Memorable Fan Interactions

[Hans Sprungfeld]

$12.99 30 racks at Grand Union.

Yikes!

 

[Hey Adrien!]

2005-2006 season. UConn/Nova game where we camped outside and spent the weekdays inside Gampel when practices were over.

Game starts. I was in one of the first few front rows of the student section, full blue body paint with a white O on my chest. My roommate, the C, was to my right. We were facing the right side of the student section, so we were mere feet from the Nova bench.

After every whistle, my roommate would yell to Mike Nardi, “hey Nardi, you are a WEINER”. Over and over...

The security guards didn't know what to do. They would look to each other, their body language signaling "should we do something?" But, the constant berating of "weiner" was not quite at the level of foul language they were used to hearing.

“NARDI, NARDI...you. Are. A. WEEEINER!!” Sometime in a 2nd half timeout, Mike Nardi looks our way and furtively gives my roommate the finger.

A memory to never forget.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Had a real good exchange with a GTown fan in 2013 during our epic game. He looked like Shawn Hunter and was obnoxious all game. After one call went our way he yelled out “weak foul! What is this the Pac10!?” I replied “no must be the catholic 7!” We had a couple other exchanges but sadly he got the last laugh that might.

Of all the UConn games I've been to, that game was the worst in terms of opposing fans.
One of the Georgetown guys behind me (sounds a lot like what you were describing) was unbelievably obnoxious the whole game and this other UConn fan was jawing back to him a couple of times. Maybe that was you? Were you sitting near mid court, all the way towards the top rows?

Or perhaps there are just many obnoxious Georgetown fans.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Of all the UConn games I've been to, that game was the worst in terms of opposing fans.
One of the Georgetown guys behind me (sounds a lot like what you were describing) was unbelievably obnoxious the whole game and this other UConn fan was jawing back to him a couple of times. Maybe that was you? Were you sitting near mid court, all the way towards the top rows?

Or perhaps there are just many obnoxious Georgetown fans.

We were in the corner wayyyy up near the student section on the bench side.

 

[Chin Diesel]

We had empty Keystone Light cans thrown at us in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse in 2007. My friend caught one and told the offender that the next time he throws a beer at him it should be full so he could drink it.

Anyone who catches a Keystone Light...should throw it back...especially if it's full.

I was Keystone Man for Halloween in 1988. Took an empty 12-pack carton, stuck it over my head and put on a bed sheet for a cape. Boom! Done. Drank a bunch of those my first few years in college.

 

[UConnNick]

I have had a few of these over the years. A favorite of mine happened when Rutgers first joined the Big East. My buddy and I are seated three rows in front of a judge. All through the game the judge keeps yelling "Watch the hand checking ref! Ref watch the contact. This ain't the NBA...etc." I let it go until the start of the second half, then I stood up and called to him to get his attention. Once I had it I said "Hey judge, you are right this isn't the NBA, it's the Big East. If your girls can't stand a little contact, then they should have stayed in the A-10." Everyone laughed (even though we were at the RAC) and judge laughed waived an acknowledgement to me and clammed up the rest of the way. My buddy, a lawyer, leans over to me and says "Very funny, but now I won't win a motion in front of him for next 6 months."

The most famous "Judge" in Rutgers history is their former place kicker, Jeremy Ito. He's from Cally, so the nickname is a no brainer.

Speaking of Rutgers, it's not a BB story, but at the 2003 game against them at the Rent, we sat in a section on the lower level with a fair number of their fans, maybe 15-25 of them. The first half came and went without incident, but things started heating up in the third quarter. Suddenly the Husky fans in our section started hurling expletives at the Rutgers fans, and they hurled 'em right back. It was a great game, back and forth with the lead changing hands several times. It was the kind of game where it seemed like the last team with the ball was gonna win. Each time one team or the other scored the insults got more and more vicious. That lasted until the end, when the strangest thing happened. Both groups of fans, none of whom necessarily knew each other beforehand except for a few groups who were sitting together, stayed for a good 15-20 minutes after the game and had a very pleasant discussion about the game and both teams. No hard feelings at all, and the Rutgers fans were very gracious after losing. It was also early Nov., so hanging around in the cold wasn't a good idea, but everybody did anyway.

I believe "Judge" Ito was Rutger's PK that day.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

If it doesn't involve our Huskies defeating the pukies for our 1st National Championship ... '99 countless big talking, pukie prikcs sporting Puke Invitational shirts, pins, etc until ...



Or, sitting behind some self-impressed grandfatherly pukie putz proclaiming to his weiner of a grandson how Spartacus superior the pukies were early and often until our Huskies moved onward to our '04 National Championship game and victory ...

 

[CL82]

A buddy and I went to the last UConn game at the RAC. It was the dead of winter but Rutgers was easily the ugliest campus I’ve ever been to. When we finally got into the worlds largest cardboard box aka the RAC there were just as much UCONN fans as RU fans. I was hoping for a lively crowd given its reputation of being a tough place to play but their fans were so disengaged and sad it was very mild. We beat them going away with DeAndre Daniels on the bench. There was some jawing on our way out from one of their fans who unprovoked said “at least we’re going to the Big10!” I replied “keep your TVs we’ll keep our trophies!” They were shut up real quick

Ha ha, that was great. I think I was at that game. Went the last minute. Threw the parking guy a $10 and parked right next to the building. As we walked up some guy gave two cute co-eds a pair of tickets and said something like see you inside. They looked at me and asked if I needed tickets and they gave me the good seats the guy had just given them. I asked if they wanted them and they said that they'd rather sit with their friends. When I go inside the guy is staring at us so I said hello. He said he was waiting for some friends told me I was in the wrong seats. I said, I don't think so and showed him the tickets. He looked confused but didn't say any else. At the end of the game patted him on the back and said thanks for the seats!

 

[Ts5034]

We were in the corner wayyyy up near the student section on the bench side.

This is really random but as soon as I read your post and said he looked like Shawn Hunter, I knew exactly who you were talking about. I was sitting in the row behind that guy and he was really obnoxious.

 

[superjohn]

If it doesn't involve our Huskies defeating the pukies for our 1st National Championship ... '99 countless big talking, pukie prikcs sporting Puke Invitational shirts, pins, etc until ...



Or, sitting behind some self-impressed grandfatherly pukie putz proclaiming to his weiner of a grandson how Spartacus superior the pukies were early and often until our Huskies moved onward to our '03 National Championship game and victory ...

Onward to our '04 National Championship game victory...

 

[CAHUSKY]

1. The UConn v. MSU game at the 2009 Final Four in Detroit. We were sitting in the UConn section that was separated one row from the MSU section. For some reason, a jerkoff MSU fan was pointing and screaming “you’re a cab driver; , you FN cab driver at someone in our section. After about 3 minutes I realized he was yelling at me. No idea what he meant but glad my buddies were there to convince me getting in a fight and getting thrown out of the game would be really dumb after flying all the way from Reno and paying big $$$ for Tix.

2. UConn v Kentucky at Maui. Basically the entire group of KY fans around us talking endless smack before the game. They outnumbered us pretty significantly. With about 5 minutes left in the first half the majority of them had curled up in the fetal position and didn’t say a word as Kemba and the crew ran big blue out of the gym. I’ve never enjoyed gloating so much in my life.

 

[Guapo]

I don't remember the exact year (I think 2011-2012 season?), Harvard came into Gampel ranked and there was a sizable section of Harvard students that had made the trip down.

As it became apparent in the second half that UConn would win, the Harvard students began a sing song-y "state school, state school" chant. The entire UConn student section turned to them and started chanting "daddy's money" [clap clap clapclapclap]

Good stuff.

 

[UConnMike04]

I don't remember the exact year (I think 2011-2012 season?), Harvard came into Gampel ranked and there was a sizable section of Harvard students that had made the trip down.

As it became apparent in the second half that UConn would win, the Harvard students began a sing song-y "state school, state school" chant. The entire UConn student section turned to them and started chanting "daddy's money" [clap clap clapclapclap]

Good stuff.

Something similar happened when we played Yale in ‘04 (my senior year). We were up big and the sizable Yale students started with “we won’t hire you!” Chants to where we responded with a very loud “Harvard Rejects” chant. Then they started the “Safety school” chant and we were up big so started a “Warm up the Beamer” chant at them. Was a lot of fun.

 

[Guapo]

Something similar happened when we played Yale in ‘04 (my senior year). We were up big and the sizable Yale students started with “we won’t hire you!” Chants to where we responded with a very loud “Harvard Rejects” chant. Then they started the “Safety school” chant and we were up big so started a “Warm up the Beamer” chant at them. Was a lot of fun.

Reminds me of Duke students chanting "safety school" when playing Michigan.

Moral of the story:

Private school kids are just awful.

 

[ThabeetDown]

A Yale fan was harassing me at a soccer game at Morrone. I told him to take his trust fund and shove it you know where. Security promptly escorted him out of the stadium.

Also, anytime a good academic school came to Morrone the Goal Patrol shouting "Safety School" at them ironically never got old.

 

[Guapo]

A Yale fan was harassing me at a soccer game at Morrone. I told him to take his trust fund and shove it you know where. Security promptly escorted him out of the stadium.

Also, anytime a good academic school came to Morrone the Goal Patrol shouting "Safety School" at them ironically never got old.

Quinnipiac students chanting "safety school" at UConn when we played them in hockey...unironically

Yikes.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Quinnipiac students chanting "safety school" at UConn when we played them in hockey...unironically

Yikes.

I know PLENTY of people who couldn’t get into UConn but went to QU. Classic expensive for the sake of being expensive New England private.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

This is really random but as soon as I read your post and said he looked like Shawn Hunter, I knew exactly who you were talking about. I was sitting in the row behind that guy and he was really obnoxious.

I’m glad my Shawn Hunter description resonated with you. One of my comments after he called a ref blind was “your barber is blind”

 

[Guapo]

I know PLENTY of people who couldn’t get into UConn but went to QU. Classic expensive for the sake of being expensive New England private.

Yes, UConn is much MUCH better school.

Most people know this.

 

[Vancat]

I have yet to hear anyone else remember this story, but I am sticking with my memory of it. It does involve fans and players, though. It was in the field house, and I don't remember the game. JC got on Cliffy pretty bad and gave him the hook. Cliff was pissed, so he would not sit down when he came out. Some of the fans started yelling for him to sit down. Cliffy gave the fans the finger.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Onward to our '04 National Championship game victory...

Yup, big thumbs happen. One of us was present

 

[XLCenterFan]

I went to the George Mason debacle in DC with 3 buddies. We were 5th row behind the Mason bench, stood up the entire game, and went nuts right from the get go. We were the only UCONN fans in the entire section. About 2 minutes into the game, Mason fans asked us to sit down and be quit. We responded, "We're used to being in this spot and this is how you do it. This is the biggest game of YOUR life and maybe you should stand and cheer." They kept playing that song by Bon Jovi about living on a prayer and we told everyone around us that all they had was a prayer. Everyone around us hated us the whole game, and they probably look at people from CT like balloon knots now.

 

[Waquoit]

If you had just sat down we probably win.

 

[mauconnfan]

I went to the George Mason debacle in DC with 3 buddies. We were 5th row behind the Mason bench, stood up the entire game, and went nuts right from the get go. We were the only UCONN fans in the entire section. About 2 minutes into the game, Mason fans asked us to sit down and be quit. We responded, "We're used to being in this spot and this is how you do it. This is the biggest game of YOUR life and maybe you should stand and cheer." They kept playing that song by Bon Jovi about living on a prayer and we told everyone around us that all they had was a prayer. Everyone around us hated us the whole game, and they probably look at people from CT like balloon knots now.

Honestly can't believe they didn't have anyone to sit you down shame in the George Mason fans in that area. While I respect your passion, I really do, there's a reason they probably look at UConn fans as a***oles from that game until this day.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I was at a UConn/St. Johns game at MSG in either 1994 or 1995. UConn won, but my memory is a little fuzzy of the game's events. The crowd was 50/50 UConn/SJU, and pretty tame overall. My section was mostly older UConn fans, and I was one of the few college age fans in it.

At some point in the second half, two SJU fans, probably in their late 20's or early 30's, walk into the section, then start moving across a row. These were both pretty big guys, and one of the guys was drunk and looking for trouble. He grabs a UConn student in the section and says "what were you saying to me?" I don't think the UConn fan had been saying anything, because it was just kind of a quiet section, but it was so sudden that everyone froze for a moment.

I will never forgot what happens next. This frumpy woman who was probably in her late 50's says "why don't you leave him alone and get out of here you loser?" to the SJU fans. If a young guy had said that, there would have been a fight, but the two SJU fans didn't know what to do about a middle-aged woman saying that. The whole section exploded in laughter, and then started verbal abusing these guys. The drunk SJU fan wanted to do something about it, but his friend pulled him out of the row and they went back to their section. This woman is probably close to 80 years old if she is still alive, but I will never forget her diffusing a tense situation while also humiliating the SJU fan.