We were contemporaries at UConn. I can’t recall exactly what the tuition, room & board costs were back then but they were very close to the costs you quoted. The only cost I remember accurately was the price of beer at a bar in Norwich - two drafts for 25 cents. Watched my first women’s bb game around 1994 and became an instant fan.
I remember nickel beer night at a bar in Willimantic. It was perfect for a bunch of broke college students. We’d all pile in a car and head over there. Our presence wasn’t always appreciated by the locals.
I became a UConn fan when I was a student there. I’ve posted about it a bunch of times, but, man, the old Field House rocked. People would file in and squeeze into the bleachers, then, when the seats were filled, people would fill in the aisles. When the stands were completely filled, people would sit on the floor in front of them one or two deep. Then every crevice in the building would get filled with people standing. As I’ve talked about how many occasions, it would get so loud that the dust would shake down from the rafters, and create a cloud around the lights at the top of the arena. It was an absolutely insane atmosphere.
Like so many others, I became a fan of the woman’s program during the 1995 season. You youngsters out there can’t appreciate how much the state adopted and loved that team. Taking down the mighty Lady Vols in a nationally televised game was a powerful moment that not only are was the signature moment of the ascendancy of Connecticut women’s basketball, but was a defining moment for women’s basketball in general. The Connecticut, Tennessee games were must see TV, not just for fans of the women’s game, but sports fans in general end, even non-sports fans. The games became water cooler talk the next day. The 95 team was charismatic with Rebecca Lobo and Jen Rizzotti as the faces of the team and a young, brash head coach who combined basketball acumen with a wry wit and fearless attitude. It was a perfect storm that created lifelong fans out of a bunch of us.