How long have you been an SU football fan?

[orange44]

Some posters is the Dan Mullen thread were talking about how long they've been an SU fan. I thought that would make a good thread in itself. (I'll do a separate one on the BB board).

How long have you been an SU football fan?

Me: 19161. I actually became a Cleveland Browns fan first. I turned 8 that fall. My Dad wanted something he could do with his son and brough home a publication previewing the NFL season. We sat together watching whatever game was shown on Sunday, (usually the Giants). The magazine said that Jimmy Brown was the greatest player. Dad said he came from Syracuse so he became my favorite player and the Browns my favorite team. Dad said that Syracuse had another guys just like him on it's current team.

What is the first game you saw on TV or listened to on the radio?

The 1961 Liberty Bowl, Ernie Davis' last game:



What is the first game you attended?

The 1964 UCLA game. Floyd Little borke ist open with a 91 yard punt return just before halftime. WE won 39-0 in the snow over some very cold-looking Californians.

1966

 

[CuseAlum87]

I became a Syracuse football fan Fall 1983, my freshman year at Syracuse. My parents bought the student season tickets for me and I have been bleeding orange ever since.

 

[llandz]

About 64 years. I went to my first game in 1959. I was 5 years old. But since 1972,I have been a superfan.

 

[sutomcat]

In a past life I was an SU student when Archbold Stadium was built and cheered in the team under HC Buck O’Neill.

Hard to imagine a time when there was no TV, no night games, no lights, no PA system; hell not even any electric power. Back in 1907, I imagine most people took a trolley to the game from downtown.

The really well off took their carriage to the campus, driven by their horse. Probably a few people in town had horseless carriages as well.

Good times, eh?

 

[sutomcat]

I came from a family that was not into SU sports. We did get both newspapers and I read everything cover to cover. In those days, the Syracuse newspapers really featured SU sports and the coverage of SU football was vastly more in depth and comprehensive than what the PS attempts to do these days.

Lots of analysis. Lots of photos of key plays, with arrows, dotted lines showing where players would go and labels for the players. It intrigued me. I had started watching NFL games and knew the rules but I don’t remember watching college football on TV. Started listening to the radio broadcasts circa 1972. Joel wasn’t great at providing all the details you want listening to a game but he had a lot of passion and got me further interested to the point where I had to see them play in person. I remember asking my dad if we could go and he said no, we don’t care about Syracuse University in this household. He went to LeMoyne for his BS and Georgetown for his law degree.

By 1974 I had a paper route and had some money saved. I didn’t know anyone who went to the games so it was tough to get started. Had only been on campus briefly one time when my father took the family to Archbold to watch fireworks. But I consulted maps and found my way to campus. I think I walked from Eastwood, something I would end up doing many times the next 12 years or so.

I believe my first game was against Pitt that year. We lost in a pretty close game. If I remember right, tickets cost $4, which shocked me. I was used to going to Syracuse Chiefs games, where I believe the price was $1 a ticket. $4 was a small fortune to me. I think at the time, I was clearing $4 or $5 dollars a week working my paper route.

I did have the money but I was young, shy and was concerned if I went to buy a single by myself, I would be refused. A young man saw me eyeing the ticket booth and asked me if I needed a ticket. I said yes, wondering if this guy was going to give me a ticket. That would be cool! No, he wanted to sell me his ticket. For full price. But I knew I could buy a ticket from him without a problem so I said okay and after handing him 4 dollars, I had a ticket to a Syracuse football game.

I immediately headed over to the nearest entrance to the stadium and handed the ticket taker my ticket. Super excited. I was going to see my first college football game! This was one of my first great adventures!

He asked for my ID. I told him I didn’t have an ID (I didn’t even have a social security card; I was 14). Thought this was strange. We had gone to dozens of Chiefs games and no one was ever concerned about IDs.

He persisted. ’This is a student ticket. You have to show me your ID to get in.’ I of course had no idea there was such a thing as a student ticket. A bunch of thoughts raced through my head: That guy who sold it to me never warned me. I am sure he knew I was going to get boned trying to get in. What a jerk.
This is not fair. I am an idiot.

I told him I wasn’t a student. Told him I just bought it from a guy and didn’t know it was a student ticket. I think I even apologized to him for wasting his time. My eyes were already filling with tears as I was telling him this, realizing what had just happened. I turned my back from the stadium and starting the long, awful walk home. No football game for me. 4 dollars removed from my pocket. Great excitement to great disappointment in the span of 5 seconds.

I got about 5 steps away when I heard ‘Hey Kid. C’mon back.’

Was I imagining that? I turned back and took a peek at the ticket taker who had just broken my heart.

He was talking to me. And he had a little hint of a smile. ‘C’mon back’ he said again.

I cautiously walked back.

’I’m not supposed to do this. But go on in.’ He gestured for my ticket with one hand and waved to the concourse of the stadium with the other.

I didn’t have to be told twice. I was in the stadium in a flash, wiping my tears away as my utter despair changed again to pure joy.

10 seconds later, I had navigated through the dark, dank underbelly of Archbold and headed for an entrance to the field. It was about the only light anywhere close to me. As I went through the entrance, all that darkness of greys and blacks was replaced by a brilliant sunny day and the vibrant green of the playing field. I think both endzones were painted orange.

It was very much like the moment in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ when Dorothy leaves her house, goes outside and the film abruptly changes from black and white to color.

SU was playing. The tubas beckoned.

Hooked. Line and sinker.

The rest is history.

Props to the kind ticket taker who bend the rules and let a kid in using a student ticket. He is probably gone now but I will always remember that act of kindness.

 

[SWC75]

I came from a family that was not into SU sports. We did get both newspapers and I read everything cover to cover. In those days, the Syracuse newspapers really featured SU sports and the coverage of SU football was vastly more in depth and comprehensive than what the PS attempts to do these days.

Lots of analysis. Lots of photos of key plays, with arrows, dotted lines showing where players would go and labels for the players. It intrigued me. I had started watching NFL games and knew the rules but I don’t remember watching college football on TV. Started listening to the radio broadcasts circa 1972. Joel wasn’t great at providing all the details you want listening to a game but he had a lot of passion and got me further interested to the point where I had to see them play in person. I remember asking my dad if we could go and he said no, we don’t care about Syracuse University in this household. He went to LeMoyne for his BS and Georgetown for his law degree.

By 1974 I had a paper route and had some money saved. I didn’t know anyone who went to the games so it was tough to get started. Had only been on campus briefly one time when my father took the family to Archbold to watch fireworks. But I consulted maps and found my way to campus. I think I walked from Eastwood, something I would end up doing many times the next 12 years or so.

I believe my first game was against Pitt that year. We lost in a pretty close game. If I remember right, tickets cost $4, which shocked me. I was used to going to Syracuse Chiefs games, where I believe the price was $1 a ticket. $4 was a small fortune to me. I think at the time, I was clearing $4 or $5 dollars a week working my paper route.

I did have the money but I was young, shy and was concerned if I went to buy a single by myself, I would be refused. A young man saw me eyeing the ticket booth and asked me if I needed a ticket. I said yes, wondering if this guy was going to give me a ticket. That would be cool! No, he wanted to sell me his ticket. For full price. But I knew I could buy a ticket from him without a problem so I said okay and after handing him 4 dollars, I had a ticket to a Syracuse football game.

I immediately headed over to the nearest entrance to the stadium and handed the ticket taker my ticket. Super excited. I was going to see my first college football game! This was one of my first great adventures!

He asked for my ID. I told him I didn’t have an ID (I didn’t even have a social security card; I was 14). Thought this was strange. We had gone to dozens of Chiefs games and no one was ever concerned about IDs.

He persisted. ’This is a student ticket. You have to show me your ID to get in.’ I of course had no idea there was such a thing as a student ticket. A bunch of thoughts raced through my head: That guy who sold it to me never warned me. I am sure he knew I was going to get boned trying to get in. What a jerk.
This is not fair. I am an idiot.

I told him I wasn’t a student. Told him I just bought it from a guy and didn’t know it was a student ticket. I think I even apologized to him for wasting his time. My eyes were already filling with tears as I was telling him this, realizing what had just happened. I turned my back from the stadium and starting the long, awful walk home. No football game for me. 4 dollars removed from my pocket. Great excitement to great disappointment in the span of 5 seconds.

I got about 5 steps away when I heard ‘Hey Kid. C’mon back.’

Was I imagining that? I turned back and took a peek at the ticket taker who had just broken my heart.

He was talking to me. And he had a little hint of a smile. ‘C’mon back’ he said again.

I cautiously walked back.

’I’m not supposed to do this. But go on in.’ He gestured for my ticket with one hand and waved to the concourse of the stadium with the other.

I didn’t have to be told twice. I was in the stadium in a flash, wiping my tears away as my utter despair changed again to pure joy.

10 seconds later, I had navigated through the dark, dank underbelly of Archbold and headed for an entrance to the field. It was about the only light anywhere close to me. As I went through the entrance, all that darkness of greys and blacks was replaced by a brilliant sunny day and the vibrant green of the playing field. I think both endzones were painted orange.

It was very much like the moment in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ when Dorothy leaves her house, goes outside and the film abruptly changes from black and white to color.

SU was playing. The tubas beckoned.

Hooked. Line and sinker.

The rest is history.

Props to the kind ticket taker who bend the rules and let a kid in using a student ticket. He is probably gone now but I will always remember that act of kindness.

The orangest orange I have ever seen was the orange on the helmets of Syracuse players in the first game I attended, 10/10/64. UCLA's powder blue was boring by comparison. They were unbeaten while we'd lot to Boston College on a freak play in the opener, (two SU D-backs had collided trying to make a clinching interception. The ball bounced off of them and then to the Eagles receiver who waltzed into the end zone), but it was clear we were the better team from early on. But we couldn't get separation on the scoreboard until late in the first half. It was only 6-0 when Floyd Little stood on his own 9 yard line to return a punt. I recall him moving to his left toward the sideline when a man with a large coat stood up in front of me. A huge "Whoooo" rose from the crowd. I saw #44 cutting back across the field and out-running any Bruin to the goal line to give us a 13-0 halftime lead. Dad told me that what had happened when I couldn't see because of the man with the big coat was Jim Nance hitting a Bruin so hard the guy flew into the air and Floyd ran under him. Did it really happen that way? In my mind, it sure did. When legend becomes fact, print the legend.

In the second half it began to snow. Dad, I and other people in my section became a human snowbank. (Dad, poor guy, already had a cold but he'd promised to take his 10 year old son to an SU game.) But nobody was colder than those surfer dude Bruins, especially as the score mounted in a 39-0 SU win. I remember climbing up the side of the bowl to leave and looking back and seeing those bright orange helmets against the flying snowflakes. Clemson, Tennessee and Texas can forget it. Syracuse orange is the true orange!

 

[Fat tire 13]

Ever since I was old enough to follow sports

I remember some basketball games in 1987. Remember more of the Sugar Bowl in 1988. Auburn's QB was named Burger and he threw a bunch of rinky dink passes. I could not fathom why Auburn would go for a tie instead of a win...

 

[Nick44]

Too long.

 

[GaydenFan47]

Lifelong fan. I listened to games on the radio as a kid. My first memories are of Dave Warner playing QB. My first game was in the Dome in 1980 vs Kansas. I discovered this board within the last year and will check multiple times a day. I always tell people, I like SU Basketball, but I love SU Football. To end, I don't expect national championships. Give me 7 to 8 wins a year and a chance to pull an upset in some big games and I'm happy. I find I like most on this board and most sensible SU Fans.

 

[Grbac]

Donovan McNabb. Seeing him on tv and the cool orange uniforms. I was hooked. So mid to late 90’s.

 

[hplare]

Some posters is the Dan Mullen thread were talking about how long they've been an SU fan. I thought that would make a good thread in itself. (I'll do a separate one on the BB board).

How long have you been an SU football fan?

Me: 1961. I actually became a Cleveland Browns fan first. I turned 8 that fall. My Dad wanted something he could do with his son and brough home a publication previewing the NFL season. We sat together watching whatever game was shown on Sunday, (usually the Giants). The magazine said that Jimmy Brown was the greatest player. Dad said he came from Syracuse so he became my favorite player and the Browns my favorite team. Dad said that Syracuse had another guys just like him on it's current team.

What is the first game you saw on TV or listened to on the radio?

The 1961 Liberty Bowl, Ernie Davis' last game:



What is the first game you attended?

The 1964 UCLA game. Floyd Little borke ist open with a 91 yard punt return just before halftime. WE won 39-0 in the snow over some very cold-looking Californians.

!947. Saw "Slivers' Slovenski go sixty or seventy yards on a fake Statue of Liberty punt to beat Colgate 7 - 0. Many years later, Al Egler, a Hall of Fame Colgate running back told me they knew Syracuse had that play but it still fooled them.

 

[orlandoorange]

1972, I recall listening to Joel Marrenias call SU vs PSU while driving to or from family in PA. I've been a fool ever since.

Loved the team with Bill Hurley and Art Monk, we had season tix for the final year at Archibald, I'm not sure if we still have pieces of the orange railings but we probably held onto them for about 20 years.

 

[Killdozer]

Watched last game from Archbold in 78 on national TV and Joe Morris ran wild. I think it was on ABC and Chris Schenkel had the call. Got me hooked. Like other posters, it got me thinking "Wow, major college football is played in New York state." In early 80s, watched Sunday morning rebroadcasts of Cuse games on PBS station out of Albany (yes, they actually did this). They were locally produced broadcasts with Dave Cohen and Dale Drypoulcher on the calls. I think they were only home games, although I think they did some road games too.

I also remember the PBS rebroadcast games of SU but they were in the 70's. That is when I became a true fan. I would watch these games even knowing the outcome beforehand.

 

[Deleted member 7047]

My sophomore year of college (1984). My girlfriend came from Syracuse and turned me onto SU basketball. It was the Sonny Spera, Andre Hawkins (? #55). Football followed. Ready to quit SU FB if Chesney is the new coach. It's been a good run, but I'm losing interest in losing and, I don't know why, I just don't like Chesney.

Edit: I had already served five years in the military so I was an older sophomore.

 

[mark79]

Watched last game from Archbold in 78 on national TV and Joe Morris ran wild. I think it was on ABC and Chris Schenkel had the call. Got me hooked. Like other posters, it got me thinking "Wow, major college football is played in New York state." In early 80s, watched Sunday morning rebroadcasts of Cuse games on PBS station out of Albany (yes, they actually did this). They were locally produced broadcasts with Dave Cohen and Dale Drypoulcher on the calls. I think they were only home games, although I think they did some road games too.

I started watching my freshman year in 1975 through graduation in 1987. Just kidding, 1979. I was at the last game in Archbold. Pledge got a piece of the goalpost lol.

 

[Giants1973]

Starting watching 1980. My first game was first game in the Dome against Miami of Ohio.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

Some posters is the Dan Mullen thread were talking about how long they've been an SU fan. I thought that would make a good thread in itself. (I'll do a separate one on the BB board).

How long have you been an SU football fan?

Me: 1961. I actually became a Cleveland Browns fan first. I turned 8 that fall. My Dad wanted something he could do with his son and brough home a publication previewing the NFL season. We sat together watching whatever game was shown on Sunday, (usually the Giants). The magazine said that Jimmy Brown was the greatest player. Dad said he came from Syracuse so he became my favorite player and the Browns my favorite team. Dad said that Syracuse had another guys just like him on it's current team.

What is the first game you saw on TV or listened to on the radio?

The 1961 Liberty Bowl, Ernie Davis' last game:



What is the first game you attended?

The 1964 UCLA game. Floyd Little borke ist open with a 91 yard punt return just before halftime. WE won 39-0 in the snow over some very cold-looking Californians.

Joe Morris in the dome, tunnel brawls with Rutgers. Good times

 

[lincolncuse]

Watched the Aloha Bowl Christmas morning 1990

 

[Norman Dale]

Some posters is the Dan Mullen thread were talking about how long they've been an SU fan. I thought that would make a good thread in itself. (I'll do a separate one on the BB board).

How long have you been an SU football fan?

Me: 1961. I actually became a Cleveland Browns fan first. I turned 8 that fall. My Dad wanted something he could do with his son and brough home a publication previewing the NFL season. We sat together watching whatever game was shown on Sunday, (usually the Giants). The magazine said that Jimmy Brown was the greatest player. Dad said he came from Syracuse so he became my favorite player and the Browns my favorite team. Dad said that Syracuse had another guys just like him on it's current team.

What is the first game you saw on TV or listened to on the radio?

The 1961 Liberty Bowl, Ernie Davis' last game:



What is the first game you attended?

The 1964 UCLA game. Floyd Little borke ist open with a 91 yard punt return just before halftime. WE won 39-0 in the snow over some very cold-looking Californians.

Sat on the hard, cold, damp concrete at Archbold.

 

[upperdeck]

I have been a fan since they only way to watch was AM radio and tin foil. Back when sunday mornings were for the coaches show and actual game film and discussion.. I miss that.

And listening to my Dad tell what it was like to root for Jim Brown.

 

[mhoff44]

Birth in 1992

 

[SmilinBob]

I have been a fan since they only way to watch was AM radio and tin foil. Back when sunday mornings were for the coaches show and actual game film and discussion.. I miss that.

And listening to my Dad tell what it was like to root for Jim Brown.

Listening to the Old Scout on WNDR I believe?

 

[Chip]

Grew up local, and a hoops fanatic.

Was more of an NFL fan as a kid. Obviously knew about the program, the Dome, Coach Mac, 1987 season, etc.

But not until freshman year, 1991, did I become a die hard. Was hooked from the first Dome game against Vandy. 2nd Dome game (Florida) didn't exactly turn me off.

Realized this when I read Carlson's article this morning. My first two years as a die hard, we won 10 games. In the 31 years since, we've done it twice.

 

[orange79]

Sat on the hard, cold, damp concrete at Archbold.

Which became waterfalls if it was raining.

 

[Roger N]

Some posters is the Dan Mullen thread were talking about how long they've been an SU fan. I thought that would make a good thread in itself. (I'll do a separate one on the BB board).

How long have you been an SU football fan?

Me: 1961. I actually became a Cleveland Browns fan first. I turned 8 that fall. My Dad wanted something he could do with his son and brough home a publication previewing the NFL season. We sat together watching whatever game was shown on Sunday, (usually the Giants). The magazine said that Jimmy Brown was the greatest player. Dad said he came from Syracuse so he became my favorite player and the Browns my favorite team. Dad said that Syracuse had another guys just like him on it's current team.

What is the first game you saw on TV or listened to on the radio?

The 1961 Liberty Bowl, Ernie Davis' last game:



What is the first game you attended?

The 1964 UCLA game. Floyd Little borke ist open with a 91 yard punt return just before halftime. WE won 39-0 in the snow over some very cold-looking Californians.

Probably became a fan in 1956 when Jim Brown scored 27 points against TCU in the Cotton Bowl. I have a remembrance of the 1952 Sugar Bowl where Bama stomped SU something like 66-6. My dad had to go into work at Crucible Steel for a melt and he called home to see how the game was going.

I became a diehard fan in 1959 when I was a boy scout usher in section 48 of Archbold Stadium. SU kicked butt all season. One of the SU lineman was a student teacher at my school - Bruce Tarbox. It's in my blood. I have issues with the way college sports are blowing up with all the cash flowing to all sorts of people. I don't want to see players just coming here for the NIL money.