I stuck long feathers to my arms and started spinning around as fast as I could

My uncle took me to games all throughout my childhood. My early childhood coincided with "The Nasty Bunch," total dominance over our in-state SEC-affiliated sister institutions, Brett Favre, Clarence Weatherspoon, NIT championships, and other great moments in Southern Miss athletic history.

The funny thing is, my uncle didn't attend U.S.M. Nor did I attend for my undergrad for that matter. I guess it is the blue collar, underdog, giant-killer, against all odds reputation that cements my connection with U.S.M. To this very day I get chills every time I hear or read the following quote which sums up being a Golden Eagle fan to me...

Writer Mickey Spagnola, in the Jackson Daily News, wrote the following after USM defeated Alabama in 1982 snapping Bear Bryant’s 57-game home winning streak:

“If you are going to war and if you get to pick first, choose Southern Mississippi. Always choose Southern Mississippi. No matter how hard you fight, these folks will fight harder. They are that way, as if this Hattiesburg, this school of 11,800 is some sort of inner-city core in the state of Mississippi. Blue collar types, you know. Hard hats, tattoos…These people know sweat. They know work. They know nothing ever comes easy, nor will it ever come easy. They are hard…hard I’m telling you.”

(08-12-2013 10:45 AM)gcp_mineros Wrote:  

(08-12-2013 10:44 AM)Smaug Wrote:  I put my mouth where my money was.

I guess I should elaborate.

I was a UAB student and Auburn fan until approximately 7pm, CDT, Saturday, August 31, 1996.

The second those gold hats came charging out of the visitors' tunnel at Jordan-Hare, I knew. No way I was going to pull against my school.

I wish more UAB alums felt that way.

Growing up I was a die hard Mississippi State fan.. Until my senior year in HS.

I went and tried out at MSU and Jackie Sherrill let me know I was too small for his offensive line and too big for his defensive line.

I got a little bitter over it. I went to Auburn and tried out there and they encouraged me to go play at a community college first. So I made it to the community college team, but my knees gave out.

Now growing up I always went to the USM FCA Day and enjoyed myself, I never saw myself going to USM. Even after my knees gave out, I still decided to go to MSU for Civil Engineering.

That didn't happen, I grew tired of the pre-reqs and ended up changing to Drafting my 2nd year of community college, and after 3 semesters my instructors encouraged me to go on.. MSU refused to look at my credits or accept any except for the pre-reqs and other things not drafting related. My instructors encouraged me to look at USM.. So I called, went down, and talked to the people over the Construction program. They accepted most of my credits and encouraged me to walk the campus and get a feel for it. So I did, 10 minutes after leaving the Chain Bldg I was in love with USM.

I never bought another Maroon and White item since then, unless it was a gift for someone. While I don't have memories growing up running around in my underoos pulling for USM, I was there for some great games starting in 2003.. My wife gets so damn tickled at me when I find out a USM game I can't go to is on TV.. She knows to not bother me until a commercial break or if I turn the game off due to frustrations (I'm looking at you 2012 season).

I hate that I wasn't an avid fan when I first fell in love with football.
I hate that USM wasn't on my radar when I looked to play after HS.

But I don't regret any games I've attended or watched since falling in love with the Eagles.

My dad loved Brett Favre and since he went to USM I have always watched USM games. The game against TCU pretty much made my decision and I have been a die hard SEC hating USM fan ever since. Also I want to be a teacher/coach and USM is the best teachers college in the state so it was a no brainer

I was new in town when a thoughtful co-worker invited me to attend a Sunbelt Conference match against UAB at the scope. This happened to be the game at which UAB Coach Bartow, along with several of his players, went into the stands after a few Monarch fans who were (allegedly) throwing ice at the visitor bench.

Just as I was recounting the excitement to my young and beautiful wife that evening, the clip came onto headline news. I have been a loyal, albeit adopted, fan ever since.

Grew up in Eastern NC rooting for the Heels. ECU was my "other" team. (yea, I was one of those.) In 2004 I was watching basketball with my dad, when this happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdNRWCo-Ee0 I had just recently been to Charlotte for a bowl game, and had gotten to go to Carowinds. I loved the place, even if it was just for roller coasters. I rooted for the 49ers that year, because, I couldn't believe it. Still remember them talking about it on Sportscenter.

Fast Forward a few years, and my friend wanted me to visit "UNCC." I didn't know what a UNCC was, but I showed up. They were trying to start football at this little place, and needed as many people as possible to march. I never realized it was the same school from my childhood, until we got to the gym and I looked at the logo at center court. Right then, I was a fan for life. Graduating in may.

I went to college at ODU because I wanted someplace more urban than the rural area of VA I grew up in. It was about 1.5hrs from home, near the beach and had (at the time) some great music venues nearby. I also had a great campus visit that sealed the deal. Other options were VCU, NC State (didnt get in there), ECU and Chowan. How I became a fan is a different story. I was not a sports fan at all when I started college at ODU. There was some buzz on campus because we had just joined the CAA, and had a new coach but I really didnt care. I was a music and art guy. Then a friend of mine who did sports for the campus radio station started talking to me about going to the games. Said the team was really good. I put him off for a while but then decided to go for the first time when UVA came to town. 10,000 seat Scope arena downtown was sold out and rocking. It was a great back and forth game and ODU goes on to beat the Cavaliers in the last minute. The place goes nuts, the fans storm the court and everyone was talking about how we'd be top 25 that Monday. (we were 5-0) I figured, "well, this is fun." and just assumed most games were like that one. Ooops. But I was hooked. Started going with some friends of mine, and made many new ones over the years. Monarch hoops became an event and a social club at the same time. Traveling to games and tournaments etc over the years. Little did I know that first game would be one of the best ones I ever saw. But it did change my life as Ive had so many good times and made so many good friends as a result of following ODU sports.

I followed the then Texas Western College half-heartedly when I was in high school but the turning point came in 1966 with the national championship and those great Flying Miners fb teams of '65 and '66. I never attended any of the games as I didn't have the means well when I did gather up some money I would spend it on partying and putting gas in my jalopy. But. I would watch them on tv any chance I got. The same thing happened when I came back from the service and had a family to support. I would attend some games though but I wasn't there all the time as I am now. I am a die-hard fan now and a member of the Miner fan club.

I grew up in Houston in the Cy-Fair district, I became a Rice fan when my teacher gave me some free tickets to one of the games.

Fast forward to 2005 when I was graduating, I decided to join the Marines even though I had been accepted to many schools. I got stationed in Camp Lejeune, NC which is about a 2 hour drive from Greenville. Got free tickets to go watch ECU my first year in the Corps and I got hooked. I used to go watch them every Saturday that I could. I even have a football and a basketball jersey.

After my first year I started dating a girl I knew from high school, she graduated a year after me, so she started going to UTSA. I have never heard of UTSA before this. I came to visit her in San Antonio every chance I could and she would bring me to campus when she had things to do.

After I got out of the Corps in June of 2009, I decided to come to UTSA because I have been here before and she was still in San Antonio. We arent together anymore, havent been since I got out, but I fell in love with UTSA and now I am here getting ready for my last year. Best decision I ever made.

P.S.
I am still a fan of Rice and ECU, but my love is UTSA.

I grew up going to UAB basketball games as a kid with my dad. We went to every home game and even made a few of the road trips. In 98 my family moved from Birmingham to New Orleans but we would still go to any UAB baskeball games that were close. Now I'm a UAB basketball season ticket holder.

I grew up in South Bend, lived within walking distance of the Notre Dame campus, and had many high school friends whose parents were Notre Dame professors. We went to Notre Dame football, basketball, and hockey games. I made an undergraduate choice of a highly academic college that played Division III athletics, and missed the atmosphere at Notre Dame. When it came time for graduate school, Division I athletics was a top priority. At Rice, I found that experience in the old SWC (and with LSU as a frequent opponent) and discovered the athletes were actually students. Some of them were in the engineering classes where I was teaching the laboratory sessions and grading their papers. It was easy to get pulled into rooting for Rice.

Although I'd attended a lot of UAB sporting events off and on since the inception of UAB athletics, I did not consider myself as a loyal fan of the program until I encountered a gentleman named Dr. Luc Frenette in the year 2004, far as I'm concerned, the biggest UAB fan of us all, he litterally puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to UAB sports, & made it possible for me to attend UAB sporting events when the resources to do so were not afforded me, and here I am, going on 8-9 years now, the Dragon in me has been unleashed, here I stand as a regular season ticket holder for football and basketball, & a regular face at volleyball, track and field, soccer, baseball and softball. Dr. Frenette's enthusiasm, outspokenness and unbridled passion for the Blazers was very contagious and definitely rubbed off on me... Now, I lose my mind at UAB sporting events sometimes, & it feels good. By them being Birmingham's primary source of sports-related entertainment, I eventually embraced them as my favorite, because Atlanta had my undivided attention (Hawks, Braves, Falcons, Thrashers), still love my Atlanta teams, but, it's good to have someone close to home to cheer for, & I can't wait until the football team starts to become a force to be reckoned with, so I can that I among several, stood by them thru the culture of losing, and witnessed the death of that culture for UAB Football & the resurgence of all things UAB.

Go Blazers!!!

(08-12-2013 11:46 AM)born in the burg Wrote:  My uncle took me to games all throughout my childhood.

Exact same story.

Was my 7th birthday when I witnessed the 49ers final four run. Was hooked ever since. When it came time to go to college, I didn't even apply to Charlotte. I thought it was too close to home. I had some track scholarship money to some smaller schools, and was accepted to go to Georgia Tech. I planned to transfer into GT from my first school. All the while, I was following the resurgeance of Charlotte basketball from afar. After my freshman year, I changed my mind about my major and transferred to Charlotte, which happened to be one of the top schools in the country for my new major. Got to wear the jersey for the school I loved. Can't ask for much more.

I grew up in the athletic Dept at Southern Miss, literally. When I was a kid I would run around the old athletic building while my granddad would be working. I would wander in to the AD's office Bill Mclelland or Jeff Bowden the OC or just mess with Brett Favre or Clarence Weatherspoon. I can still remember the smells and hear the noise. We would travel to most away games, so I have been to Alabama, Auburn, Florida St.(we used to stay at Bobby Bowden's house). I would go to every Senior Bowl with my granddad(He was the longtime trainer for the North) and we would spend time with Tom Landry and Don Shula. I really had no choice but to be a fan, it has been my life ever since I can remember.

I have been going to Marshall games since I was a toddler. My parents have always had season tickets in Football and Basketball. I eventually graduated from Marshall as did my wife. Now my kids are going to all the Marshall games.

Started out as a TCU fan - religious, family, and geographical reasons. Went to Rice, Rice became #1.

That Rice was such a small school cemented my loyalty. The players on the field and the court weren't just numbers and names on a program - they were the guy next to me in German class, my biology lab partner, the guy two rooms down the hall in the dorm. Made it personal. It's lasted 50 years now.

(08-12-2013 10:42 AM)Timo99 Wrote:  I grew up in right outside of Greenville NC. I grew up in an NC State household. Both my parents, all my aunts and uncles, and my brother and my older cousins went there. I chose to go to UNC Charlotte due to the Fire Safety Engineering Technology program, which is the only university in the state to offer such a degree. I instantly fell in love with the green and white, and have been following Charlotte athletics ever since. I have also turned my family into bandwagon Charlotte fans

Better than State red.

I'm sure no surprise to some of you with this:

My first game to attend as a UNT student was Hayden Fry's first to coach at North Texas in September of 1973. I've been hooked ever since and am an official Mean Green'haulic. North Texas had 17,000 enrollment back then and Denton County had 99,000 population. Now..........UNT is closing in on 40K enrollment and Denton County has over 700,000 population. I am expecting great things from this present group on payroll once the winning cycle returns and expect when that happens Apogee Stadium's capacity of 31,000 will need to be enlarged to at least that which UH is building as their initial seating capacity.