Since the day he started playing organized football, former Buffalo Bills lineman Jim Ritcher always dreamed of being in the Super Bowl. He never dreamed that he would end up playing in four of them.
"It was what every player in the NFL hopes for, to make it to the big game," Ritcher said. "It's just too bad we never won one."
The Buffalo Bills made it to the Super Bowl in four straight years from 1991 through 1994. The team lost against the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys (twice) in those games. Ritcher was a key player on those teams as a starter on the offensive line. The lineman played in a team-record 222 games for the Bills during his 14 years in Buffalo.
Ritcher began the road to his NFL career when he started playing Pop Warner football in his hometown of Barea, Ohio. After high school Ritcher was recruited to North Carolina State by then-head coach Lou Holtz. Ritcher originally was a defensive end, and by the time he got to school, he had a new head coach (Holtz took an NFL job) and a new position to figure out.
Ritcher was moved to the center position before the season started. While the change was a challenge, Ritcher quickly made a name for himself with his play at NC State. He played center for the team and helped North Carolina State win the ACC in 1979. Ritcher was named an All-American that season and was also awarded the Outland Trophy. Ritcher became the first center to win the award, which is given to the best offensive lineman in the nation.
Ritcher entered the 1980 NFL Draft and was selected with the number 16 overall pick in the first round by the Buffalo Bills.
"Naturally I was nervous to play in the NFL, but I knew I was ready to be a pro football player," Ritcher said.
Ritcher was beaten out to start as a rookie for the 1980 season, and the following year he missed time with a knee injury. But once Ritcher was healthy, he established himself as the starting left guard for the Bills. Ritcher turned himself into one of the most consistent and durable offensive linemen in the league. He went a stretch of 10 years without missing a start from 1983-1993. Ritcher started on the offensive line on all four of the Bills' Super Bowl teams, and he was named to the Pro Bowl two times.
"I always pushed myself to be the best player I could be," Ritcher said. "I studied the playbook as much as I could, and that's why I was able to start all those years, because I knew the book the best. I would study it as much as possible, because if I wasn't prepared, the coaches would bench me in a second."
Ritcher played under Marv Levy during his time in Buffalo. Levy is considered to be one of the best head coaches in the history of the league, something that was not lost on Ritcher during his time with the Bills.
"Coach Levy was a good man. He knew when to inspire us, but he also when to crack the whip," Ritcher said. "I remember one time when I missed a key block on a third down play, and coach just looked at me and didn't say a word, but I knew exactly what he was thinking. 'Don't ever miss that block again.' And I made sure I didn't."
Ritcher played in the NFL for 16 seasons, including 14 with the Bills. He also played two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Ritcher credited his longevity to his training in the offseason over the years.
"I would usually work out four or five days a week to make sure I kept my strength up," Ritcher said. "My wife helped me keep a strict diet so I could control my weight. Without all that, I probably would have lost my job much sooner."
Ritcher has no regrets about his football career, although he did admit that he wished he had a Super Bowl ring. In Ritcher's first Super Bowl appearance with the Bills, kicker Scott Norwood missed a field goal near the end of the game, giving the New York Giants the win.
"To come as close as we did and not win, it can really weigh on you. But I love playing in the NFL. They were some of the best years of my life."
Following his retirement from the league, Ritcher became a pilot for American Airlines. Ritcher took flying lessons while with the Bills, and said that being a pilot was something he dreamed about as a kid.
"It's almost as stressful as playing in the NFL," Ritcher said jokingly. "I love that I can travel the world as part of my job."
