BUFFALO, N.Y. —
10 Years ago in 2013
As with any new year, a host of new laws went into effect. One of them in 2013 involved e-cigarettes where New York State made it illegal to sell them to anyone under 18 years of age.
Another new law allowed victims of domestic abuse to legally receive mail at alternate addresses, such as shelters, which was something they could not do prior.
After three seasons and a record of 16-32 as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, the team fired Chan Gailey and hired Syracuse University Head Coach Doug Marrone to replace him.
20 Years Ago in 2003
Tensions were rising in the Middle east as weapons U.N. weapons inspectors continued to search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Those tensions were marked by occasional air raids by Iraq featuring a weapon which is the subject of our weekly New 2 You pop quiz (the answer to which is below).
The Seneca Niagara Casino was in its first full week of operation in Niagara Falls and St. Mary of the Cataract Catholic Church, which is located next door to the casino, began accepting chips as a form of alms in its collection plates.
Current New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes was sworn into her first term as a member of the assembly, and George Pataki was Sworn in to his third term as Governor of New York.
Twenty years later Pataki remains the last republican to hold any statewide elected office.
30 Years Ago in 1993
Forever known as "The Comeback" the Buffalo Bills staged what was at the time the largest come from behind victory in NFL history, by erasing a 32 point 3rd Quarter deficit and defeating the Houston Oilers in a playoff game at Rich Stadium.
The improbable win came with several of the teams top stars on the sideline including Jim Kelly, Cornelius Bennett, and Thurman Thomas (who went out with an injury early in the contest).
Led by backup Quarterback Frank Reich (who while attending the University of Maryland also led the largest come from behind victory in NCAA Div. 1 college football history) the win propelled the Bills to eventually appear in their third straight Super Bowl.
The game had failed to sell out 72 hours prior to kickoff and under the NFL blackout rules at the time, it was not aired on local television. So, the only to see it was either go to a closed bar for a "private party" (a means by which those establishments skirted the blackout rule), or to cross the Peace Bridge into Canada (which many fans did) or to attend the game.
Many may still recall that a lot of fans who attended the game left the stadium when the Bills who trailed 35-3 in the second half, and then tried to storm their way back in when they heard through their car radios that the comeback was underway.
What many may have forgotten, was all the attempts to commercialize the miraculous comeback, with many of those efforts centered on Reich's suddenly enormous popularity.
These included a local restaurateur who started serving a hotdog called the "Reich Frank", topped with Frank's Hot Sauce and Miracle Whip.
Another popular item was a tee shirt bearing Reich's likeness and the words "We've Got the Reich One Baby, Uh Huh", which was a direct take off of a popular slogan at the time for PepsiCo's Diet Pepsi brand "You Got the Right One, Baby, Uh Huh".
Even the New York State Lottery attempted to cash in by creating ads based on a quip coach Marv Levy made following the game, when he was asked game what kind of chance he thought his team actually had when it was down 32 point in the 3rd Quarter.
"About the same chance you have of winning the New York State Lottery," Levy replied.
Hey, you never know.
But we do know, through the lens of time, that the game played on January 3, 1993 retained its status as the largest comeback in NFL history until just recently when the Minnesota Vikings eclipsed the mark... just shy of 30 years after the Bills set that standard back when this was all News 2 You.
**Here's the answer to this week's News 2 You Pop Quiz:
The missiles that Iraq used to launch air attacks on its enemies were called "SCUDS", and were first developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Today, only a few second and third world nations still have them.
But they were so commonly referred on the news two decades ago, that "SCUD" became part of the lexicon. It's a reference we've not heard much as of late...at least, not since the days of News 2 You.