Reed was the best wide receiver the Bills ever had and in his time, he was the best receiver in the NFL,” Newman said. “He should already be in the Hall of Fame. I don’t understand why it’s taken so long to get him in.”
Reed was drafted 86th by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 1985 Draft. He played 15 consecutive seasons (1985-1999), during which he played in four straight Super Bowls with the Bills.
In 2000, Reed signed a two-year contract with the Denver Broncos, but was buried on the depth chart. He eventually joined the Washington Redskins and retired after the 2000 season.
A portion of the proceeds from Saturday’s event will benefit Niagara Hospice and Kids Escaping Drugs. For more information or for tickets, call Ed or Jeff at 713-7141 or 438-3374.
Sports
Related Photos
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Buffalo Bills’ receiver Andre Reed sits on the bench late in the fourth quarter during the Bills’ 24-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC wild card game on Jan. 2, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. Reed will sign autographs in the Bewley Building downtown from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday. AP Photo
Andre Reed coming to Lockport this Saturday
Former Bills great will sign autographs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Bewley Building
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