How did you become a fan of your team?

[LawDawg]

Never woulda guessed LawDawgs ol Man was a Gator...

From the time I was knee high to a grasshopper until I went off to Vandy, I wore Gator blue and orange. Even while at Vandy I wore Gator shirts and hats ... it was Vandy, after all (we were 6-38 during my 4 years there). We went to Gainesville for every home game. We picked up the original cases of Gatorade that were only available in Gainesville for a long time. My dad bought it by the case. I've swung on vines at Devil's Millhopper and floated the Ichetucknee river. I went to Gator Growl every year. My godfather managed the Reitz Student Union for 50+ years and was the chief statistician for Gators football until his death. I may throw up in my mouth a bit, but I wore Spurrier's jersey for years. I was there for the Great Gator Flop (The Gator Flop intensified the Florida-Miami rivalry in 1971. Page 2 looks back through the words of those who were there. - ESPN), and saw the likes of Jack Youngblood, Carlos Alvarez, Steve Tannen, Ralph Ortega, and Richard Trapp. I went to the 1969 Gator Bowl and the 1974 Sugar Bowl back when bowls actually meant something. My parents have had UF season tickets for over 50 years, and my mom currently shares them with the McGriff's, a Gator great family. Dude, most of this may not mean anything to you, but to a Gator I assure you it shows I have Gator cred.

Then I had to go to up and go to UGa for Law School. My father had passed away, so he never knew, but I am sure we would have talked trash quite a bit but he would have loved that I became a lawyer. Now, had I gone to FSU or Miami law school, he would have never forgiven me. Man, he hated Miami and that "old girls school" as he hatefully referred to FSU. So, I talk trash about the Gators, but deep down I won't pull against them unless they are playing the Dawgs or their game will affect our year.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

The coastal will be UNC, VT or Pitt, IMO. I think GT will fall off a bit, as will Miami. Virginia will have trouble winning a conference game.

 

[WhiteMamba]

From the time I was knee high to a grasshopper until I went off to Vandy, I wore Gator blue and orange. Even while at Vandy I wore Gator shirts and hats ... it was Vandy, after all (we were 6-38 during my 4 years there). We went to Gainesville for every home game. We picked up the original cases of Gatorade that were only available in Gainesville for a long time. My dad bought it by the case. I've swung on vines at Devil's Millhopper and floated the Ichetucknee river. I went to Gator Growl every year. My godfather managed the Reitz Student Union for 50+ years and was the chief statistician for Gators football until his death. I may throw up in my mouth a bit, but I wore Spurrier's jersey for years. I was there for the Great Gator Flop (The Gator Flop intensified the Florida-Miami rivalry in 1971. Page 2 looks back through the words of those who were there. - ESPN), and saw the likes of Jack Youngblood, Carlos Alvarez, Steve Tannen, Ralph Ortega, and Richard Trapp. I went to the 1969 Gator Bowl and the 1974 Sugar Bowl back when bowls actually meant something. My parents have had UF season tickets for over 50 years, and my mom currently shares them with the McGriff's, a Gator great family. Dude, most of this may not mean anything to you, but to a Gator I assure you it shows I have Gator cred.

Then I had to go to up and go to UGa for Law School. My father had passed away, so he never knew, but I am sure we would have talked trash quite a bit but he would have loved that I became a lawyer. Now, had I gone to FSU or Miami law school, he would have never forgiven me. Man, he hated Miami and that "old girls school" as he hatefully referred to FSU. So, I talk trash about the Gators, but deep down I won't pull against them unless they are playing the Dawgs or their game will affect our year.

My old boss from Cintas went to Vandy. Guy named Dave Bingham.. Hell of a guie

 

[uncfan103]

The coastal will be UNC, VT or Pitt, IMO. I think GT will fall off a bit, as will Miami. Virginia will have trouble winning a conference game.

It'll be interesting that's for sure. I think most of our games are going to be winnable, or losable, depending on how you look at it. Should be a fun year.

 

[wardogharry]

Grew up in a military family and moved all over the country....stepfather was originally from Oklahoma. Older brother (by 8 years) went to OU so I started following the Sooners at that time. Been a fan ever since.

 

[Jets201]

Started watching college football in the early 2000s when the Canes were in their glory days, loved the way they played so I became a Canes fan.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

That made you a Clemson fan?

yea, Carolina was God awful.

 

[BTHOtu]

Grew up close to Bryan/College Station so I was always a fan. Didn't really get hooked until I was in the military and came home on leave and visited a bunch of my friends that were going to school there at the time. They took me to my first bonfire and my first game at Kyle Field where they Beat the Hell Outta tu 18-9.

 

[geneh_33]

From the time I was knee high to a grasshopper until I went off to Vandy, I wore Gator blue and orange. Even while at Vandy I wore Gator shirts and hats ... it was Vandy, after all (we were 6-38 during my 4 years there). We went to Gainesville for every home game. We picked up the original cases of Gatorade that were only available in Gainesville for a long time. My dad bought it by the case. I've swung on vines at Devil's Millhopper and floated the Ichetucknee river. I went to Gator Growl every year. My godfather managed the Reitz Student Union for 50+ years and was the chief statistician for Gators football until his death. I may throw up in my mouth a bit, but I wore Spurrier's jersey for years. I was there for the Great Gator Flop (The Gator Flop intensified the Florida-Miami rivalry in 1971. Page 2 looks back through the words of those who were there. - ESPN), and saw the likes of Jack Youngblood, Carlos Alvarez, Steve Tannen, Ralph Ortega, and Richard Trapp. I went to the 1969 Gator Bowl and the 1974 Sugar Bowl back when bowls actually meant something. My parents have had UF season tickets for over 50 years, and my mom currently shares them with the McGriff's, a Gator great family. Dude, most of this may not mean anything to you, but to a Gator I assure you it shows I have Gator cred.

Then I had to go to up and go to UGa for Law School. My father had passed away, so he never knew, but I am sure we would have talked trash quite a bit but he would have loved that I became a lawyer. Now, had I gone to FSU or Miami law school, he would have never forgiven me. Man, he hated Miami and that "old girls school" as he hatefully referred to FSU. So, I talk trash about the Gators, but deep down I won't pull against them unless they are playing the Dawgs or their game will affect our year.

Great story, Lawdawg, thanks for posting it. Who would have thought you were a Gator?

 

[geneh_33]

It'll be interesting that's for sure. I think most of our games are going to be winnable, or losable, depending on how you look at it. Should be a fun year.

Anybody except Virginia or Duke could win the Coastal this year. Should be fun.

Of course North Carolina is going to win it, we all know that. But let's let the other guys have some hope so we can dog them out when it's all over!

 

[uncfan103]

Anybody except Virginia or Duke could win the Coastal this year. Should be fun.

Of course North Carolina is going to win it, we all know that. But let's let the other guys have some hope so we can dog them out when it's all over!

I was talking about individual games lol. But, yeah I agree they won't win the division.

I'm not getting my hopes up, the defense lost our two best players and was already pretty bad

 

[Boise4Life]

Born and raised in Boise and proud of it. I come from a die hard football family. Every male in our family played high school football, most played in college (at several different levels), and two of my family members even played in the pros in the 80s and 90s. In Boise we call our youth leagues Optimist football. I don't know if they've kept the tradition because Boise has grown so incredibly fast, but when I was a kid your first game of the year was always played at Bronco Stadium on the Blue. It was called the Jamberee. You basically spent all summer itching for that first game to get there. It was a dream come true when it did.

My folks have had season tickets ever since I can remember. We never missed a game (unless we happened to be out of town for something else). We hit many if not most of the road games. In those days Boise was playing 1-AA/FCS ball in the Big Sky, so lots of trips to Missula and Pocatello, ID and Reno and Moscow, ID, etc. We had a lot of 5-6 and 7-4 type teams in those days. Sometimes we made the playoffs, more times than not we did not but those guys were still my heros. I idolized them. I'll never forget the first game played on the Blue turf, a 70 something to zero win over Humboldt State. I was 9 at the time. I'll also never forget the 12 year losing streak to Idaho in the 80s and 90s. Those Dennis Erickson and John L. Smith Vandal teams owned us. John L. in particular would intentionally run up the score. He'd be kicking onside kicks and throwing deep while up multiple TDs with just minutes left. all the while smirking and laughing at our team and our fans from the sideline. And we'd be shivering in the stands not going anywhere, waiting for the final gun to sound. Those images will stay with me forever.

I live in the Phoenix area now which has come in handy considering Boise's success in the Fiesta Bowl. After the Oklahoma game I'm not going to lie, I cried. My cousin was a LB on that team. The entire time he was in Phoenix after the game, the smile never left his face. He was on Cloud 9.

My team's come a long way from those days of getting blasted by the Montanas, Nevadas, and Idahos of the world at the FCS level. What they have been able to accomplish in such a short time at the FBS level blows my mind. It's nothing short of remarkable. I never thought I'd live to see the day. No way, not in a million years. They make me so proud to say I'm a Bronco for life.

 

[WhiteMamba]

Nice B4L... Nice! Props Bro

 

[Boise4Life]

Thanks, Mamba. I would love to see your Ducks take home the crystal this year. That would be awesome.

 

[WhiteMamba]

Thanks, Mamba. I would love to see your Ducks take home the crystal this year. That would be awesome.

Crossin my fingers friend...

 

[wingsauce7]

What was your screen name on CBS? I don't remember wingsauce? I do remember talking with some cool Iowa fans, though.

same screen name. Guess I didn't rile you up back then.

 

[jalopy]

I grew up in suburban Detroit and was born into a family of Irish Catholics that bled Notre Dame. Never could stand them (ND, not the family). I accepted a baseball scholarship to the University of Michigan in the mid 80's after tearing a rotator cuff muscle the summer before and losing a scholly to my dream school, ASU. Spent one year on the team before it became apparent that the injury would permanently sideline a baseball career. I was then faced with no scholarship and no money to continue my education at the university. My story got around and some student coaches on the football team tried to help out by getting me applications for grants and scholarships but it wasn't going to work out. On a spring day, I walked out of class and there was a short, frazzled looking guy waiting to talk to me. His name was Bo Schembechler. He walked me into his office and sat me down and asked me why I wanted to stay at the school. I told him I always thought my athletic ability would someday pay my bills and now that that dream was over, I was going to need an education. My grades were good but nowhere near the level needed to justify an academic scholarship. It was then that I was offered a one year football scholarship despite having not played the sport since junior high school. Bo told me if my grades reflected "Michigan Spirit" the next year, he would do his best to ensure I would receive a full academic scholarship. I did, and he did. Without his words and motivation, my life would have turned out quite different. THAT is why I am a fan of Michigan Football.

 

[umichgradfan]

Great story, Jalopy. It's sounds like something Bo Schembechler would do (and without any fanfare).

I loved Michigan long before I became a student there. I loved the academic reputation, the history, and the traditions of the University. However, nothing can beat my first experience of walking to Michigan Stadium (dubbed "the big house" long after I graduated) with thousands of other students and filing into my seat in the northwest corner endzone. I was hooked for life! We went to the Rose Bowl my freshman year. By my senior year, I was sitting on the fifty yard line (students moved around the stadium incrementally each year) and enjoying every moment.

 

[geneh_33]

Born and raised in Boise and proud of it. I come from a die hard football family. Every male in our family played high school football, most played in college (at several different levels), and two of my family members even played in the pros in the 80s and 90s. In Boise we call our youth leagues Optimist football. I don't know if they've kept the tradition because Boise has grown so incredibly fast, but when I was a kid your first game of the year was always played at Bronco Stadium on the Blue. It was called the Jamberee. You basically spent all summer itching for that first game to get there. It was a dream come true when it did.

My folks have had season tickets ever since I can remember. We never missed a game (unless we happened to be out of town for something else). We hit many if not most of the road games. In those days Boise was playing 1-AA/FCS ball in the Big Sky, so lots of trips to Missula and Pocatello, ID and Reno and Moscow, ID, etc. We had a lot of 5-6 and 7-4 type teams in those days. Sometimes we made the playoffs, more times than not we did not but those guys were still my heros. I idolized them. I'll never forget the first game played on the Blue turf, a 70 something to zero win over Humboldt State. I was 9 at the time. I'll also never forget the 12 year losing streak to Idaho in the 80s and 90s. Those Dennis Erickson and John L. Smith Vandal teams owned us. John L. in particular would intentionally run up the score. He'd be kicking onside kicks and throwing deep while up multiple TDs with just minutes left. all the while smirking and laughing at our team and our fans from the sideline. And we'd be shivering in the stands not going anywhere, waiting for the final gun to sound. Those images will stay with me forever.

I live in the Phoenix area now which has come in handy considering Boise's success in the Fiesta Bowl. After the Oklahoma game I'm not going to lie, I cried. My cousin was a LB on that team. The entire time he was in Phoenix after the game, the smile never left his face. He was on Cloud 9.

My team's come a long way from those days of getting blasted by the Montanas, Nevadas, and Idahos of the world at the FCS level. What they have been able to accomplish in such a short time at the FBS level blows my mind. It's nothing short of remarkable. I never thought I'd live to see the day. No way, not in a million years. They make me so proud to say I'm a Bronco for life.

Thanks for sharing, B4L. Question:

Why do Boise State fans hate the Idaho Vandals so much?

 

[Boise4Life]

I think you'll find the answer in the second paragraph of my write up, my friend.

"I'll never forget the 12 year losing streak to Idaho in the 80s and 90s. Those Dennis Erickson and John L. Smith Vandal teams owned us. John L. in particular would intentionally run up the score. He'd be kicking onside kicks and throwing deep while up multiple TDs with just minutes left. all the while smirking and laughing at our team and our fans from the sideline. And we'd be shivering in the stands not going anywhere, waiting for the final gun to sound. Those images will stay with me forever."

When you're getting your butts beat and the other team is throwing it in your face, gloating, and running up the score some bitterness tends to develop!

Believe it or not they play some good high school football up there in Northern Idaho. It starts at the high school level. We hated those teams and they absolutely hated the Boise teams with a passion. The playoff match ups alway divide the state. Northern Idaho is some of the most gorgeous country you'll ever see in your life. It's actually even more scenic than the Boise area to be honest with you which is beautiful in its own right. They are proud of that fact and like to throw it in our faces. The problem is it's cold and sparsely populated up there (Boise is much. much further south and has a much warmer climate). And there's not a lot to do other than outdoorsy stuff and that right there breeds jealousy. Ask anyone from Northern Idaho. The majority of them will tell you point blank that they literally hate the city of Boise and every single one of them will tell you that they despise Boise State with every fiber in their being. Hey, join the club!