Two Bills Legends Want To Bring Arena Football Back To Buffalo

It’s been often said that Buffalo is a drinking city with a sports problem. That drinking problem often pales in comparison to the love we have for our sports teams. Bills, Bisons, Sabres, Bandits, and more mania runs rampant through the Western New York streets. You can barely travel a block without seeing the colors or logos of our hometown teams.

The love for our teams is something that seems to be in the blood stream of the region, and it extends beyond teams that currently play. It also applies to former teams far and wide that used to call Buffalo home. From the Los Angeles Clippers, who were once called the Buffalo Braves, to the Buffalo Blizzard of the former National Professional Soccer League.

That love even still applies to one former Buffalo team that might be making a come back.

Two Buffalo football legends are hard at work to bring indoor football back to Buffalo and they’re looking to bring the Buffalo Destroyers back to the field.

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Fred Jackson and Stevie Johnson are working together to field a team in Buffalo as an expansion member of the Indoor Football League. The IFL, which was founded in 2008, has 14 teams that are spread across the nation in two conferences that span 12 states.

According to WIVB-TV, Jackson and Johnson are currently raising money to bring the reborn Buffalo Destroyers to the field in 2026. The IFL requires an initial investment of approximately $2 million, which they largely have already, but are seeking additional investors to join their ownership group.

The original Buffalo Destroyers played at the KeyBank Center, then known as Marine Midland Arena and HSBC Arena, from 1999 to 2003. They team earned the name Destroyers after a contest selected this name due to the arena’s proximity to the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.

If everything comes together for Jackson and Johnson, the team would start play in the 2026 season.