Your First UConn Game In Person | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Your First UConn Game In Person

UncleSpliff said:
First game ever was at the Civic Center against Cal in the 1990 NCAA Tournament (does anyone know how we got to play our first 2 games at our home arena??? Seems like quite a conflict of interest). I was 8 years old.
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That was before they put in the rule that you can't play tournament games on a court where you played more that 3(?) home games.

I read Villanova limited their games at Wells Fargo this year for this very reason.
 
Never went to the school, nor from connecticut, from jersey but my first game was Uconn vs indiana in that 2k sports classic final vs Indiana U back in 2013-14 season, surrounded by my brother who went to IU and a whole bunch of IU Fans in our section and to see Vonleh miss that turn around J for us to take that W was incredibly satisfying. Loved all the IU complainers on the way out of MSG. I vividly remember the absolute awe everyone was in the arena when any Napier shot went in, he had everything going in that night and some
 
1979 at the New Haven Coliseum against Syracuse. Unfortunately we lost but it was a great atmosphere
 
If memory serves (no longer a given) during the first year of the BE (1979-1980) I saw us beat BC at the New Haven Coliseum (HCC was still under repair).

It's a bit fuzzy but I believe we won a close one because Corny wouldn't be denied the last few trips down the floor. I do remember discussion on how good we would be on e Aleksinas became eligible the following year
 
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been going to games since I was in the womb.

Earliest games I remember were early 2000s.

Went to almost every game at the HCC from birth until college graduation when I moved out of state.
 
ucp990411 said:
That Bill Corley game broke my heart. How could Burr Carlson let someone break Wes Bialasuknia's single game scoring record! I remember listening to it on my clock radio and being so angry about it.
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I was at that game. Corley would have scored a lot more, but he missed a ton of foul shots.
 
Huskybass said:
Seeing Patrick Ewing on the court the other night made me think about all the games I've seen over the years and how great the old Big East was. It also made me think back to my first UConn game in person.

It was a January 14, 1984 Saturday game against Seton Hall and Coach PJ Carlisemo. UConn, coached by Dom Perno, won 76-68 in the old Field House. That UConn team included Earl Kelley, Tim Coles and Karl Hobbs. UConn went 5-11 in the Big East that season and 13-15 overall. Notable Big East opponents that season included Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and Pearl Washington.

I can't believe I didn't go to any home games my first semester. It was literally $1 and your student ID to get in. Anyway, do you remember your first UConn game?
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January 1963 in the Field House as a Freshman
 
Improviser said:
I was at that game. Corley would have scored a lot more, but he missed a ton of foul shots.
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I was at a game in the Field House in 1966 and saw Coach Fred Shabel escorting recruit Corley to a court side seat. Bill Corley was from Mineola High School in Long Island and knew my sister. Shabel quickly made another seat available and had a nice running conversation with Corley. I always had mixed feelings about Corley attending UConn because the following year Shabel left and Homer Babbidge became president of the University. Babbidge had this plan to Make UConn an Ivy League clone and severely restricted sports. the new coach, Burr Carlson, had his hands tied and couldn’t recruit the players to augment Corley’s talents because of University policy. Babbidge went down in flames a short time later.
 
Vuce said:
Yup! That was February of 1988. I was a freshman at UConn. Cuse was ranked #12 and Jeff King (RIP) threw the ball away and Stevie Thompson scored the game winner. That SUCKED!
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I still feel bad for Jeff on that play. Nobody was moving to the ball and time was ticking down. That's why I was so happy when he ended up being a hero of the NIT run.
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My first post in about 15 years. This is my favorite Boneyard topic, and its brought me out of hiding on the day of a blizzard. Love the stories, I remember a bunch of the games people have mentioned.

Sat Feb 9, 1974. My 14th birthday. Afternoon game. Our guys beat UMass in overtime. UMass was good that year. Great crowd at the Field House, packed and noisy. They erupted as the game ended.
I grew up in Northwest CT. We were on the wrong side of a mountain, only channel 3. Other than news highlights I had only seen 1-2 UConn basketball games on tv, but I became a devoted WTIC radio listener when I was 11 or so.

I had 2 older brothers at UConn in 73-74. The oldest was an RA in Ellsworth. His birthday present to me was the UMass game. Mom drove me to Hartford on Friday afternoon and put me on a bus to Storrs. My brother picked me up at the bus stop on 195 where Storrs Common is now. Friday's dinner was with a bunch of the RAs in the HR's apartment. Rice and vegetables, some of the RAs were smoking in the apartment, very hippy vibe. The music playing on the campus radio station was definitely different than what my parent's radio played. Cal Chapman lived on my brother's floor. The hall phone was right outside my brother's door, and Cal sat on the floor talking to a girl on the phone for more than an hour that night. My brother introduced us and Cal shook my hand. That was a cool moment. I don't think Cal had a good game the next day, but don't remember. I guess 3-4 of the players lived in Ellsworth that year, and we saw them walking together toward the Field house 2-3 hours before the game. I think Al Weston was one of them, not sure.

On Sat night there were streakers and a big crowd cheering them on outside the dorm. I watched with bewilderment from the window of my brother's room, 7-8 floors up. I wasn't sure whether I thought all of it was fun or disturbing. It was late and very cold out.

My other brother drove me back across the state on Sunday morning, handed me off to my Mom somewhere west of Hartford. Obviously a memorable game and weekend.
 
My first ever UConn game was the 2004 first round in Buffalo. I scalped tickets and went by myself in the nosebleeds, didn't care that I was by myself.

Saw UConn almost lose to a not very good U. Buffalo team in 2009 at the beginning of the season, ranked #2.

Didn't see UConn at Gampel or XL until 2013, watched the OT game that Shabazz won for us vs. Memphis at XL, great game. Been to XL or Gampel 2x since, I believe.
 
December 29, 1986 Connecticut Mutual Classic vs University of Hartford at the Hartford Civic Center. Jim Calhoun's 1st year we lost 49-48. Fan since 1974 during the Tony Hanson, Al Weston, John Thomas years. Many a nights listening on the am radio before they were on tv.
 
Husky Alien said:
December 29, 1986 Connecticut Mutual Classic vs University of Hartford at the Hartford Civic Center. Jim Calhoun's 1st year we lost 49-48. Fan since 1974 during the Tony Hanson, Al Weston, John Thomas years. Many a nights listening on the am radio before they were on tv.
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We had a pretty good player defect from UConn to U-Ha who beat us in that game. Can't remember his name, though (now a common occurrence with me :oops: ).

EDIT: Anthony Moye. Google is your friend.
 
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SoFla Steve said:
We had a pretty good player defect from UConn to U-Ha who beat us in that game. Can't remember his name, though (now a common occurrence with me :oops: ).

EDIT: Anthony Moye. Google is your friend.
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He certainly haunted us that game.

Gotta love Google ;)
 
84-85 season at the Field House. I thought it was Seton Hall but I can't remember. I checked sports-reference.com but it has all home games listed at HCC so that can't be correct. I remember frustration in the day because channel 8 would promote itself as home of UCONN basketball, yet it wouldn't broadcast UCONN vs Providence on our dorm lounge tv.
 
alexd said:
OMG....it was Jan, 1997.... you picked a good one. One of the craziest crowds ever at the HCC. Amazing game. Our young pups hung in until the very end.
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I was 10 at the time. My first UConn memory is unfortunately Donyell missing those free throws against Florida. If I was not already hooked from the Ray Allen/Doron Sheffer team seeing that game against Kansas live definitely did it. Loss and all.
 
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ucp990411 said:
Feb 21,1967 vs New Hampshire. Bialasuknia scored 42. I was 11 and thought the Field House was the coolest place ever.
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Was at that game also. UConn would fast break and give the ball to Wes from about 20-25 feet. Money.
 
Hey guys, In the Field House, late '66. Was being recruited by the Huskies' Coach Fred Shabel. Had a very fun, memorable weekend hanging up in the crazy Frats with Wes & my old NY friend Bill Corley, both long deceased now. Huskies beat UVA by 21. I had a great time! All those recruiting trips were a blast really!
 
Demo Square said:
Hey guys, In the Field House, late '66. Was being recruited by the Huskies' Coach Fred Shabel. Had a very fun, memorable weekend hanging up in the crazy Frats with Wes & my old NY friend Bill Corley, both long deceased now. Huskies beat UVA by 21. I had a great time! All those recruiting trips were a blast really!
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Where'd you end up playing?
 
I don't remember. Some early season game against Central or someone like that. When I was in my mid teens. Early 90s. Nothing remarkable
 
businesslawyer said:
January or February of 1981. Corny Thompson era. I was a senior at Trinity, by chance had just been accepted into UConn law and went to the Civic Center on a Saturday afternoon to see them beat St. Johns on the ECAC Game of the Week, well before every game was on cable, on a Corny Thompson elbow jumper at the buzzer. The win was either our first after moving into the Top 25 or moved us into the Top 25. But then the season turned into disappointment.
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Also my first game. I was in 6th grade. Yeah, I remembered that game was on NBC.

That game in '81 was the last time we would beat St John's for another eight years.
 
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