Buffalo fans mourn long-time 'Voice of the Bills' Van Miller

By Ken Fang

Up until 2003, Van Miller was one of the longest-tenured local voices in the NFL. He died over the weekend at the age of 87. Miller was at the mic when the Bills began in the American Football League in 1960 and went continuously in the broadcast booth until 1970 and picked up the mic for the team once again in 1978 until his retirement in 2003.

The Bills released a statement on the passing of Miller:

Miller was in the broadcast booth for all of the Bills Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990’s and behind the mic when the Bills made their miraculous comeback 41-38 in the 1992 AFC Wild Card Game against the Houston Oilers.

To show you the impact of Miller on Western New York, all of the local stations gave lengthy portions of their newscasts on Saturday to cover his death. Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News said it was justified for the broadcasting icon:

Miller was also the voice of the old Buffalo Braves NBA team from 1971-77 as well as a weather reporter and a game show host. He was known as “Uncle Van” to his fans and was a fixture in the community.

His passing was noted this past Sunday on SportsCenter by Bills fan Kevin Connors.

Miller is survived by his wife, two children and three grandchildren.

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