I don't ever not remember being a Cleveland Browns fan. They were always on our CBS station growing up in Charleston, W.Va. (WCHS-TV 8), and I watched every game.

Also growing up in Charleston, there was a huge WVU fan base, and in the late 1960s the Peach Bowl win for the Mountaineers was a big deal. My neighbor on one side was Miss West Virginia while at WVU (Nola Jean Moore) and Tim Wheeler across the street also went to WVU (but died young in Vietnam). Nola Jean even brought me a WVU 68 shirt from college, and we drove to the Elkins Forest Festival to see her in parade.

Marshall was covered in the local papers, the Gazette and Daily Mail, but needless to say, became a great deal more on the radar after the crash, and as I looked at colleges in high school.

I went with my dad to Stonewall Jackson HS games when I hit my teens at old Laidley Field (with crowds of 10-15,000 for the Charleston HS game), and also tried my very short body for one of junior high football at Woodrow Wilson, then one year at Winfield JHS (seriously, I was like 4-6 at 12, 13 years old, only 5-foot as senior in HS) before the coach at Winfield asked me if I would like to be a manager instead.

I did, and all three of my younger brothers followed me there at Winfield as football managers, and in the Marshall equipment room as well. Marshall Coach Jack Lengyel also came to Winfield to marvel at our weight room (MU had none for about another decade, no strength coach until 1990). He invited us to the Ohio game in 1973, and I ended up at Marshall as a student in Jan. 1975.

The rest is history, coming up on 40th Anniversary of coming to Marshall in 2015! Family has a number of Marshall grads, I married Liz who attended Marshall and Tre' will most likely come to Marshall (I think-Army or National Guard also on his nearly 17-year old radar). Lot of games, lots of cheers and tears in that time, but I would not have traded it for the world, and only 1982 (Head Equipment Manager for the American Football Association's Oklahoma Thunder, 8-3 and Western Division Co-Champs) and 1987 (Head Equipment Manager for Western Michigan Broncos, 5-6 that year and Raisin Bowl the following year for first MAC title - left to be MU's head equipment manager) are seasons I was not with Marshall, although I made games for both years, including busing 44-hours to Idaho to see Herd in I-AA Championship vs. Louisiana Monroe, a 43-42 game that went down to the wire (and Darby didn't fumble, either!).

Born a Blue Raider. Grew up on MT hoops when we were good in the 1970's. Went to school during our best hoops run in the late 1980's.

Don't remember anything about MT football until James "Boots" Donnelly got there in the early 80's (and that's a good thing).

Don't have a "second team" and don't care what other teams do, as long as MT wins. Happy as a lark at a Titans game, even when they lose (which is most of the time) after an MT win on Saturday.

I probably let wins and losses affect my mood too much. Getting much better when we lose, since I'm a father now (5 year-old daughter and 2 year-old son). Games aren't as important to me now.

Father, Mother, Brother, Wife, and myself are all MT alumni.

Most of my extended relatives bleed the "urenge" with several never ever setting foot on the Knoxville campus. But it's "their" team and UT is "we" to them

(10-16-2014 10:53 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  Born a Blue Raider. Grew up on MT hoops when we were good in the 1970's. Went to school during our best hoops run in the late 1980's.

Don't remember anything about MT football until James "Boots" Donnelly got there in the early 80's (and that's a good thing).

Don't have a "second team" and don't care what other teams do, as long as MT wins. Happy as a lark at a Titans game, even when they lose (which is most of the time) after an MT win on Saturday.

I probably let wins and losses affect my mood too much. Getting much better when we lose, since I'm a father now (5 year-old daughter and 2 year-old son). Games aren't as important to me now.Father, Mother, Brother, Wife, and myself are all MT alumni.

Most of my extended relatives bleed the "urenge" with several never ever setting foot on the Knoxville campus. But it's "their" team and UT is "we" to them

Yep I am the same way on both of those accounts....Went to the Titans Browns game, and whole time I just expected us to blow that lead...I did not know at the time it happened to be the biggest blown lead to a road team in NFL history but I was not surprised....I expect the Titans to lose every game, haha......I have a 4 year old and 3 year old, so I hear on that one too...

When I was a kid, FIU football didn't exist. Being from Miami, I naturally was a UM fan. Even after I started attending FIU I still would claim I was a UM fan. One day in my first year there, I remember wearing a UM shirt to school (sadly I wasn't the only one) and walked by some student athletes and I thought to myself how they must feel seeing people wear the apparel of other universities as they work their butt off every day for FIU. It was like the heavens spoke to me and I told myself I needed to support the guys/gals representing my school. I quickly became a pretty solid FIU fan due to my natural love for sports. Can't ever go back now! I actually do hope UM loses on a regular basis now, to be honest. It will be better for FIU

Proud Panther!

I was raised in a very WVU-centric family and college football was huge for us. I remember our entire extended family gathering at my grandparents' house for the WVU-Notre Dame game in 1988. That being said, I grew up as a pretty big nerd and just played video games or played up in the hills with my free time. I had zero interest in sports.

I started at Marshall in 2000 and finished my classes in summer 2005. I still had no real interest in sports at all during this time (yes, I know - I missed some great, great times at Marshall and hate myself for it).

I have no idea why, but I got REAL into Marshall football starting the 2005 season, immediately after I graduated (yes, my first season as a rabid fan was our first losing season since 1983). I went to many home games through the 2007 season when I moved to Jacksonville FL for work.

While living in Jacksonville, the only games I really got a chance to attend were our games at UCF. We moved to the Chicago area in 2012, so I was a little closer of a drive and got to come to our season ending games on Black Friday when they were at home.

We just moved back to the Huntington area and I've been to every home game this season except for the Rhode Island game, plus going to the game at Old Dominion. I'll be at every remaining home game this season except for Florida Atlantic and am super pumped to be able to attend so many home games again.

On a separate sports note, growing up in WV and living in Jacksonville FL for 4 years afterwards, I was never exposed to hockey at all, but I remember as a kid seeing some games on TV sometimes and thinking "if I lived somewhere where this was a little bigger, I'd probably really get into this".

We moved to Chicago in 2012, went to a game with some of my coworkers 2 weeks after moving there and were absolutely sold. College football will always be in my blood, but there is absolutely nothing like a live hockey game with a great fan support atmosphere. The 2013 Western Conference Championship was my first ever championship of any kind as a sports fan and I will never forget it. The millions of people at the Stanley Cup parade is a top sports memory I will have for the rest of my life.

GO BLACKHAWKS!

My dad started taking me to Rice games when I was about 7 or 8 years old, which was 1981or 1982. The team really struggled back then, but I got hooked anyway. I remember the excitement during the drive from Galveston to Rice Stadium. After the game I'd get autographs from the players. Great memories. I attended UH, but my heart is always with Rice.

(10-17-2014 07:24 AM)WKUFan518 Wrote:  

(10-16-2014 10:53 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  Born a Blue Raider. Grew up on MT hoops when we were good in the 1970's. Went to school during our best hoops run in the late 1980's.

Don't remember anything about MT football until James "Boots" Donnelly got there in the early 80's (and that's a good thing).

Don't have a "second team" and don't care what other teams do, as long as MT wins. Happy as a lark at a Titans game, even when they lose (which is most of the time) after an MT win on Saturday.

I probably let wins and losses affect my mood too much. Getting much better when we lose, since I'm a father now (5 year-old daughter and 2 year-old son). Games aren't as important to me now.Father, Mother, Brother, Wife, and myself are all MT alumni.

Most of my extended relatives bleed the "urenge" with several never ever setting foot on the Knoxville campus. But it's "their" team and UT is "we" to them

Yep I am the same way on both of those accounts....Went to the Titans Browns game, and whole time I just expected us to blow that lead...I did not know at the time it happened to be the biggest blown lead to a road team in NFL history but I was not surprised....I expect the Titans to lose every game, haha......I have a 4 year old and 3 year old, so I hear on that one too...

I remember, as a child, going to games at Diddle Arena. The sound was deafening with everyone stomping on the wooden bleachers, that seemed to rise up the rafters.

I miss those old gyms.

I'm in the minority here, being a hoops-first MT fan.

I always like USM, but growing up I was a huge MSU fan.

So much so that I ensured that even though I had tryouts with Auburn, I wanted to try out at MSU.

Neither offered. Tuberville had just taken over at Auburn and suggested I play JUCO ball first.. Sherill said I was too small for his line and too big for his defensive.

MC offered, but I would've had to lie about my major. But I persevered and wanted to go to State. I took all the classes I figured I needed, and when I sent my transcripts to MSU they rejected about 75% of my credits because it wasn't to their standards.. I went to USM (their program interested me more).. Sat down with the head of the department. He accepted 90% of my credits, signed a letter acknowledging it, and I made a decision. I applied, got in, and the day I got the letter, I threw away all my MSU gear and began buying black and gold. I'd been to several USM games in HS.. My first game as a college student was Nebraska at USM. It was a Thursday night game.. We lost, but I've never regretted the decision. Not even this year.. I had a great experience at USM, met some awesome friends, and it got in my blood.

As I'm typing this, I'm wearing one my newest USM polo shirts in support of the guys' game this week. Tomorrow I gotta work, but I got a nice gold USM t-shirt picked out for the occasion.

I was born a Tech fan...

Attended my first state fair game vs NWSt in October of 1967 - was born in March of 1967

Grew up idolizing David & Danny Lee, Terry Bradshaw, Fred Dean, Roland Harper, Billy Ryckman -

Fell in love with Dunkin Dawg basketball in the mid 70's - my dad always made sure we went to the Centenary game at Ruston and in the Gold Dome as well as the USL game in Ruston

Rennie Bailey was a few years ahead of me at Minden High School and followed his career at Tech

Remember when Tommy Joe Eagles was the HC at Doyline High School in Webster Parish

Had several classes with guys who had the last name of Snoodgrass and Stover

Mickey Slaughter is my hero

I literally have no idea how many Tech games I have attended in football, baseball and basketball

(10-17-2014 07:37 AM)Fish Wrote:  When I was a kid, FIU football didn't exist. Being from Miami, I naturally was a UM fan. Even after I started attending FIU I still would claim I was a UM fan. One day in my first year there, I remember wearing a UM shirt to school (sadly I wasn't the only one) and walked by some student athletes and I thought to myself how they must feel seeing people wear the apparel of other universities as they work their butt off every day for FIU. It was like the heavens spoke to me and I told myself I needed to support the guys/gals representing my school. I quickly became a pretty solid FIU fan due to my natural love for sports. Can't ever go back now! I actually do hope UM loses on a regular basis now, to be honest. It will be better for FIU

Proud Panther!

Quite a shame, quite a shame. There's no love lost between UM and FIU, that's for sure lol. I have a strong dislike for FIU too, so I guess we balance out