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+----- Thread: what does ODU sports mean to you? (/thread-917337.html)
what does ODU sports mean to you? - jaybird44 - 02-24-2021 11:48 AM
I started following ODU in 1976,the radio bradcasts would come on after the Squires. I was immediately hooked. I only have had 1 team in any sport that it ever meant the world to me to watch and that's ODU. basically,my whole life has been following them on games,besides my wife and kid. The happiest times was beating Depaul in basketball and beating Virginia Tech in football. Oh,and watching ODU women be nationally relevent in two different eras. I know a few higher-ups and I probably have high-fived almost all of you. I would love to hear your stories, because mine are endless. Do you bleed Monarch blue like I do?
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - bench jockey - 02-24-2021 11:58 AM
(02-24-2021 11:48 AM)jaybird44 Wrote: I started following ODU in 1976,the radio bradcasts would come on after the Squires. I was immediately hooked. I only have had 1 team in any sport that it ever meant the world to me to watch and that's ODU. basically,my whole life has been following them on games,besides my wife and kid. The happiest times was beating Depaul in basketball and beating Virginia Tech in football. Oh,and watching ODU women be nationally relevent in two different eras. I know a few higher-ups and I probably have high-fived almost all of you. I would love to hear your stories, because mine are endless. Do you bleed Monarch blue like I do?
Cool topic. Lemme think a bit, without giving away my ID
signed, Wood Ceiling
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - jaybird44 - 02-24-2021 12:17 PM
(02-24-2021 11:58 AM)bench jockey Wrote:(02-24-2021 11:48 AM)jaybird44 Wrote: I started following ODU in 1976,the radio bradcasts would come on after the Squires. I was immediately hooked. I only have had 1 team in any sport that it ever meant the world to me to watch and that's ODU. basically,my whole life has been following them on games,besides my wife and kid. The happiest times was beating Depaul in basketball and beating Virginia Tech in football. Oh,and watching ODU women be nationally relevent in two different eras. I know a few higher-ups and I probably have high-fived almost all of you. I would love to hear your stories, because mine are endless. Do you bleed Monarch blue like I do?
Cool topic. Lemme think a bit, without giving away my ID
signed, Wood Ceiling
ha ha.seriously, I would love to hear the stories.
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - Chillie Willie - 02-24-2021 01:56 PM
OK, I’ll share. One of my favorites was the Villanova triple OT game. I was there with my wife (before kids). My sister lives in Albany so we had free lodging. I think we got tickets through the school and they were great seats down low. I experienced 2 seconds of fame when the camera zoomed in on me while standing and cheering. I had no idea until I got back home and friends and coworkers gushed about how they saw me on TV and what a great game. The star that night was Sessoms. He was unstoppable. And the job the defense did negating Kittles was amazing. Getting wiped by Tulsa in the next game was disappointing but it didn’t take away from the huge upset before. That game will always be remembered.
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - ODU AGGIE - 02-24-2021 02:33 PM
We moved to the south side in '94, and I developed a casual fan interest in both men's and women's basketball. In '99, my daughter enrolled at ODU and became a member of the dance team. That led to me attending a number of games (none really stand out in my memory), but I did become a little bit more involved fan.
Then they announced the restart of football, and as soon as they put season tickets up for sale, I was officially in line on day one. We have been avid Monarch football fans ever since with four season tickets. I missed Heinicke's first game because we were at a wedding on the west coast. However, I got updates from my season ticket buddy on my cell phone during the wedding reception, much to the dissatisfaction of my lovely wife. From start-up, to FCS, to FBS and beating VA Tech, it has been a blast. Now I am looking forward to the Ricky Rahne era, and I hope to see at least a couple of C-USA championships before I make that final afterburner climb into the wild blue yonder. Cheers!
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - VB Monarch - 02-24-2021 04:45 PM
Feeling the pride, joy and goosebumps the first time the Marching Band came onto the field for our opening game against Chowan. Picture perfect day, sell out crowd. You could feel the excitement in the air.
It was surreal for me. Decades upon decades of wishing and hoping finally became reality.
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - bench jockey - 02-24-2021 06:01 PM
Was sitting at a basketball game when the guy in front of me turned around and introduced himself. Asked if we were going to buy football tickets and I said I didn't give enough money to qualify. He talked to a friend who piggy-backed me onto his 6 seats. Been season ticket holders for MBB and FB ever since, help endow a scholarship with some others and the wife and I have OSDU in our will.
I didn't go to ODU (wife did) and nothing pisses me off more than people who A) go to the game to see the opponent, b) can't get their asses out of BBR in time for the second half c) leave early and d) constantly ping at the program as if they do nothing right over there.
Yeah, I stay pissed off a lot.
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - ODU2011 - 02-24-2021 06:43 PM
I went to ODU in what I consider the golden years (07-11). Made NCAA tournament multiple times and football started up. I love ODU, I love the underdog story. I could add more, but I’ll keep it brief.
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - AdoptedMonarch - 02-24-2021 07:34 PM
I’ve told this story before, but I enjoy repeating myself so I’ll tell it again.
I moved to Norfolk in the fall of 1985 for a new job. Aside from my new co-workers, my wife and I had no connections with the area. In January, 1986, a thoughtful coworker had an extra ticket and invited me to go with him to a Sunbelt game - - UAB v. ODU at the Scope. That was the infamous game in which UAB’s maniac coach, Gene Bartow, went into the stands after some students who were (allegedly) throwing ice. I will always remember the reluctant looks on his players’ faces who had to follow him into the stands.
When I came home that night, I was recounting the excitement to my young and beautiful wife, when sure enough a clip of the incident was played on Headline News. I’ve been hooked ever since, essentially raising our three kids on ODU men’s (and occasionally women’s) basketball.
Our kids are now all grown and out of town. But I haven’’t lost my fondness for the team, and my (still beautiful) wife is still willing attend most games with me - - at least until this absurd lockdown hysteria shut us out.
ODU men’s basketball is easily the best entertainment value anywhere, and (to coin a slogan) a big part of what makes Norfolk great.
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - jaybird44 - 02-24-2021 08:11 PM
These stories are awesome. I cannot get enough of them. P5 fans give me a hard time about odu and dude, like I've said before. It is pride in our community and our school, cheering as one. I've celebrated with so many strangers at games over the years and nothing makes me happier when I am watching an ODU game. I miss going. Cannot wait to be back. Keep those stories coming. I need them.
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - webster - 02-25-2021 11:54 AM
My sister is a couple of years older than me and happened to start her college years at ODU. When my family and I went to visit her, we attended a men’s basketball game at the Ted. I can’t remember for sure who the opponent was. If I had to guess it was William & Mary. Either way, I was blown away by the atmosphere and how good the ODU team was. College basketball had never been my thing. But I sure caught the bug and soon after became an ODU student myself and attended every game possible.
Even though I was a commuter, I would stay on campus late on the nights I didn’t have to be at my job just to see a game. Then on the evenings that I did work, I would pop my earphones in and listen to the games on 94.1. Listening to the games helped me get through working at my $8 an hour part-time job. I’d be outside changing trash can liners and doing a fist pump if we took the lead over lets say Drexel or JMU. I was hooked and dedicated. This evolved to including football games when we restarted the program. I'm still hooked even though I've been graduated for over 10 years now.
I don't plan to ever stop supporting ODU sports. Though we do need to change conferences
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - Chillie Willie - 02-25-2021 12:18 PM
(02-24-2021 06:01 PM)bench jockey Wrote: Was sitting at a basketball game when the guy in front of me turned around and introduced himself. Asked if we were going to buy football tickets and I said I didn't give enough money to qualify. He talked to a friend who piggy-backed me onto his 6 seats. Been season ticket holders for MBB and FB ever since, help endow a scholarship with some others and the wife and I have OSDU in our will.
I didn't go to ODU (wife did) and nothing pisses me off more than people who A) go to the game to see the opponent, b) can't get their asses out of BBR in time for the second half c) leave early and d) constantly ping at the program as if they do nothing right over there.
Yeah, I stay pissed off a lot.
Those things don’t piss me off but I do get disappointed. I try not to judge those who leave early, some may have legitimate reasons. I go to games with a friend who likes the handicap seats on the mezzanine because they are easily accessible (he has a bad knee) and they are closest to the exit. I have never left early but we sure do make a swift exit. I miss the Blaine years when he would have the team stay out after the game for the alma mater and everybody would sing along.
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - NC ODUFan - 02-25-2021 10:35 PM
I was in high school in the early 70's when I started following ODU basketball. I ended up attending there from.1973-78, was Sports Editor of Mace and Crown. ODU is my school. I will always be a Monarch. When I lived in FL, I went to see the basketball team play at South Florida and proudly wore my ODU regalia. Since I've lived in NC, I've attended basketball games in Charlotte, field hockey and football in Chapel Hill, women's basketball in Raleigh, and soccer and football games at Campbell cheering loudly for my Monarchs. Although we got run out of the building, I had the privilege of attending Roy William's first game as UNC coach against ODU. Go Monarchs!!
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - ODUODUODU - 02-26-2021 07:54 AM
ODU Sports for me is a diversion. I'm an ODU Grad so I'm invested and connected to the University community.
One of my favorite ODU Sports Week was beating unbeaten in Conference USA, Western Division leader La Tech in OT (TH's last game) & the next weekend beating Ranked VCU Basketball at Home and having the score of the Football Game Win at FAU announced during the BB Game. That's what we should all cherish and expect are weeks like that...
RE: what does ODU sports mean to you? - MonGNARch - 02-26-2021 10:25 AM
Some of you on this board know my backstory, sat in the front row painted up and led the student section in chants for every home mens and womens basketball games my first two years then became a cheerleader for the next two. I also didn't miss a home football game in my time at ODU, and went down to New Orleans to see us play Baylor my freshman year in the NCAA tournament. Safe to say, I was hooked immediately, even though I wasn't originally sold on attending the school in general.
I've always been a big sports guy, and I was blessed with ODU not just getting a football team my freshman year and seeing the atmosphere, but the product on the field was so good and they continued that success for the next decade. On top of that, ODU had a dominant mens basketball program and a legend in Wendy Larry on the women's team, I made it a part of my student experience to put sports at the top of the list, including getting to the Ted at 4am the morning of the VCU home game to make sure me and my buddies got our front row seats as we had rightfully earned throughout the year.
The VCU home game my freshman year, the first JMU football game at home, the Trey Freeman Buzzer Beater, the win against VT, all of those games in the student section when it was packed, rowdy, and loud (not to mention everyone stood the entire game) are etched in my memory as some of the best sports and life moments I've experienced in person. Someone else mentioned it on this board, I miss when Blaine was coach and we had a tradition of the basketball team, cheerleaders, and dancers stand on the arc facing the student section and everyone would be arm in arm swaing and singing the alma mater. Students stuck around for that and it was a sense of pride to yell "OLD DOMINION HAIL!!" with the team who just fought hard whether it was a win or loss. I wish we still did that. My last home game as a student, even after cheerleading was done, I stayed and sat in my old seat (front row, seat #9) after the Ted cleared out to soak it all in. That place was like a temple to me and I knew I was going to miss it.
I've spent a lot of time, money, effort, energy, and emotion on this school and its atheltic department, and even though my interest has waned a little since graduating and moving on to other things in life, ODU sports still has a place in my heart and life. I still proudly represent the school and watch aht I can. I don't post much on these board anymore but I check in every now and again to see how everyone is doing and what topics we're discussing.