Your first Uconn game

[Dibbie]

I don't remember the first game, but I had season tickets my first year at Storrs in 1989. That was their first big season where they went 31-6. I grew up a St John's fan, loved Mullin and Louie C., so I evolved to the Husky Blue that year.

I admit it, I was torn when they played StJohns that year at Gampel, but not so much afterwards. I always tell people Uconn is the only team where I change loyalties.

 

[UConnNick]

I don't remember the exact game but remember it was 1980 in the Civic Center and thinking Mike McKay dunking was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. It was the first time I'd ever seen anyone dunk live before.

You were actually brave enough to face the mean streets of Hartford? Was it daytime or nightime?

 

[UConnNick]

That counts. I meant just the first game you watched. In the '50s games were not on tv, it was all so small time compared to now you young guys can't imagine. I never thought I would see Uconn achive what has transpired the last 20 years.

If TV counts my first game was likely an NCAA tourney game around 1963-64. I was too young to remember much about it. We watched every game that was on TV through the 60's and early 70's. I distinctly remember watching the first round NCAA loss to BS College in Bialosuknia's senior season (66-67). We lost to those turds 48-42 at Keaney Gym on the URI campus. I believe Kara Wolter's father Willie played on that Beagles team.

Channel 8 in New Haven, with Dick Galiette and "Tiny" Markle. Most of the games in those days were only on WTIC radio, with George Ehrlich. We spent many cold winter nights watching or listening to those games.

 

[UConnNick]

We never went to many college games when I was a kid. Couldn't make it on weeknights and I was always playing basketball on Saturdays. Plus my old man had Jets season tickets (woof) so that was where our money for sports tickets went. First game was Donyell's sophomore season at the HCC. I think we played Seton Hall but I can't remember. It was a victory. It took me a very long time to get up to Gampel, first game was vs Notre Dame in 2009. Still only been there four times. Stating the obvious but it's so much better to watch a game there than the XL Center.

Jets season tickets...you truly know what suffering really is.

 

[Giscombe12]

Sometime during the 81-82 season. Lots of games between then & the mid-2000s.

I was at the Jeff King-Cuse game as well. Brutal. Being at the VCU game a month later made up for that.

One of my favorite memories was being at the final home game in 86-87 against Seton Hall. The CC was dead & I moved down from our seats in the 200s & sat right two rows behind the bench. In the row in front of me were the suspended Phil Gamble & Cliff Robinson. They signed my program but that’s been lost over the years.

Going to so many games in the mid-80s, I will never not be amazed at how far this program has come, even if it falls all the way to the bottom. I don’t think it will but who knows what can happen.

I can’t wait for the Hurley era to begin.

 

[TRest]

Freshman year in the Fieldhouse fall 1979, went to most games but can’t remember first opponent.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

2005 vs. St. John's at Gampel. All I remember is Marcus Williams and eating a pretzel.
I think my dad saw them sometime in the 1700s or something.

 

[TheChamps990411]

My first game was Jan. 15 1990 against Syracuse. I was in middle school and and my friends had been going on about Uconn for a bit but i had never watched a college game in my life nevermind a Uconn game. They kept going on and on about a big game so i decided to tune in that night and i was hooked!!! I couldnt believe i was completely into it from the opening tip. It was just an exciting game that Uconn ultimately won which made it one of the most exciting sporting events id ever seen. Ive been hooked since. Sometimes i wonder what wouldve happened had Syracuse blown us out in that game. I might not have become a fan or an even worse thought maybe id of been so impressed by Cuse i mightve become a fan lol! I was an impressionable 13 year old after all.

 

[BigV3032]

1988-1989 UConn vs Georgetown @ The Civic Center. Sat on the floor behind the basket with my Dad and some of his friends that he worked with at Hartford Distributors(HDI). Alonzo Mourning dunked and came over and touched my head. Pretty cool for a first game.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

My first game was the first game ever at Gampel Pavilion against St. Johns. The team had just cracked the Top 25 for the first time in who knows how long after beating Georgetown and Syracuse. St. Johns had taken UConn behind the woodshed earlier in the season, but played great that night against St. Johns to get the win.

I hadn't been a UConn fan as a kid, so when I got to UConn, I didn't get what the big deal was about the team's success that season. I figured it would always be like that. And for most of the program's next 24 years, it was.

 

[Mokum]

I was there, my first season going with my dad, but not my first game, which for all I know could have been AIC, and in any case was likely the Frosh game beforehand the Varsity.

For a 4th grader, mostly on schoolnights, 30+ miles from home before I-84 was built, it was magical. Even when it's not, it still is.

Freshman games. Forgot about those. When did they do away with freshman teams?

 

[uconnfan68]

Didn't see a game in person until my freshman year in Storrs against St Johns (Dec 8, 1992). Too many to count after that.

Change team to ? and date to 1968, rest is good.

 

[Sky ball]

Mid to late sixties vs University Of Hawaii Rainbows. Hawaii was ranked like 15 or so and it was a big game with a big crowd. I mostly remember the Hawaii uniforms...very colorful.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Uconn vs Providence?, HCC, 94-95?

I was 9 when my sister first enrolled to UConn. I met up with her and her boyfriend, and all I remember is the mascot halftime game where the Bob’s Discount Furniture mascot was a doofy mattress with human hands sticking out.

Whenever anyone would pass to him/her there would be a *thud* sound because the poor sucker’s wingspan was a mere 10 inches, much too short to catch and control a basketball.

I’ve been a fan since and an alum since ‘08.

Thank you Bob.

 

[HuskyBoi]

my first game in person was 2014 duke and uconn at the izod center. boatright went off, but unfortunately the rest of the team couldn't gel together offensively. i think okafor was held to just 7 points if im not mistaken. 64-54 i think was the score. awesome UCONN atmosphere and totally out numbered the dukies. despite losing, the entire arena and parking lot were packed with uconn chants. we are out there!

whoa scrap this post by me! this was my second game that I've been in person

My first was in 2014 in the 2k classic final vs Indiana at Madison Square garden. Since my bro was a Hoosier alum, we elected to go. Packed with UCONN fans and very passionate IU fans. I Was sitting like 10 rows up behind the left basket (TV view) and a whole row of husky fans got thrown out for having a friendly fight with some Indiana fans. entire arena was on its heels when i think it was noah vonleh who turned around and missed that game winner. it was right then and there my other brother said "this kid napier, is gonna do what kemba did a few years ago. he can absolutely takeover."

 

[boog204]

My first TV game was probably 84 or so versus Providence when they had Otis Thorpe and we had Tim Coles and Earl Kelley. Vividly remember Tim Coles giving up 5-6 inches to Patrick Ewing and playing him even.

First in-person game was in 93, I think. The year Donyell hurt his knee and had the ginormous brace. Had season tickets from 99-03 and did not miss a home game but have only gone sporadically since.

 

[uconnfn34]

My first in person game was the opener of Gampel Pavilion against St. John's. I was 8 and my cousin called my mom a couple hours before the game to see if I'd be interested in going since he knew I was a big Celtics fan. I was completely caught up in the pageantry of the opening and cheering as loudly as I could right up until the end. After the game I wanted a Chris Smith jersey about as much as anything (which I did buy myself years later) and knew then I'd go to college at UConn.

Thanks for giving me a reason to think about that day again. Here's to brighter days ahead for our beloved Huskies!

 

[Dogdeacon]

Fall of 1983 at the Cage at Umass. It was Karl Hobbs senior year. UConn lost by 2 points. I was a freshman in high school. Four years later I would be a freshman at UConn and have had season tickets for the most part since then. Can’t wait for even a preseason game with Hurley at the helm now! And my son will be a freshman at UConn this fall.

Extra likes! Really close to mine. My memory guess was Yale (easily most common first game opponent reading thru thread) and looked it up to verify. My Dad took me to the BE tournament semis in spring 1983 (not 1st UConn game but hey at least UConn didn't lose in the dreaded 8-9, lost a close one to Nova in #7 vs #2 68-69). Worth mentioning cuz that's when I fell in love with college hoop, MAdams & gawkey Jay Murphy for BC, Pinone (amazing effective ground bound bruiser and essentially cheater) for Nova, Leo Rautins Sr for Cuse and sophomore sensation Chris Mullin for St John's.

12/1/83 - UConn 76 Yale 54 - Earl Kelley was a sophomore and fell in love with the way he spun the ball off the backboard for layups and his rainbow j's.

 

[Mr. French]

First live UConn game for me was the first two rounds of dismantling in Buffalo in ‘04.

Some schmo 15 seed then smoked DePaul as the 10 seed. Scalped tickets and wore my 7 year old Ricky Moore jersey which was a de facto Josh Boone. Knew they’d make a run.

Didn’t go in 2014, which oddly isn’t a regret when they beat Joes and Nova. I was too nervous and didn’t wanna see them lose if they did.

Made a Gampel and XL trip in the last few years and also saw them at UB in 09 early season when an average UB team darn near beat em with Thabeet and the boys - they were I think 2 or 4 in the country at the time.

 

[Kemba429]

2014 game against Louisville at home. Still stands as the most BS I have ever seen, but the atmosphere at that game was something I had never seen before. Certainly will never forget it.

 

[Mr. French]

It's a bit of a stereotype, but the first game I ever saw was Allen vs. Allen. My dad was/is a casual fan but the whole state watched this game. I was 9 and I decided this was my game, my team, and took ownership of being a fan of the team from that point on.

One of my most vivid early memories.

Me and my buddy loved AI but I was already deep in love with Raymond Allen, and when he made that shot I went bonkers, watching it in his room in between sega bouts.

 

[Tex-Lager93]

Freshman year. January 1990 v Syracuse in Hartford. Couldn't believe the energy in the building. Husky4life. Been waiting for the opportunity to share that energy with my kids - which I think Hurley will bring back to the program. Biggest regrets - not making it to any of the Final Four games due to lame excuses - distance, job, money, etc...not to mention difficulty even watching the games - closing my eyes, going outside or to another room at some of the biggest moments - hoping beyond hope that my absence made a difference in those moments.

 

[swami7774]

First witnessed: December ‘78 vs Fairfield at the Field House. We beat Joe DeSantis’s Stags in a close one.
First broadcast(for WHUS): Dec 8, ‘79 vs Seton Hall. Our first Big East game. We easily beat Dan Callandrillo’s Pirates. Later that season I also did the NIT loss to St. Peter’s, which was notable because one of the Peacocks was Kevin Bannon. He later became coach at Rider and nearly coached the Broncs to a stunning upset against us in the first round of the ‘94 NCAAs.

 

[Husky25]

December 6, 1994 at Conte Forum.

BC sold Big East Souvenirs, not just there own. I had not yet been accepted to UConn at that point, but I bought my first UConn cap (still have it) and wore it, more or less, every day for the rest of the school year. I wore it pretty much through my first semester at UConn the following fall as well.

 

[Deadrody]

Not sure the first game I saw on TV, but the first game I went to was January 1989 against Nova. UConn won by 2. We were in one of the end zones, so to speak, at the Civic Center and clearly saw that Murray Williams stepped out of bounds as he ran down court with the ball for the winning layup as time expired. No call. Hysterical!

Favorite game I attended ? Probably nostalgia more than anything, but the 1997 NIT win at home over Nebraska was electric. After the disappointments of 94, 95, and 96 when they had so much promise, then the down season in 1997, the crowd wanted so badly to get behind another winning team.

 

[White Dwarf]

Can't remember, but it was the Corny Thompson era.

 

[Tyler2Rings]

These are some great stories. Love this thread!

I remember going to one of UConn's tune-up games at the Civic Center in 2003. I think I went to a women's game that year too. Both those teams would win championships! Funny thing is I mostly remember just being bored haha. I lived and breathed baseball when I was 9. Jeter was my hero.

The first game I can remember watching (on TV) and feeling real emotion was the 2006 Elite Eight loss to Mason... The first team that I was truly invested in was the underachieving 07-08 squad, and 2009 was the first year I counted down the days between games.

 

[GoUconn7961]

The Fieldhouse. I had absolutely no idea who they were playing, or even that a game was happening. I walked in after my daily racquetball game after classes. I was hooked. Little did I know that I was watching Corney Thompson. It was a great day.

 

[Ha Who]

I was about 8 or 9 and have no memories of the game against UMass other than my dad was in awe of the kid on UMass later known as Dr J

 

[Guapo]

First live game was against Stony Brook when Rudy Gay had that dunk.