ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- When the Carolina Panthers opened what was then known as Ericsson Stadium on Sept. 1, 1996, a junior at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington named Brandon Beane was in the crowd to witness Carolina's 29-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
That was the first NFL game Beane attended. More than 21 years later, Beane will be back in Bank of America Stadium this Sunday as the first-year general manager of the Buffalo Bills after being hired away from the Panthers' front office in May.
The meeting of the Panthers (1-0) and the Bills (1-0) not only marks Beane's homecoming to Charlotte, North Carolina, after almost two decades in the Panthers' organization, but it also will be a reunion for Bills first-year coach Sean McDermott and many of his former colleagues in Carolina.