by Budd Bailey, Buffalo Sports Page

We are counting from 99 to 0 to determine who’s the best Buffalo athlete to wear each number.  It’s Buffalo Sports By The Numbers here on Buffalo Sports Page.

We’ll have a new number and athlete every day this summer.  Each story also includes reaction from the Buffalo Sports Page staff, and a way to catch up on numbers you’ve missed.

After every 10 numbers, a Sylvester & Peck On Sports podcast will feature Budd Bailey and the guys reacting to the selection.

#85

Kevin Everett, Bills. The tight end was drafted out of Miami (Fla) in the third round in 2005. In the opener in 2006, Everett suffered a severe neck injury on a kickoff that was considered “life-threatening.” He was forced to retire, but beat the odds to walk again. Others: Walt Patulski, Bills; Jay Riemersma, Bills; Charles Clay, Bills.

Paul Peck’s Digit Discussion:  I understand where Budd is going with chosing Kevin Everett.  I was there on the sidelines when he was hurt against Denver, and to see him walking again is amazing.  But Everett was never much of a player, and this honor should go to someone who was a standout player.  Jay Riemersma was one of a new breed of tight end who were more downfield receiving threats.  He had 204 catches and averaged over 11 yards per catch during his six years in Buffalo.  He’s my choice for #85.

Missed any of the previous numbers from 99 to 86?  Visit the Buffalo Sports By The Numbers section on the home page.

 

Budd Bailey

Budd Bailey has been involved in almost every aspect of the local sports scene for the last 40 years. He worked for WEBR Radio, the Buffalo Sabres' public relations department and The Buffalo News during that time. In that time he covered virtually every aspect of the area's sports world, from high schools to the Bills and Sabres and everything in between. Along the way, Budd served as a play-by-play announcer for the Bisons, an analyst for the Stallions, and a talk-show host. He won the National Lacrosse League's Tom Borrelli Award as the media personality of the year in 2011, and was a finalist for that same award in 2017. Budd's seventh and eighth books, one on the Transcontinental Railroad and the other about Ichiro Suzuki, are scheduled to be released in the fall.

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