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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

Press pass: Stories from Highmark Stadium

By Brian Sharp,
Evan Dawson, Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published January 7, 2026 at 5:40 PM EST
Five people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man front left has short brown hair and is wearing glasses, a beige button-down shirt, and tan pants; a woman front right has short grey hair and is wearing a bright blue sweatshirt with red lettering, blue jeans, and light blue sneakers; a man back left has short brown hair and is wearing a sweater; a man back right has short grey hair and is wearing a grey blazer over a black shirt; a man at right has short brown hair and is wearing a green sweater, blue jeans, and black sneakers.
1 of 17  — (foreground) Max Schulte and Annette Lein, (background) Scott Pitoniak and Jamie Germano with guest host Brian Sharp on "Connections"
(foreground) Max Schulte and Annette Lein, (background) Scott Pitoniak, and Jamie Germano with guest host Brian Sharp on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, January 7, 2025
George Yeadon / WXXI News
Two people wearing winter gear and holding shovels are surrounded by snow in the stadium.
2 of 17  — Volunteers try to shovel snow out of the stadium
Volunteers try to shovel snow out of the stadium
Jamie Germano / Provided
Colts DE, Jon Hand, beats the block of Buffalo's Jim Ritcher to get to QB, Jim Kelly. Hand sacked Kelly in the teams first meeting in Indy and injured Kelly's shoulder.
3 of 17  — Jim Kelly
Colts DE, Jon Hand, beats the block of Buffalo's Jim Ritcher to get to QB, Jim Kelly. Hand sacked Kelly five weeks ago in the teams first meeting in Indy and injured Kelly's shoulder
Jamie Germano / Provided
A man wearing nothing but a jacket wrapped around his middle is escorted off the field by police officers.
4 of 17  — Police escort a streaker from the field
Police escort a streaker from the field
JAMIE GERMANO / Provided
A man holds a football over his head in triumph.
5 of 17  — BILLS VS. REDSKINS
Andre Reed and Jim Kelly celebrate in the end zone.
Jamie Germano / LOCAL:GRN
Several professional football players run down a field covered in snow.
6 of 17  — ROC.jpg
Bills LeSean McCoy scores the winning touchdown on this 21-yard run in overtime to beat the Colts 13-7.
JAMIE GERMANO / Provided
A football player holds the ball while another player is on the ground.
7 of 17  — Josh Allen
Josh Allen holding the ball.
Jamie Germano / Provided
A man stands behind a tripod holding a camera with a long lens in a nearly empty stadium.
8 of 17  — Jamie 7.jpg
A photographer taking a photo in Highmark Stadium
Jamie Germano / Provided
A man holding a football runs down the field while two members of the opposite team run after him.
9 of 17  — Annette 1.jpg
Thurman Thomas runs with the ball
Annette Lein / Provided
A football player kicks the ball while surrounded by other players.
10 of 17  — Annette 2.jpg
A member of the Buffalo Bills kicks the football
Annette Lein / Provided
A black and white photo of a football player standing with his arms outstretched.
11 of 17  — Annette 3.jpg
A football player celebrates on the field
Annette Lein / Provided
A black and white photo of a football player surrounded by members of the press.
12 of 17  — Annette 4.jpg
Members of the press surround a football player on the field
Annette Lein / Provided
A photographer leans on a large camera while standing on the football field.
13 of 17  — Annette 6.jpg
Annette Lein
Provided
A football stadium is filled with fans.
14 of 17  — Scott 1.jpg
A view of the last game played at Highmark Stadium
Scott Pitoniak / Provided
A football stadium is filled with people wearing bright blue, red and white.
15 of 17  — Scott 2.jpg
The new stadium can be seen during the final Highmark Stadium game.
Scott Pitoniak / Provided
A press pass from 2015 sits on a laptop computer.
16 of 17  — Scott 3.jpg
Scott Pitoniak's press pass from 2015
Scott Pitoniak / Provided
A man wearing a dark suit stands by the side of a football suit.
17 of 17  — Scott 4.jpg
Scott Pitoniak on the field of Highmark Stadium
Provided
A man with short brown hair is wearing a light grey button-down shirt, black pants and black shoes and sitting in front of a microphone at a table in a radio talk studio.
Julie Williams
/
WXXI News
Brian Sharp guest hosting "Connections" on Wednesday, August 6, 2025

The Buffalo Bills and their fans said goodbye to Highmark Stadium on Sunday during the Bills' victory over the Jets.

The New York Times characterized the celebrations as "uniquely" Buffalo. Generations of fans have favorite stories about their time at the stadium...and so do generations of journalists who have covered the team.

This hour, guest host Brian Sharp goes behind the scenes of covering the Bills with sports reporters and photographers who share stories that no one else has.

In studio:

  • Jamie Germano, photographer who retired from the Democrat and Chronicle after a 38-year career
  • Annette Lein, retired Democrat and Chronicle photojournalist and multimedia producer
  • Scott Pitoniak, best-selling author, nationally honored journalist, and longtime sportswriter
  • Max Schulte, photojournalist for WXXI News

To read Scott Pitoniak's piece, "Saying goodbye one final time to Buffalo’s field of dreams," click here.

Connections
Brian Sharp
Brian Sharp is WXXI's investigations and enterprise editor. He also reports on business and development in the area. He has been covering Rochester since 2005. His journalism career spans nearly three decades.
See stories by Brian Sharp
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams