How did you become a UConn fan?

[Tenspro2002]

Grew up in Connecticut in the 90s. I was a toddler during the Dream Season, but followed the team beginning around 1993-1994. It's been a hell of a 30-year run.

 

[husky8273]

never followed UConn before attending; couldn't afford other schools, enrolled in my safety school in '76 - Husky Forever

 

[CL82]

I grew up in Connecticut and always wanted to attend UConn especially after older siblings and friends went there. I turned down other lesser schools, like Brown, to attend.

Like many above have mentioned, I used to go to all the games at the old Fieldhouse, which was an amazing place to see a game. it was absolutely packed to the point that you literally could not get another person in the building and many people would be watching from the doors. It's been a passion ever since.

 

[HailUConn]

I came to Uconn as a grad student in the Fall of 1998. I became a Huskies Fan in the tiny living room of my rented apt watching 1999 team beat Duke. That was a good time and I vividly remember the gas money is 75c/gallon.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

I don't have sporty parents, so I guess I officially became a UConn in 3rd grade which was the 1993-94 season.

That same year, my oldest sister applied to (and ultimately went to UConn), so I visited campus one day and I remember another day attending a game at HCC at some point that season, which I'm pretty sure was the 2/26/94 win against Pitt. I had to pay my way through college, so UConn was the only American school I applied to (didn't get into McGill), so my fandom + financial sense made going to UConn the easy and obvious choice (Great Pick!)

I can't recall following UConn or even watching any games prior to that year, so that'll be my official start date of fandom. Overall, it was a really good sports year for me: Rangers win the cup, Yankees were in the nascent stages of their dynasty and the Knicks had their NBA Finals run.

 

[Greedo]

I grew up in PA a die hard Penn State football fan. I wanted to go to a college that had good sports, so I applied to PSU, Pitt, and UConn. I knew I'd get into Pitt as a back up, but really didn't want to be in a city. I didn't know anything about UConn academics, just the bball team. I had no idea if I'd get in or not.

I got accepted to UConn and Pitt and didn't get into Penn State main campus, so I went on a tour of UConn and absolutely loved it there. I went '08 - '12 (and remembered making good money picking UConn in 8th grade in my '04 bracket with a group of friends at school).

 

[GampelGladiator]

I was born in Eastern CT in 1978 and attended my first game at the Field House in the mid-80s when the goal was to avoid the Big East Tournament play-in game. I do know that at one of my first games, the person sitting behind me got annoyed with my incessant pom-pom waving and took it out of my hands and broke it in half. But the lesson I learned was to be tough and never back down when my father bought me a new pom-pom and told me to wave it as much as I wanted too. I can't believe that this 35+ year love affair began with something in that way...but I hope it never changes!

But I would say the Dream Season was the beginning of my obsession and remember a bunch of us quickly going down to the local playground and shooting hoops after the Huskies won the BET that season. I of course recall crying after Laettner hit a game winner...though not as bad as when the Red Sox lost game 6 in 1986.

Go Huskies!!!

 

[Imdone]

Grew up in CT in the 60's. Bob Staak was my first favorite player. Bobby Dulin, L.E.O Wilson (he would shoot once he crossed half court). I remember them all. Back when we kinda ruled the old Yankee Conference and UMASS-holes were our biggest rivalry. Went to tons of games in the old field house as a kid. When I got my first job out of college I became a season ticket holder and kept them even after moving to Florida 23 years ago. Finally gave them up about 6 years ago. Attended the first three Final Fours. Attended the players after party in San Antonio in 2004.

 

[JungleLobo]

I filled out the form in triplicate. I was put on a waiting list for 4 seasons plus a Covid year and told that I needed to post infinite wisdom on a bulletin board. It’s been hard time I’ve been passing by learning how to write haikus. Omaha 5-7-5

 

[HuskyHawk]

Grew up in Manchester from 1970. My dad worked at the Hartford. He regularly had unused suite tickets at the Civic Center for weeknight games. So starting sometime in the late 70's he started taking me. Norm Bailey, Vern Giscombe, Corny, Mike McKay, those teams under Perno. They were better than we often remember. It was the 32 team era. Then I went to UConn starting in 1984, was on campus for the NIT championship and the arrival of JC. We went to pretty much every game. I was lucky to have "golden ticket", student seats behind the basket for the opening season of Gampel.

 

[Hogoff]

I grew up in Connecticut. Moved out of state in 98 against my will. Watching UConn was a good way for me to connect back to my roots. I was a fan before that but more into playing sports then watching.

 

[controlfade]

1988 NIT tournament got me hooked and made my college choice easy.

 

[CL82]

I do know that at one of my first games, the person sitting behind me got annoyed with my incessant pom-pom waving and took it out of my hands and broke it in half. But the lesson I learned was to be tough and never back down when my father bought me a new pom-pom and told me to wave it as much as I wanted too.

Not to be all Internet tough guy or anything, but ...if someone took a pom-pom, or whatever, from my kid and broke it in half, he'd be spitting out Chiclets. What an asshat that guy was!

(Just a guess, but it was probably Deepster.)

 

[ctchamps]

Accidental encounter with a WTIC broadcast in 1962. Became a Toby Kimball fan. Been a UConn mens bb fan ever since.

Started paying attention to the women's program 1990. Little did I know what was to follow.

Football fan on and off since the 80's. Well two out of three ain't bad.

 

[GampelGladiator]

Not to be all Internet tough guy or anything, but ...if someone took a pom-pom, or whatever, from my kid and broke it in half, he'd be spitting out Chiclets. What an asshat that guy was!

(Just a guess, but it was probably Deepster.)

My memory of it is really knowing the story...but I am sure that the guy was very lucky that my father is incredibly patient and calm.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I became a UConn Huskie fan when I started hearing UConn games on WTIC radio in the mid 50's .... Yankee Conference with the Rhody Rams, the Maine Black Bears and the Catamounts among others ... Wes Bialasuknia and Toby Kimball and Perno and others .... listened frequently and rooted for the Huskies for a long time ... then the big step ;up with Calhoun and their first major championship, the NIT .... then Chris Smith and Nadev which really changed everything

 

[CL82]

My memory of it is really knowing the story...but I am sure that the guy was very lucky that my father is incredibly patient and calm.

No doubt! I'm sure he thought it out, bit his tongue, took a deep breath and decided to role model behavior for you but I guarantee you he was boiling inside. I also feel pretty confident if the guy repeated that stunt, his patience probably would've been exhausted.

 

[Waquoit]

When I was 6, I got a clock/radio for Christmas. First present I ever got that had a plug. When I got home from Grandma's and plugged it in before I went to bed, UConn was on and I've been a fan ever since.

 

[Kembacity]

Born in 1982, lived in North Haven, my parents weren’t big basketball heads but somewhere around 89-90 they started noticing that UConn was giving these big east beasts a tough time. My mom had gone to UConn so they had an easy time picking it up.
We became die hard fans, I’d make a poster to watch a game in my living room. As a teen I wanted to go to UConn because of basketball, got a better scholarship to BU but it didn’t matter. I saw the ‘04 title as a student, now I live in Boston and got to see them at the regional this year.

6 year old daughter, 3 year old son who are both the best at dribbling a basketball in their classes, the next generation is coming along nicely so far

 

[2014DualCs]

Born in ‘93. Parents who really weren’t big into sports for some reason loved UConn basketball. Printed out schedules for Men’s and Women’s every year and would rarely miss a game. Remember they had a party to watch ‘99 championship game and my love for UConn/basketball was officially born. Played basketball from that point on through high school. UConn basketball pretty much decided where I was going to school (duh… UConn). 2014 is a year I will never, ever forget.

CONGRATS ON #6! BLEED BLUE!

 

[OviedoFLHusky]

Grew up in eastern CT, close by to Storrs. As a kid, I'd go on field trips to the various livestock barns with my school. I had two older cousins who both went to UConn, and as a teenager I'd go there and visit them. Then it was my turn to go to college, and I chose UConn. I loved my time there (the "Animal House" years -- absolutely crazy). But I didn't become a fan until after I moved to Florida. My dad, a huge sports fan, told me that I should start watching UConn games on TV because "they were pretty good, you'd be surprised." So I did. That was the NIT season. Been a fan ever since.

 

[DCT]

I’m sure this has been done before, but what better time to reminisce than now.

For me it was after the ‘99 title. We had a student teacher who was a manager for the team, seeing the pictures and hearing his stories were mesmerizing. It felt like I could touch it, like I was a part of it too.

Caron Butler lured me further, only for the ‘03 and ‘04 squads to lock me in for life. I was hooked. I would sneak college basketball magazines, and newspapers into class and read them religiously. I started writing my own college basketball previews, and spending free time drawing terrible tracings of said magazine covers.

After the latter Ollie years, I remember wondering if we had already been blessed with the best years of UConn basketball many of us would see in our lifetimes.

I never imagined that the best was yet to come

Cheers.

I was from Rockville and in the army from 70 to 73. A local newspaper possibly JI sent me their paper and I started following Uconn. Jimmy Foster, Al Weston and I can't remember the rest

 

[Puparoni]

I’m sure this has been done before, but what better time to reminisce than now.

For me it was after the ‘99 title. We had a student teacher who was a manager for the team, seeing the pictures and hearing his stories were mesmerizing. It felt like I could touch it, like I was a part of it too.

Caron Butler lured me further, only for the ‘03 and ‘04 squads to lock me in for life. I was hooked. I would sneak college basketball magazines, and newspapers into class and read them religiously. I started writing my own college basketball previews, and spending free time drawing terrible tracings of said magazine covers.

After the latter Ollie years, I remember wondering if we had already been blessed with the best years of UConn basketball many of us would see in our lifetimes.

I never imagined that the best was yet to come

Cheers.

The Dream Season. Learned it was the best way to beat the winter blues

 

[InTheRed]

My intro was in 1988. I was 13 and the first year i followed the ncaa tornament closely. I would read the stories in the New Haven Register every day and i kept seeing these stories about UConn in another tournament. I became enthralled for some reason. By that Fall, i was hooked watching games on channel 8. By the Fall of 89 my brother was a student there and i joined him in the fall of 92.

One of the most gut wrenching days of my life was that horrible day day in March 1990 when Duke beat us and i thought that was our one chance at a Final Four. To this day, i hate Duke for that reason. And no matter how many more titles we win, I will never stop hating Duke.

 

[Husky Dogma]

I came to UConn the season after the Dream Season as a transfer, and every time I went to Homer Babbage library I'd watch the video replay of "The Shot" at a kiosk. I would get chills each and every time. I must've watched that video hundreds of times over the years, but it was always electric to watch. That's what did it for me. I entered UConn not really interested in basketball, and I'm now headed back home from the Final Four. What a gift!