Buffalo Rising Online

Aug 25th 2008, 12:19pm By Thomas Tarapacki

If you’re a fan of the Buffalo Bills, there’s nothing you’d rather do on a Monday following a game than talk about the team with others who share your passion. The Buffalo Bills Monday Quarterback Club gives you a chance to do that with fellow fans, as well as with members of the sports media, current and former Bills players, and team coaches and management.

You can get a taste of the MQC at a special event to benefit Roswell Park Cancer Institute on Wednesday, August 27, at 5:30 PM at the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery. Special guests that evening will include Steve Christie, Steve Tasker and Vic Carucci. Members of the Bills administration and players alumni will also be present.

Enjoy Pearl Street’s Buffalo Buffet, featuring beef on weck, pizza, wings, and pub fries. Admission for this event is a donation of $20 for both members and guests. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Roswell Park.

The Monday Quarterback Club (not the Monday Morning Quarterback Club) started back in 1960 when owner Ralph C. Wilson was soliciting support for his new AFL franchise from the local business community. The Touchdown Club, as it was called then, grew in size over the years, and in 1979 became the Monday Quarterback Club.

The current president of the Club is Gordon Ballard, an account executive with Adstuff Promotional Products and an Elmwood Village resident. According to Gordon, the meetings also provide a great opportunity for members to network. “The majority of our members are business people from the Downtown Buffalo and Western New York area who share these things a passion for the Bills and professional football in Western New York, a desire to network among their business peers, and staunch support of the Bills along with the enjoyment of talking and hearing about the team and NFL football.”

The Club's luncheons and other events give members an opportunity to network with other business professionals while getting a behind-the-scene view of what the Bills are doing and planning. Some of last season’s luncheon guests included Marv Levy, Dick Jauron, Thurman Thomas, Lou Piccone and even Ralph Wilson. Members of the local sports media, such as John Murphy and Jerry Sullivan, frequently address the luncheons and give their candid opinions of the previous day’s game and the team’s overall progress.

One of the highlights is always the last luncheon of the season. That’s when the Club presents its Bills Players Awards, which are voted on by its membership.

The Club’s kick-off luncheon will be held on Monday, September 8th, following the season opener against Seattle. It will be held, like most of the luncheons, at the Harbor Club in HSBC Arena, starting at about 11:15 AM, including a full buffet luncheon.

Individual membership costs $175 and includes five season events. Corporate memberships costs $950, and includes two memberships, 20 guests tickets for any luncheon, and other benefits.

For more information about the Monday Quarterback Club, call 693.3807 or go to www.mondayqbc.com.