So Long Seniors: Peter Bittner

 Peter Bittner: OL
 Hometown: Williamsville, NY
 High School: Williamsville North

The Road to UB:

The decision to join what was then one of the worst programs in the nation was easy for Bittner. It was not only the fact he grew up a stones trow from Campus but his belief that UB could be a winner, and he wanted to win where his faimly could see it.

I chose UB for the location and what I knew it could become.  It was nice playing so close to home and having my family at every game.  I knew UB could be  a champion and luckily we were able to achieve that goal in my time there. -- Peter Bittner

What Buffalo got was a player who flew under a lot of radars. In his time at Williamsville North Bittner was a first-team AA All-State player. He was also named the Jim Burt Award winner as the best defensive lineman in Western New York.

For 50 straight games he not only played, but started for the Blue and White. He did this at one of the most thankless, and physically demanding, positions in football. His work effort over the years made Bittner a leader of the team and a respected player in the conference. In 2009 Bittner was named the the All MAC Second Team.

When asked about his best memory from UB the Senior does not look back to the MAC Championship, but to the game that got us there.

Starks' 25 yd TD run on the first play in double OT at Bowling Green to win the  MAC East Title.  In the huddle before the play, Jesse Rack got in the middle and said "Screw playing for a field goal, let's get the touchdown right now." First play we ran an outside zone to my side and Starks cut it up the middle behind the center.  After I drove my guy off the ball I saw Starks breaking a couple tackles  then run into the endzone.  Running to the endzone to go celebrate that touchdown was the greatest feeling ever.  Coming back to win the game after being down 20 points with 13 minutes left and knowing we were going to Detroit was unbelievable.

2010 was a difficult season for the offensive line. Hampered by injuries and tasked with a radically different system the unit could not do what needed to be done get the offense off the ground. Through it all Bittner never lost focus on the work that had to be done, something that his first couple of years at UB prepared him for.

The amount of effort and time that needed to be put into being a D-1A college football player.  I knew it was gonna take everything I had to be successful in my five years I had

.When asked about his advise for the "next bulls in" he simply said:

Enjoy your time there.  Seems like it will last forever but each year goes by  faster and faster and before you know it it's over.  Enjoy the friendships and all the great times that will have on and off the field.