Bills’ remarkable change and upward trajectory the hallmarks of 10 years of Pegula ownership

The Bills are one of only two NFL franchises to reach the postseason in each of the last five seasons along with the Kansas City Chiefs.

But the reach of the Pegulas’ ownership has stretched beyond the product on the field. They’ve wrapped their arms around the community either with the revitalization efforts of downtown Buffalo with their Harbor Center project, or their ‘One Buffalo’ theme that has since spawned the annual ‘Give 716’ day of giving that has raised millions for local charities.

Kim Pegula was additionally a leader in creating opportunities for women inside the walls of One Bills Drive and at the league offices.

Kathryn Smith was hired as the league’s first female coach in the regular season as she served as a special teams quality control coach beginning in 2016. Since then, several other women have become part of the club’s staff in the athletic training, business, personnel, scouting and sports science departments under Pegula ownership.

“There’s no question they modernized the business operations of the team. They brought it up to speed with what other teams were doing,” said Battista. “And part of the way they did that was they really diversified the people they were hiring. They brought in a lot of people from outside, younger people, certainly more women, just more diversity of thought. She was clearly a driving force behind that, and she also advocated for that at the league level as well. It was important work.”

And she effectively created that change all while serving on three different NFL Committees including the NFL’s Super Bowl and Major Events Advisory Committee.

But the shining example of the Pegulas’ commitment to Buffalo as the home for their NFL franchise is now more visible than ever, as it is being erected across the street from the place the team has called home for 51 years. The fact that a deal on the Bills’ new stadium was consummated with assistance from New…