Near 15 year lurker who has enjoyed visiting this forum for recruiting news, post-game analysis, raves, rants, etc. (although not a fan of some of the squabbling).
Over the years there have been a few subjects that almost caused me to post on the forum but the Dave Jacobs subject made me get off the sideline and create my first post.
I don’t know Mr. Jacobs personally and I am not trying to discount anyone else’s interactions with Mr. Jacobs.
I wanted to post because my personal experiences with Mr. Jacobs at Shirt World were entirely positive - albeit these were back in the early to mid-90s.
My father would take me and sometimes others to a handful of Cuse basketball games a year. We lived about 70 miles away and my dad took care of tickets, thruway tolls, gas, parking fees and he would get me a game program and some food. However, if I wanted a shirt or souvenir that would come out of my own pocket.
If we arrived early enough to a game, I would drag my dad up and down Marshall Street looking for the coolest shirt and the best deal. When I was around 8th or 9th grade we ended up at Shirt World and Mr. Jacobs was talking up my dad as I looked around. Eventually I walked over and Mr. Jacobs asked what I had picked out. I told him about the jersey/shirt that I liked but then informed him that I saw it cheaper at another store and that my dad and I needed to leave to go buy it elsewhere and head to the game!
Mr. Jacobs was a bit taken aback aback at this gangly kid without a filter. He then told me that I could buy the shirt from him at a price several dollars cheaper than any competitors’ price that I saw.
So I bought the shirt from him and every year after we would stop in his store once or twice during the basketball season. He always remembered my dad and I,including our names, and was extremely friendly towards us even when the store was hopping with all the pre-game shoppers. He would always offer me a “deal” knowing that I had already shopped around.
Growing up in the boonies of CNY, going to Cuse basketball games were some of the highlights of my middle school and high school years and my (and my dad’s) interactions with Mr. Jacobs are also remembered fondly. I am sorry that others interactions with him were not as positive.
