Buffalo in the 70’s: Sports heroes and their gin mills…

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

Buffalo is a city that loves its sports and loves to drink. It makes combining the two a natural, and many professional athletes have tried their hands at becoming professional tavern owners as well.

In the 80’s and 90’s, Sabres tough guy Rob Ray had Rayzor’s on Elmwood Avenue at Bidwell. Bills great Jim Kelly famously had a string of nightclubs.

But in the 60’s and 70’s, Sestak and Maguire’s Lounge — owned by Bills all-time defensive lineman Tom Sestak and Bills all-time punter Paul Maguire — was one of Buffalo’s popular dining spots.

Forty years ago this week, Sestak and Maguire’s was advertised in The News right next to Schony’s. Jim Schoenfeld is remembered in Buffalo for his toughness on the blue line, his singing ability and record albums, his selling of mattresses, even his broadcasting and coaching.

Many fewer, however, remember Jim Schoenfeld, your host at Schony’s in the Evans Town Plaza.

Published by

Steve Cichon

Steve Cichon writes about Buffalo’s pop culture history. His stories of Buffalo's past have appeared more than 1600 times in The Buffalo News. He's a proud Buffalonian helping the world experience the city he loves. Since the earliest days of the internet, Cichon's been creating content celebrating the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. The 25-year veteran of Buffalo radio and television has written five books and curates The Buffalo Stories Archives-- hundreds of thousands of books, images, and audio/visual media which tell the stories of who we are in Western New York.