LLos Angeles Buffalo Bills Backer Keith Hannon

SoA little about the author of
our Buffalo Bills game logs

Keith Hannon was born and raised in Johnson City, New York.  That's roughly three hours southeast of Buffalo where interstate 81 intersects with 86 (formerly Route 17).  He watched his first Bills game in January of 1990 in which the Bills fell to the Cleveland Browns in an AFC playoff game.  His memory is still hazy about that day, but he remembers his father being upset and his father's friend doing plenty of cursing.  The following year the Bills championship hopes sailed wide right, and the rest is history.

Throughout elementary and middle school, Keith proudly displayed his Bills colors every chance he got.  Though jokes and criticism would rain down on Monday mornings following a loss, he understood from a young age that you only deserve to enjoy a win if you can handle the burden of a loss.  On December 6th, 1992, Keith made his first trip to then "Rich Stadium".  The Bills were hosting the New York Jets, and the game time temperature was a brisk negative ten degrees.  He sat, with his mom, dad, and brother, in the very last row of the upper deck.  Though covered from head to toe in wool, and wearing ski goggles, Keith was still able to see the Bills lose on a late game interception thrown by Jim Kelly.  The game didn't end well, but he was hooked.  After that game Keith's father, Steve Hannon, started a tradition in which the family would attend a December Bills game every year.  Through those experiences Keith not only gained an affection for the Buffalo Bills, but came to appreciate football being played in the harshest of elements.

Throughout his adolescents, Keith's devotion to the Bills would see him endure a wide range of emotions.  At times it was jubilation, but it could also have him laying in the dark in utter despair.  His passion for Bills football would also frequently cause problems in his personal life.  In high school, the girl he was seeing at the time was to have her birthday dinner during the same time the Bills would be playing the Dolphins.  The girls parents would end up rescheduling the dinner to accommodate the Bills schedule, but the relationship was doomed from that point on. (The Bills would win that game, thus removing and feelings of regret or guilt)  Friction between friends who cheered for other teams was also not uncommon.  Johnson City was made up of many Jets and Giants fans also, so tensions always ran high in the hallways on Monday mornings.

In the fall of 2000, Keith began studying television and radio at Ithaca College.  At Ithaca, Keith served as the Bombers football television broadcaster for all four years he attended the school.  In 2002, he was recognized with The Collegiate Broadcasters Inc. award for best play-by-play broadcast in the nation.  Though he spent most of his time doing campus television, Keith still found time to escape to Buffalo to watch the Bills play.  In 2000, he drove from his friends school in Albany to Buffalo through the night, to get to "the Ralph" in time to buy tickets off a random guy in the parking lot and attended the home finale against the Patriots.  Unfortunately, a blizzard would set in and make getting back to school a treacherous journey.  Keith's parents are not fond of this story.

Today, Keith works for Nickelodeon in Hollywood, CA.  He is an aspiring screen writer and comic.  You can find him blogging online and doing stand-up comedy around town when he's not taking orders from four-teen year old actors.  On Sunday mornings between September and January, he is glued to the television watching his beloved Bills.   He resides with his beautiful girlfriend Casey who happily cheers on the Bills with him every Sunday.  He has found a harmonious balance between Bills football and life... now if only he could find a good job.  Anyone out there hiring?
K

Copyright © 2008 Los Angeles Bills Backer of Santa Monica