Bills fan who caught Josh Allen throwaway ball and ran shares gameday story

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — Though the Buffalo Bills lost against the New England Patriots on Sunday night, two Bills fans left Highmark Stadium with a win.

“Our 10-year-old daughter was text messaging me during the game: ‘Hey, I saw Dad and you on TV, and Dad caught the ball, but why is he running?'” Tara Halliwell-Kemp shared with WIVB News 4.

It’s a question that left many who watched Sunday night’s matchup between the Bills and the Patriots wondering: Where is that Bills fan going?

Well, WIVB found that fan. His name is Brian Kemp, and he and his wife, Tara, have been going to Bills games together since around 1999. For the past few years, they have been purchasing their friend Tim’s season tickets when he can’t make it to the game himself.

“He is a dedicated season-ticket holder since 1999, so since the Music City forward pass,” Brian Kemp said. “He has yet to get his hands on a game ball, and there have been a couple instances where we have been lucky enough to do so, however, we were forced to give them back. Since then, Tara and I have made an agreement that if we were ever to get our hands on one, the next one is his, basically.”

Then, Sunday night, Josh Allen himself threw an opportunity Brian’s way.

“The next thing I know, that bullet from Allen is coming … I mean, the biggest gun in the league, you know there was some heat on that ball,” Kemp said. “I was able to grab it, bring it in, and I looked at my wife and I said, ‘I’ll meet you at the car.'”

Tara Halliwell-Kemp continued the story.

“They came to me and they had said, we know who you guys are, you sit in these seats often, can you please have him return the ball, we will get you another one,” she said. “And I explained, ‘Well, we were promised that in the past, and we didn’t get the ball, so that’s kind of why he took off with it.'”

Brian Kemp did end up going home with a football in his hands that night, however, he returned the football he caught from Josh Allen.

“I did wind up going back to the seat and happily returned the ball,” he said. “They did give me another ball in exchange, so this ball unfortunately is not the actual ball that Allen threw that I caught. However, all is right with the world: no theft occurred; there was no stolen property.”

Though Brian will be sending this football along to his friend Tim, he’s left with a memory they won’t forget.

“It was just an epic night,” he said. “It was a game to remember. I mean, yeah, we didn’t get the W, but it was one of the highlights of the season for sure.”