I grew up in Syracuse, on the east side in Eastwood. I was a paper boy, and vividly remember reading about Syracuse football games while delivering my papers. There were always a bunch of pictures in the Sunday HA, players were labeled, there was a ton of coverage, there was a coaches show on TV; this was clearly something very important. Back in the early 1970s, I think ABC did a game of the week live, and NBC aired replays of ND home games called by Lindsey Nelson. That was about it. Until the 1979 season, when Syracuse played all games on the road and got into a bowl game, I don't think I ever saw an SU football game televised.
Anyway, despite the lack of TV coverage, I got interested. Started listening to games on the radio (called by the inimitable Joel Mareiniss). I think Coney Island Dave Cohen was the color guy. That got me more interested.
But none of my friends went to games. My parents didn't go. No one I knew went. Circa 1973-74, I decided it was time to check things out. I looked up how to get to the campus and with much trepidation, walked up to Archbold.
I walked up to buy a ticket and froze. The price for a ticket was $6! I was a paper boy. I had money. My partner and I split a route and made maybe $8 a week. $6 was a lot. Chiefs games were $1. I had no idea it was going to be so expensive...I think I brought $4 with me. I got out of line and I think I just stood there to the side of the ticket booth, wondering what to do.
Some guy came up to me.
"Hey kid, you need a ticket?"
"Yes. But I don't have $6."
"How much you got?"
I remember thinking, this guy (I was 13 or 14; he looked about 20) wants to sell me a ticket. I briefly considered lying to him and saying $3. No, I had walked 3 miles to get this far; I wasn't going to take a chance.
"$4"
He smiled.
"This is your lucky day."
Hands me a ticket very surreptiously. Stands close to me, blocking the view.
I give him my hard earned $4. He disappears.
Enormously relieved, I hurry to the nearest stadium entrance. The game is about to begin!
I proudly hand my ticket to the usher. He looks at it. I start through the turnstile.
"Wait a minute. Where is your id?"
I look at him with what I am sure was a very confused look.
"You gotta show me your id. You aren't a student, are you?"
"Yes I am. I attend Eastwood Junior High."
"You can't use this ticket. This is a Syracuse University student ticket."
He look at me like I am crazy. Greenhorn that I was, I never even looked at the ticket. I look at it now. It is a SU student ticket.
It hits me. I have been bamboozled. I am an idiot. I can't help it, my eyes start to fill with tears.
"I am sorry, I bought it from somebody. They didn't tell me. I didn't know. Sorry."
I didn't fight it. I turned around and started the long, sad walk home. At that moment, my entire future as a Syracuse fan was held in the ticket taker's hands. Maybe my future choice for college as well.
"Hey kid".
I didn't bother turning around. I muttered "its okay" and kept walking.
He was an older guy. Didn't seem nice, wasn't warm at all. But somehow, some way, something changed in the ticket taker's heart.
He ran back to him. Put his arm around me. Put his head close to my ear and whispered "It is okay kid. Don't worry about it. C'mon with me." Walked me back to the turnstile.
He took the ticket back from me and allowed me to enter the stadium. I went from utter devastation to sheer joy in the span of 5 seconds.
I headed under the stands. It was really dark, dreary and looked a lot like a prison in Auburn I had driven past before. I remembered thinking I had made a bad mistake. This was going to be a bad experience.
Then I reached an entrance to the playing field, walked through it, looked up from the depressing gray concrete and saw the most brilliant and beautiful green grass field I ever saw. The end zones were painted in Syracuse colors and I think the SU band was on the field.
For the first time in my life, I gasped in excitement.
And that was it. I was hooked. For life.