Where Are We From/Fan History.

[Jake]

Fun thread. I've been a fan since about 1973ish? I was 8. My first recollection of SU hoops was watching a post season game against Oral Roberts. Watched it on a fuzzy b/w television. Thought they had a funny name. Remember they lost the game. Wasn't heartbroken.

i was amazed to discover regular season college basketball on tv the next year. Ill never forget it was unc vs NC state. Then I got hooked and remembered there was a local team to follow. But we were never on tv. So I barricaded myself in my too neigh my need and acted out the games I listened to described by Joel Marreiness. What a year to start being a fan. We kept winning and winning and winning. Spoiled me rotten to end up in something called the final four and even my mom and dad started watching (my parents hated sports and would much rather watch westerns,ugh. But I persevered).

From then on I was hooked. My neighbor had season tickets and would take me to games with him at Manley and then the dome. But still. The radio was where I followed most games.

I remember my first game at the dome. About 10 rows under the scoreboard in 309. I thought, my god this sucks, the players are ants!!! Those were my neighbors season tix.

My 19th birthday present was Pearl's half court shot. devastated when Keith Smart hit that shot. I mean, my buddies were already celebrating when he hit it. Crushed.

I went to various games over the years, and moved away to Baltimore in the mid 90s. Sort of lost connection with the team during 94-95...and then boom!!! The Internet!! Lurked on the aol boards but never participated until the Syracuse.com days. Found people more obsessed than me.

Then I moved back, got a real job and got my "own" tickets thanks to the kindness of a fellow poster who shall remain nameless (Bees).

Not only did I go to games, but I really started following recruiting, went to abcd camps and saw the infamous Lenny Cooke vs Lebron showdown, among others. Met a few coaches along the way .

Sat next to Mason at the 03 champ game. I was shaking like a leaf in a tornado during the final five minutes of that game. Because of the angle of the final shot, as god as my witness, I thought Kueth goaltended the final shot. It wasn't until I saw OUR players storm the court that I freaked out.

Still have season tickets, but my obsession following recruiting (live) has waned.

Favorite players are the usual suspects and as mason noted above, pearl is at the top of my list and melo is relatively low compared to others in sure. I like four year guys, pearl excluded.

I will dearly miss the big east because it was OUR conference. We defined it. We were Indy before that, it's the only conference we've known. Georgetown will always be the most hated rival - it's the only conference rivalry we need to continue.

 

[ORRange]

Fun thread. I've been a fan since about 1973ish? I was 8. My first recollection of SU hoops was watching a post season game against Oral Roberts. Watched it on a fuzzy b/w television. Thought they had a funny name. Remember they lost the game. Wasn't heartbroken.

i was amazed to discover regular season college basketball on tv the next year. Ill never forget it was unc vs NC state. Then I got hooked and remembered there was a local team to follow. But we were never on tv. So I barricaded myself in my too neigh my need and acted out the games I listened to described by Joel Marreiness. What a year to start being a fan. We kept winning and winning and winning. Spoiled me rotten to end up in something called the final four and even my mom and dad started watching (my parents hated sports and would much rather watch westerns,ugh. But I persevered).

From then on I was hooked. My neighbor had season tickets and would take me to games with him at Manley and then the dome. But still. The radio was where I followed most games.

I remember my first game at the dome. About 10 rows under the scoreboard in 309. I thought, my god this sucks, the players are ants!!! Those were my neighbors season tix.

My 19th birthday present was Pearl's half court shot. devastated when Keith Smart hit that shot. I mean, my buddies were already celebrating when he hit it. Crushed.

I went to various games over the years, and moved away to Baltimore in the mid 90s. Sort of lost connection with the team during 94-95...and then boom!!! The Internet!! Lurked on the aol boards but never participated until the Syracuse.com days. Found people more obsessed than me.

Then I moved back, got a real job and got my "own" tickets thanks to the kindness of a fellow poster who shall remain nameless (Bees).

Not only did I go to games, but I really started following recruiting, went to abcd camps and saw the infamous Lenny Cooke vs Lebron showdown, among others. Met a few coaches along the way .

Sat next to Mason at the 03 champ game. I was shaking like a leaf in a tornado during the final five minutes of that game. Because of the angle of the final shot, as god as my witness, I thought Kueth goaltended the final shot. It wasn't until I saw OUR players storm the court that I freaked out.

Still have season tickets, but my obsession following recruiting (live) has waned.

Favorite players are the usual suspects and as mason noted above, pearl is at the top of my list and melo is relatively low compared to others in sure. I like four year guys, pearl excluded.

I will dearly miss the big east because it was OUR conference. We defined it. We were Indy before that, it's the only conference we've known. Georgetown will always be the most hated rival - it's the only conference rivalry we need to continue.

I must have been sitting near you because I was positive Keuth was guilty of goaltending. Even when Billy jumped on the scorers table it still didn't sink in that we had won. I started hugging everyone and still in disbelief. IT SURE LOOKED like a stupid play from my angle. Never thought I'd live to see it.

 

[sutomcat]

Slow day at the office...so I thought I'd throw this out here.

Where are we all from/what's our SU fan story?

I am from Syracuse. No one in my immediate family had ties to Syracuse, heck, in an unfortunate accident of birth, my father got his law degree from Georgetown. No one followed SU sports, I was never taken to a football or basketball game.

My friends had no interest either, but I kept reading stories about the basketball and football games. Was intrigued by the many photos in the Sunday Herald-American showing key plays from SU football games, by the stories of the exploits of the men's basketball team as it moved into regular contention for NIT bids, to regular contention for NCAA bids, to getting wins in the NCAA tournament and beating top 20 teams pretty regularly. Started regularly listening to basketball and broadcasts by Joel Mareiniss. He was a good announcer, very enthusiastic, very descriptive. Made me venture from my Eastwood home to the SU campus to see some of these games for myself.

So I headed up to Archbold, determined to watch a football game. No idea how much a ticket would cost, but I knew Chiefs games (AAA baseball) were in the .50 to $1 range. Movies were about the same. To my chagrin, I found that tickets for SU football were way higher. $6 or $7 (I have forgotten which). Even if I had that money on me, I wasn't going to pay it. Ending up trying to buy one from scalpers, something I had never even considered. An SU student sold me a ticket for $4. I was overjoyed at my good luck until after giving my ticket to the ticket taker, I was asked for my student id.

I was 12, maybe 13. The realization that I had been duped by a student hit me. I wasn't going to get in and I had just wasted $4 of my precious paperboy money on nothing. Tried to explain to the ticket taker what had happened. He told me he was sorry but I was out of luck and had to leave. I didn't argue, turned around and slowly headed home, crushed. Just as I promised myself that I would never go back to Archbold again, that I was done with SU athletics before even getting started, the ticket taker called me back. He took the ticket from me, whispered to never buy a student ticket again (I disregarded that advice until the day I became a student) and told me to go in.

From the outside, Archbold Stadium, built in 1907, was a crumbling, ancient looking giant structure, but the fine iron gates that protected the interior, the imposing walls, the massive arch that formed the western entrance to it, were magnificent. But the thing that got me, the wow moment that hooked me for life, was when I made my way down the hall, under the stands, to my gate and walked through it to see the field for the first time.

The dull grey, cracked and decaying concrete that were seemingly everywhere was suddenly replaced by a vast expanse of lush, brilliant green grass, perfectly marked and gorgeous. It took my breath away. The year was 1972. Maybe 1973. And I was hooked.

Later that year, I went to Manley for the first time and had a similar life-altering experience. Funky music being played before the game. Sweet D putting on a show. Students participating in organized and extremely profane chants. The Kennel Club (featuring some students who actually won muzzles and ate dog biscuits). People smoking marijuana in public. Giant afros. And last but not least, people playing basketball at an extremely high level. It was like being exposed to the counter culture for the first time. It WAS my first exposure to the counter culture.

Won't even try to pick out favorite specific games or moments; there have been too many to name. But I will mention two things:

The national championship in basketball in 2003 was special. Great to have shared the experience with so many people on this board.

I am also very thankful for the advent of the Internet, which has, in a long and convoluted journey, led us all to this board and this thread. It has been a great ride.

Like Jake, I am extremely saddened by the end of the Big East conference. I was there for its birth, its growth, and now its death. It is part of my identify. Losing it is going to be very tough.

Going to the ACC conference, a conference I have hated more than any other, is a particularly cruel twist. I understand it is the best place for Syracuse to survive in the cruel new world that is college athletics 2012 and I accept it. I look forward to visiting some great venues, playing some terrific programs, but a part of him will die on July 1st, 2013. Life goes on.

I figure if we can survive GRob. we can survive anything.

 

[kirbivore]

I have to question anyone's motives for posting here if they refuse to answer the question posed in this thread.

 

[HakAttack]

I have to question anyone's motives for posting here if they refuse to answer the question posed in this thread.

Earlier in the thread, I asked the Mods to sticky this topic to the main page. I have this thought that before membership to this board is approved, each poster will have to share their story.

Agreed. This question is the one common thing that binds all of us. A love and passion for Syracuse athletics, and it means different things to different people.

But to me at least, hearing people's stories and how Syracuse came to mean so much to them is one of the coolest things ever!

 

[CusefanATL]

My first recollection of SU hoops was in the 2nd grade. A friend, from Sumner elementary, his Dad was somehow affiliated with the University. In the past, I’ve thought the year was 1968, but it could have been as early as 1966 since I would’ve only been about 6 years old. They had an extra ticket.
One thing is for sure, they were definitely playing Army. Prowling in front of the Cadet bench was a fiery dark haired fellow, by the name of Bobby Knight. SU won the game, but it was a fight the whole way.
In the 70’s, it was convenient & relatively affordable for a teen (pre-teen) SU fan to use the bus, buy a ticket & have money left over for a dog. So…pretty much from the swan song of Bill Smith & Kid Kohls, through the storied careers of Dennis DuVal, Jimmy Lee, Kevin King, Rudy Hackett & Jim Williams, I attended roughly 75% of the home games. I actually went through 3 years of high school with Marty Headd, Earl Belcher & Pat Murphy.
In 1976, my family relocated to the central valley of California. One important aspect of my being was not relocated, however. That of course is my life long affection & loyalty to SU hoops.
GO ORANGE!!!!!!!

The cool thing about this thread... Is even some memories that are foggy can become clear.

Looks like you went to your 1st game on 12/6/1966
http://orangehoops.org/GameResults/G1966-1967.htm

We were @army the next yr and didn't play them the yr after.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Love some of these stories, especially from some of the older (you know what I mean) posters.

I lived in Fayetteville, NY (for those unfamiliar, it's about 15 minutes from campus) for 22 years. Naturally, I became addicted to everything Syracuse. On top of the geographical proximity, both of my parents have worked at the university for almost thirty years a piece. Dad has always been involved in the chemistry department and I recall as a young kid, running around the lab he was working in, playing with ice out of the big ice dispensers with my younger sister. I was always intrigued by the students I came across. No question, I made up my mind of where I wanted to go to school at a very young age. Most high school seniors have a big decision in front of them-- what school to choose???? I applied to two- Syracuse and Clarkson (hey, it was free on common app )

In 2003 (7th grade) I watched the championship game with my dad in my basement. I was up so late, my parents let me go into school late the next day (everyone knew why). In fact, in the first round the Manhattan game was a day game, and my dad drove home from work to pick me up in the chemistry department's SU van to bring me home to watch it. When we won it all, I remember watching the post game cameras showing marshall street and the absolute joy and chaos. I confirmed what I already knew; I was destined to attend Syracuse University, with the hope of being able to experience that thrill I watched on camera.

My uncle was a huge Syracuse basketball fan and a big influence on me as a child. He recorded the championship game on a VHS tape using his VCR (what's that again?). He passed away in 2007 (my senior year of high school) from pancreatic cancer. Side note-- perhaps the worst illness you can get is pancreatic cancer, you have no chance. Obviously, being still young I was very shaken up. I ended up with two extremely meaningful things from my uncle-- a notecard signed by Billy Owens and Sherman Douglas, and the championship tape. I still watch the tape ever so often. The poor quality and at times mis-recording remains, and I wouldn't replace it for an HD DVD copy of the game.

This past may I graduated from Syracuse with a degree in chemical engineering. It went by fast, but what an absolutely wonderful four years. Couldn't have asked for better basketball teams/friends (including BlackKnight, et al) to share it with. I've been going to SU football games since I was about 7. Split season tickets with my aunt on the third level. I've seen the ups, I've seen the downs (and we couldn't have gone further down, honestly). What will continue to remain is my true love for Syracuse sports, and more importantly, Syracuse University in general.

I've been living in Akron, Ohio for about 1.5 months now after finding a job out here. It's the first time in my life I haven't been able to watch every football/basketball game easily. In fact, when we played South Florida, it was the weekend I moved in my new apartment, and the entire night I was watching the game on my phone using WatchESPN while my parents attempted to make my apartment presentable. I was busy. I had no set up internet yet, so I used a TON of data. It was worth it.

I like the area, and I will continue to rep Syracuse gear here as much as possible. I've met a lot of OSU fans obviously, and each time, I have to hold myself back a bit to stop myself from ranting on about that elite 8 game last year. This year we get redemption.

Bleed orange.

 

[victor]

Born in Cuba. Graduated from Syracuse in 1965. Back then football was king and basketball was an afterthought. First time i really got into SU basketball was in 1975 during the run to the final four. Was in a bowling alley in Chesterfield Va. (Richmond) when Syacuse beat North Carolina. Lots of tarheel fans all in shock anf I was delirious. Vaguely remember dean Smith trying to pull some trick play where Carolina player was taken the ball out of bounds at the end of the game and he moved causing the Syracuse player to move and run into a Carolina player who was standing still. Refs. did not call a foul and everyone in the bowling alley went nuts. My memory is vague but some how I remember something like this happening.

Of course like everyone else I had my heart broken when Keith Smart hit the shot in 87.

 

[Bill Orange]

Born in Cuba. Graduated from Syracuse in 1965. Back then football was king and basketball was an afterthought. First time i really got into SU basketball was in 1975 during the run to the final four. Was in a bowling alley in Chesterfield Va. (Richmond) when Syacuse beat North Carolina. Lots of tarheel fans all in shock anf I was delirious. Vaguely remember dean Smith trying to pull some trick play where Carolina player was taken the ball out of bounds at the end of the game and he moved causing the Syracuse player to move and run into a Carolina player who was standing still. Refs. did not call a foul and everyone in the bowling alley went nuts. My memory is vague but some how I remember something like this happening.

Of course like everyone else I had my heart broken when Keith Smart hit the shot in 87.

The Carolina player trying to draw the charge on Bob Parker (RIP) was Mitch Kupchak, now GM of the Lakers. I met Mitch at some hoop function in the City a few years ago and mentioned that play. He's still a tad bitter, judging from his reaction to me bringing up the subject.

 

[MGP]

Born & raised in Minoa. Dad had season tix to hoops & football since 60's. Started going to games with him sometime in mid-70s. I remember some games from Archie - seeing the "Hurley for Heisman" sign for the 1st game of year vs. Fla St. & Hurley broke his ribs and missed most of season. Was there for the finale vs. Navy, got a piece of the stadium rail (used as a memorabilia shelf in my man-cave today), but SU hoops was always my true passion from early on. 1st recollection is going to airport after '75 Final Four. Remember some games in Manley, Magic Johnson getting the MVP of the Carrier Classic in a losing effort to Marty Byrnes. That 1st Big East season (instilling my hate for the Hoyas) - beating the Russians. When we moved to the Dome, my Dad's 2nd season ticket became mine. We always used to hang out after the games and always ended up in the locker room, where I would get multiple autographs. Used to bring my tape recorder and conduct player interviews. Most of them looked at me like "is this kid for real" but they would have some funny answers for my questions. Still have some of those tapes somewhere. Hardly ever missed a game in the 80's until I went to college and even then I'd make it home from Ithaca for many of them. Moved to Chicago in mid-90's and one of the toughest things about leaving was knowing that I'd miss those Orange games. Been in the midwest ever since, always try to go to any games close enough by (ND, Depaul, Marquette, Cincy, L'Ville) so in that respect, I will really miss the BE. Still come home from time to time to visit family and always attend games. I'll always be a die-hard Orange man. Now my son lives for it too. He's been to his fair share since he was a baby, probably more than many kids who live in 'Cuse. Good to be a part of this board and obsess with like-minded fanatics. JB has put together a truly remarkable program that gives us much to cheer and ruminate about year in and year out. Go Orange!

 

[Sufran]

Love these stories!

I became a fan in March of 87, thats when I moved from Las Vegas to CNY. It didn't take very long. My grandparents, mom and sister were all huge fans. I moved away from CNY 1992 to go into the Army. I haven't lived there since but every time I come back for a visit I make sure I attend a game. I live in Kansa now, about 45 minutes from Lawrence actually. These KU fans are the most arrogant fans I have ever seen! No one wanted to come over for a finals party I was throwing I am pretty sure they hate me. Even though I don't live there I bleed Orange! My wife thinks I am crazy I am sure. I have sooo many good memories of past Cuse teams that are ingrained in my head from Mcnabbs 98 win over Vtech and also Michigan. One of my most favorite Orange players was Lawrence Moten, loved that guy. He could score and make it look easy. I was also in Columbia last month for the Mizzou game, A MAY ZING!

I am so glad I found this site a couple weeks ago. There are some great posters here with a lot of great information. Go Cuse!!

 

[Dcuse]

Don't wanna be the only one not sharing so...Just another Minoa Rat born in 1961.Cuse hoops started with Wadach,Lee,Duval teams. Remember Jimmy Lee and "Bug" Williams absolutely tearin it up with the Freshman team. I believe it was very shortly after then that there was no more freshman team.My greatest possesion of my life was a little white transistor radio I got for Christmas because I could take it to my appointed bedtime and listen to SU games without my parents knowing. I have been a maniacal and unreasonable person to be around during any Cuse hoops or football game ever since.

Was huge Joel Mareinas and Bob Dooms fan to start. Don't ask me why.

 

[tee1222]

I grew up in Queens, NY. Although my friends that were into college basketball were St. John's fans I took a different path, thanks to this guy's exciting play (no, not Macon, Bird, nor Admiral). BTW, I had a copy at one time of this issue, which hyped up Sherm pretty well from what I remembered. Scroll down to see the rest...

Being short in stature, and not yet very good at basketball, I admired Sherm not only because he proved the "little guy" could do it on a high level, but it was his alley oops, shovel passes, effortless ways to excite the crowd while making his teammates better. Over the years, some favorites were John Wallace (game changer, I didn't think he'd miss from anywhere on the court), Sherm, Lawrence Moten (high socks, gotta love it, great scorer), Etan (probably my fave defensive player), Flynn, GMac, Wes, Rick Jackson, Carmelo and most recently would have to be Dion and MCW.

I talk up Cuse all the time to my wife and son, and although I am sure they're less enamored as I am, I am pleased to say we will be at MSG to watch them beat Temple for JB's 101st. I don't know what it is, but even though I didn't go to Cuse, they are by far my favorite sports team of all time. I too won my first March Madness pool in 2003 since I picked Cuse to win it all. I have probably lost a few due to this strategy too, but knowing these great teams over the years, I would pick them every time.

 

[OttoMets]

I come from a diehard SU family and grew up a brisk 30-minute walk from the Dome. Before I was born, my parents traveled pretty extensively in following the team to various ECAC and NCAA games (all of which seemed to end in disappointment, save for that Providence weekend in 1975). "Wendell Alexis" and "Rony Seikaly" were probably four of the first 20 words I learned as a baby. My father taught at SU; growing up, there was nothing cooler than meeting players (getting to spend the occasional snow day sitting through one of his classes and trying not to bother a basketball player with inane questions was more fun than it sounds).

We had pretty good season tickets (my father continuously had basketball tickets since his freshman year in the autumn of 1970 at Manley), and I was lucky enough to miss very few games over the years. Came of "these games actually matter" age right as the Richmond/UMass/probation era began (have memories of games before that, but they were just entertaining - nothing to get worked up about). Richmond and UMass, in particular, were my first experiences with what Bill Simmons would consider a "stomach punch" game. Got to go through 18 years of the Dome basketball experience, a sports atmosphere that I've never seen equalled anyplace else.

Went away to college and got the opportunity to intern with the SID down there; wouldn't you know it, they needed an intern to travel with the basketball team and act as the SID's liaison on the road. And they thought I was doing them a favor, getting paid to travel to watch basketball games! Had a great time with that for three years. Had the pleasure of sitting directly in front of Roy Hibbert on a regional jet flight. Got to sit at the scorer's table at the Dome two times, next to legendary (too strong a term?) official scorer John Mason and legendary (absolutely not too strong a term) public address announcer Carl Eilenberg. Made my team's players and coaches a little miffed by wearing an orange button-down to the SU game during my last year. Learned a ton about basketball along the way.

Relocated to Washington after college, wasn't thrilled at how difficult it was to catch SU games, didn't find the self-proclaimed "SU bar" in Adams Morgan to be at all adequate, and wasn't crazy about the personalities or quality of play on the next couple teams (though our guys really got robbed in 2007). Did find this bunch of internet folks in January of 2010 - this was a revelation. Moved to Syracuse in 2010 and have enjoyed some darn good basketball in the past three seasons (though the Dome atmosphere is...different).

It's been pretty neat to have gotten the chance to view the team from a couple different perspectives.

 

[CuseTroop]

bump

 

[doc05]

Grew up in Long Island - became a fan from the Syracuse/Michigan game in 87. I was a kid - "orange" was my favorite color. I was intrigued watching that game that Derrick Coleman's mom was in the crowd with a "I am Derrick Coleman's Mother" sign. The announers were raving anout this freshman (who kind of reminded me of my favorite baseball player at the time, Darryl Strawberry). I wasn't sure if Syracuse was in New York state at the time - but even though Cuse lost I told myself if that team plays in NYS I am going to root for them. Looked at a map and that was that. Unfortunately I didn't attend SU (was accepted) solely because of better financial aid elsewhere, but Cuse is and has been my official college squad since that 87 Michigan game. And I literally cried my eyes out after the Keith Smart jumper.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I Grew up in the mohawk valley in a small town called st. Johnsville. I had a graduating class of 25 in 2003. Syracuse university was the only school I ever applied to even though I had opportunities to play d3 soccer and basketball. I went to every single home game for football and basketball as a student from 03 to 07. I remember the day we won the national championship in 2003 I already knew I was coming to Syracuse and I dyed my hair orange. John Wallace was my all time favorite Syracuse player. Once I graduated in 2007 I got a job with a major bank as a risk analyst in downtown Syracuse and I have never left, nor do I plan to.

 

[HtownOrange]

Born at St. Joe's in Syracuse. My dad's job took us away, but we moved back just in time to catch the Louie-Bouie show. My dad loved sports and it was nothing for me to join in. I did not attend SU, but always kept Syracuse as my favorite team. When I joined the USAF, I moved a lot, always wearing Syracuse apparel. Even now in Houston, I wear Orange gear. Mostly I get positive comments as the Orange are respected and nobody asks "Who" or "What" is Syracuse, everyone knows, unlike a certain State University east and south of NY.

My wife and girls are all Orange fans, too. My future son-in-law has finally accepted that Syracuse WILL be his #2 team (I don't want to beat him down too much). This was especially hard as his favorite team is OU in football and Louisville in hoops, he loves red and hates orange (UT and OSU), but has agreed to wear blue Syracuse gear. He follows the Orange, now, too so we can talk about it.

Too many memories to pick one favorite, but I have always loved being a part of the larger crowds. I've attended many games around the country and the crowds can be fun, but I can testify that there is NO PLACE LIKE DOME!

 

[Lawrinson14]

I'm definitely not as seasoned a fan as most of you.

Anyway, I was born in '88 in NJ. Growing up I was not into college sports. At all. In fact, I remember rolling my eyes when my dad would go on his rants about college basketball and football. Coincidentally, his favorite one to tell was his love affair with Ernie Davis. According to him, there would rarely be college sports on TV when he was growing up in the 50s and 60s. But when there was, at least in NJ, it was always Syracuse.

Then as a freshman in high school I began hearing whispers of this guy from Syracuse with the name Melo. I remember thinking what the hell kind of name is that. To me, it sounded like some brazilian soccer player. At the lunch table there would be debates all the time. Carmelo or Lebron. Who would you pick first?

Not wanting to be left out of the loop, I started watching. I thought this Melo guy was pretty damn good. But my favorite was the walking stick who could seemingly jump out of the gym and hit turn around fadeaways - Hakim Warrick. Then it all culminated in the championship game against Kansas. To this day one of the most exciting game i've ever watched. After that, I was hooked. I knew where I wanted to go to college (the fact that it had Newhouse didn't hurt either).

Fast forward 3 years later and I was off to my namesake - Lawrinson Hall.

Fun fact: Now if I go out for Chinese food I will now only order ORANGE chicken.

 

[chlywtr]

born in Manchester, NH in 1973....had family that attended Syracuse and became engrossed in the culture...have been a die hard fan since I was 10

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

bump...anyone else out there who hasn't shared your CUSE fan story yet?

Born and raised in CNY, graduated high school '85 and recall growing up in the shadow of the Dome, although it was some 30 miles away. I would attend the early Dome games in football, hoops and lax. My Dad worked at Carrier, so he accrued some benefits as an employee by virtue of the naming rights, including tickets to watch Joe Morris tear up the turf after getting a history lesson and tour of the University from a student group, and leaving with a 44 jersey which I still have. For basketball, we listened to the Louie and Bouie show on the radio as we picked up my dad from his second shift at the TR plant. I still remember the disappointment in the announcers voice as he went through the post game after the David Thirdkill led Bradley victory in the '82 NIT. JB brought the team to my high school for a preseason work out/scrimmage around 83 or 84, and we would attend games several times a year around that same time. I saw many of the great early big east battles, including the fruit throwing at the hated Hoyas, the Michelle Munn game and beating Phi Slamma Jamma.

As I went onto college in Albany, my interests of course changed, but I watched the '87 title game with a hometown buddy, watched the Moten timeout game from my living room in Dallas, and was again recharged by the '96 run, during which I was relocating to NJ. I was listening to the closing minutes of the Miss St final 4 win on headphones as I boarded a plane for NJ, and while I didn't get to the Champ. game in the Meadowlands, I was able to watch it from ESPN in NYC and recall thinking how good Kentucky was and that JB might never win the big one dammit! Then recruiting picked up, I caught Carmelo at the Mickey D's dunk contest and game on TV and knew something special was again brewing, and the mission was finally accomplished in '03! I am raising my 2 boys as fans of the program, and to my amazement I still find myself having to defend JB to the uninitiated. It doesn't help that my Orange gear doesn't go over so well in the heart of Rutgers country now, but I chalk that up to jealousy. Anyways, that's my story as a lifetime bandwagoner. Beat the Hoyas!

 

[SUGIANT]

Yes, but the shirts said "War Otto" ... with a cute graphic. Just in case children were watching/reading.

I still have mine, although it doesn't fit

 

[SUGIANT]

You might know one of my aunts, then. My dad was born in '52, but was only the third oldest of 7 kids (5 sisters). I have to admit, though, I don't remember the age difference between my dad and his youngest sister. They lived directly across the street from the big church that's at the Y in the road on Slocumb, just about a hundred feet up from the pizza place that use to be Froggers (we got pizza from there every time we came to town when I was a kid).

I know that Church well, i believe it's the presbyterian church. My sister went there for quite a while. She still lives up on Howlett Hill Rd. My family was pretty well known around the Village, my grandfather was a Pres of the optimist club in the 80s. I'm still a mener of the Amercian Legion though i haven;t been there for well over 10 years. we moved to NJ in 2001 and CO in 2008.

 

[SUGIANT]

"Used to have great debates in the 90s with one gentleman I don;t see on very much anymmore"

Does anyone know what happened to SU%%?

He came back on around the NC tiemframe. But I haven't seen him since.

 

[PhatOrange]

1978 Manley Field House. I was 7 or 8 years old. My grandfather who was a Prof up at Syracuse got me into the locker room after a game. I got all their autographs in a program which I still have. Rosie Bouie, Louie Orr, Dale Shackleford, Eddie Moss, Hal Cohen, Marty Head, Danny Schayes, Marty Burns and Chris Jerebko.