The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Mine was a freshman back in 2007 and listening to the Iowa State vs KSU game on the radio. Julian Edelman led the Flashes to a 23-14 upset over the Cyclones. I thought, "Wow, what a great way to start my college career with a win over a Big 12 team!"

Unfortunately, it was like tasting fools gold as KSU finished the season 3-9.
I find it interesting that the first game I listened to was probably their second best win since following them.

The first game of the 1963 season in late September, a 7-7 home tie against Xavier. Yes, Xavier used to field a football team, but the program started doing poorly their last few years, and their claim to "fame" was being the first team Marshall beat after coming back from their tragedy. They dropped football a couple of years later. It was Trevor Rees's last season as Kent State's head coach. Massillon, Ohio's, Leo Strang came in the next year. It seemed like a great hire, but he left with a losing record. Even way back then hiring a great high school coach for a D I (it wasn't called that then) program was questionable.

1973. I was a freshman & attended the opening football game against Louisville. We won, but I forget the score. Man, Tinker was fast. What a great season & what a team! Also attended the Toledo game at the Glass Bowl (my high school friend was a freshman there), & we whomped them. Good times & better memories.

I had just received my acceptance letter to KSU, so I signed up for the student/fan/alumni bus trip to Ohio State, where I witnessed the 66-0 beat down.

I've since hoped for better, to no avail. I now work as a geologist for the State of South Carolina, so I'm going to attend the Auburn game next year. Hopefully Barrett will be motivated and I can witness one helluva game!

Once a Flash, Always a Flash...

A football game against Dayton (then a D I program). Dix Stadium was only partially complete because of construction issues. Don Nottingham rushed for a school record but we lost. Dave Puddington was then the head coach. I also attended a frosh team game against OU in the old stadium that sat below the MACC - now a parking lot.

1985 football game at Bowling Green - I was in the Kent State Bicycle Club then. Someone cooked up the idea to bike the game ball from Kent to Bowling Green. People from the Bike Club and some of the fraternities volunteered to take the ball half way, to Greenwich, where we'd meet up with BGSU bikers, who'd take it the rest of the way. The crazy part was, when they did the math as to how long it would take, they figured we'd need to leave Kent at 10pm. So we rode through the night. We didn't quite make it half way in time, so they picked us up before we got to the meeting point, but I think most of us did at least 60 miles out of the 75 miles we planned.

So anyway, my first KSU Athletic event was the 1985 26-14 loss at Bowling Green, in Dick Scesniak's last season

First KSU game was in Fall 2010, when I was a freshman.

Kent beat Murray State in football on a Thursday night 41-10.

Fun first game at Kent to say the least.

(12-07-2018 07:53 AM)Slinkin Street Flash Wrote:  1985 football game at Bowling Green - I was in the Kent State Bicycle Club then. Someone cooked up the idea to bike the game ball from Kent to Bowling Green. People from the Bike Club and some of the fraternities volunteered to take the ball half way, to Greenwich, where we'd meet up with BGSU bikers, who'd take it the rest of the way. The crazy part was, when they did the math as to how long it would take, they figured we'd need to leave Kent at 10pm. So we rode through the night. We didn't quite make it half way in time, so they picked us up before we got to the meeting point, but I think most of us did at least 60 miles out of the 75 miles we planned.

So anyway, my first KSU Athletic event was the 1985 26-14 loss at Bowling Green, in Dick Scesniak's last season

You drew the short straw - the wind here almost always blow west to east - the cross Iowa ride always goes west to east to avoid wind!!

(12-07-2018 07:53 AM)Slinkin Street Flash Wrote:  1985 football game at Bowling Green - I was in the Kent State Bicycle Club then. Someone cooked up the idea to bike the game ball from Kent to Bowling Green. People from the Bike Club and some of the fraternities volunteered to take the ball half way, to Greenwich, where we'd meet up with BGSU bikers, who'd take it the rest of the way. The crazy part was, when they did the math as to how long it would take, they figured we'd need to leave Kent at 10pm. So we rode through the night. We didn't quite make it half way in time, so they picked us up before we got to the meeting point, but I think most of us did at least 60 miles out of the 75 miles we planned.

So anyway, my first KSU Athletic event was the 1985 26-14 loss at Bowling Green, in Dick Scesniak's last season

I was part of the group on the Bowling Green side. Worked up the idea with someone in your Residence Hall association. When I think back to how we did that, its a surprise no one got injured (or worse).

Rode the bus with the cheerleaders and a few other students during freshman week to WMU for a football game. 10-7 loss. We missed something like a 53 yard FG for the tie at the horn.

Fall 1990 was my first year at Kent. In 89 football didn't win a game and we lost our first 6 in 90 but ended the 17 game losing streak by beating OU at home.

I remember students rushed the field and got on the goal posts. Problem was you had 2 separate groups bouncing on each end of them forming basically a teeter totter and it took awhile to realize the errors of that strategy and ultimately get them to the ground.

I spent 4.5 years at kent so 5 falls and we won a whopping 7 games during that timeframe. Probably one reason I'm such a big hoops fan.

I grew up in Kent so I have gone to games since I was little and because of that I don't remember my first game. But I do remember my first field hockey game. It was against Michigan back in 2008. We got there a little late and Michigan was already up. So we decided to give the ladies a little encouragement and tried to cheer them on. Except it didn't work like we thought it would. Apparently field hockey crowds are quiet crowds and when we started cheering it stopped the play on the field as both teams tried to figure out what was happening. The parents in the crowd stared us down until we left. Still one of the best 20 minutes I have spent at a game.

There are some cobwebs here and I did half attend one or two football games that fall BUT, the one I like to remember likely took place in November of 1998. The Golden Flashes basketball team was playing the Exxon Mobile All - Stars in an exhibition game. I remember the Exxon Mobile All Stars wore what looked like Washington Bullet uniforms and the team was a real mish mash of 20 somethings. Obviously there is some revisionist history involved here but I remember calling my old man and saying...this Kent State team is good. I still have fond memories of the guys I used to talk with while "blowing off some steam" outside the MAC Center at halftime. Those were some good times!

Not being a Kent graduate my first experience was in my mid thirties. I went to the Memphis basketball game because All-American Keith Lee was on the team. I got to the box office and found out the game was a sellout and went home. Not a great start.

(12-10-2018 11:14 AM)ilovegymnast Wrote:  I grew up in Kent so I have gone to games since I was little and because of that I don't remember my first game. But I do remember my first field hockey game. It was against Michigan back in 2008. We got there a little late and Michigan was already up. So we decided to give the ladies a little encouragement and tried to cheer them on. Except it didn't work like we thought it would. Apparently field hockey crowds are quiet crowds and when we started cheering it stopped the play on the field as both teams tried to figure out what was happening. The parents in the crowd stared us down until we left. Still one of the best 20 minutes I have spent at a game.

Why would field hockey crowds be expected to be quiet? Makes no sense. Now when the football team comes to a gymnastics meet and roots for the other team to fall off the beam I can understand. Field Hockey I don’t get.

(12-10-2018 03:54 PM)burden Wrote:  

(12-10-2018 11:14 AM)ilovegymnast Wrote:  I grew up in Kent so I have gone to games since I was little and because of that I don't remember my first game. But I do remember my first field hockey game. It was against Michigan back in 2008. We got there a little late and Michigan was already up. So we decided to give the ladies a little encouragement and tried to cheer them on. Except it didn't work like we thought it would. Apparently field hockey crowds are quiet crowds and when we started cheering it stopped the play on the field as both teams tried to figure out what was happening. The parents in the crowd stared us down until we left. Still one of the best 20 minutes I have spent at a game.

Why would field hockey crowds be expected to be quiet? Makes no sense. Now when the football team comes to a gymnastics meet and roots for the other team to fall off the beam I can understand. Field Hockey I don’t get.

When I was there the only people in the stands were parents. They sp3nt the time talking amongst themselves and not cheering outside of a little clapping. It felt like a golf tournament vs a normal sporting event. I think the players were used to that type of atmosphere so to ha e 4 guys start cheering loudly and shouting encouragement threw off the normal dynamic. The fact that both teams stopped it seems that a rowdy crowd would turn Murphy-Mellis field into a big homefield advantage.

1994 football game vs. YSU. During freshmen week, Cartwright said if the football team won the goal posts were coming down. (YSU won the National Championship the year before, so we expected to get annihilated.) The goal posts came down. Glad that was my first game or else I might not have returned.

1994 football game vs. YSU. During freshmen week, Cartwright said if the football team won the goal posts were coming down. (YSU won the National Championship the year before, so we expected to get annihilated.) The goal posts came down. Glad that was my first game or else I might not have returned.

(12-10-2018 09:46 AM)Pulltown Falcon Wrote:  

(12-07-2018 07:53 AM)Slinkin Street Flash Wrote:  1985 football game at Bowling Green - I was in the Kent State Bicycle Club then. Someone cooked up the idea to bike the game ball from Kent to Bowling Green. People from the Bike Club and some of the fraternities volunteered to take the ball half way, to Greenwich, where we'd meet up with BGSU bikers, who'd take it the rest of the way. The crazy part was, when they did the math as to how long it would take, they figured we'd need to leave Kent at 10pm. So we rode through the night. We didn't quite make it half way in time, so they picked us up before we got to the meeting point, but I think most of us did at least 60 miles out of the 75 miles we planned.

So anyway, my first KSU Athletic event was the 1985 26-14 loss at Bowling Green, in Dick Scesniak's last season

I was part of the group on the Bowling Green side. Worked up the idea with someone in your Residence Hall association. When I think back to how we did that, its a surprise no one got injured (or worse).

The Bowling Green side at least had daylight, and much flatter roads. It was cool, seeing the darkness lift and the sun rise in the morning.