What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

So what made you become a fan of your favorite NFL team? (1 Viewer)

Saints fan.

it's the late 80's, I'm just really getting into watching NFL football, and the Dome Patrol was starting to come into their own. I was just amazed at the way they could dominate another team on defense, and especially how the LB's (Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson) performed as a unit and struck fear into other teams. with some other pieces like Dalton Hilliard, Craig Heyward, Mel Gray, Eric Martin, Floyd Turner, Morten Andersen, etc...they were an exciting team. if we had a capable QB at that time, I think we really could have made some noise.

somehow I developed an emotional attachment to that team, and it's still with me today 20 years later. sometimes I wonder if it's worth the stress and heartache...but inevitably, I'm back rooting for them every week! :goodposting:

 
1979..9 years old....growing up in Alabama..everyone is a college football fan or lukewarm Falcons fan...I wanted a different team....

Hung out in the summer at the YMCA....put a dime in a candy machine that would spit out football helmets and said whatever team comes out, that will be my team....blue helmet with the lighting bolts....then it got better...

I wrote the team to the address in the farmer's almanac...told them I was a new fan in Alabama...a few weeks later they sent me a package full of team photos, autographs, and sticker!

Die hard Charger fan ever since...(even through the Vlasic, Billie Joe Tolliver eras)

Finally made it to a game in San Diego for the playoffs 2 years ago when they lost to the Pats.....

 
DanFouts said:
1979..9 years old....growing up in Alabama..everyone is a college football fan or lukewarm Falcons fan...I wanted a different team....Hung out in the summer at the YMCA....put a dime in a candy machine that would spit out football helmets and said whatever team comes out, that will be my team....blue helmet with the lighting bolts....then it got better...I wrote the team to the address in the farmer's almanac...told them I was a new fan in Alabama...a few weeks later they sent me a package full of team photos, autographs, and sticker!Die hard Charger fan ever since...(even through the Vlasic, Billie Joe Tolliver eras)Finally made it to a game in San Diego for the playoffs 2 years ago when they lost to the Pats.....
Click to expand...
That's a pretty cool story.
 
Maik Jeaunz said:
Saints fan.it's the late 80's, I'm just really getting into watching NFL football, and the Dome Patrol was starting to come into their own. I was just amazed at the way they could dominate another team on defense, and especially how the LB's (Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson) performed as a unit and struck fear into other teams. with some other pieces like Dalton Hilliard, Craig Heyward, Mel Gray, Eric Martin, Floyd Turner, Morten Andersen, etc...they were an exciting team. if we had a capable QB at that time, I think we really could have made some noise.somehow I developed an emotional attachment to that team, and it's still with me today 20 years later. sometimes I wonder if it's worth the stress and heartache...but inevitably, I'm back rooting for them every week! ;)
Click to expand...
Despite what I posted earlier in the thread, this basically sums it up for me. I took notice of the NFL and the Saints around 89/90 and loved the Dome Patrol. There was no home team where I lived and it seemed like no one liked the Saints, so I took them as my own. Almost 20 years later I too question if I should continue getting my heart broken year after year by this franchise but so far the emotional attachment has been too strong to break. We finally have a real quarterback in Brees.. hopefully the rest of the organization can get its act together before he has to hang 'em up.
 
PatrickT said:
DanFouts said:
1979..9 years old....growing up in Alabama..everyone is a college football fan or lukewarm Falcons fan...I wanted a different team....

Hung out in the summer at the YMCA....put a dime in a candy machine that would spit out football helmets and said whatever team comes out, that will be my team....blue helmet with the lighting bolts....then it got better...

I wrote the team to the address in the farmer's almanac...told them I was a new fan in Alabama...a few weeks later they sent me a package full of team photos, autographs, and sticker!

Die hard Charger fan ever since...(even through the Vlasic, Billie Joe Tolliver eras)

Finally made it to a game in San Diego for the playoffs 2 years ago when they lost to the Pats.....
Click to expand...
That's a pretty cool story.
Click to expand...
It is a cool story. I'm po'd because I had to pay a quarter for those little plastic football helemets. :fishing: ;) :(
 
Steeler fan. In CANADA. Why? Early 70s. When I started watching football, OJ was the greatest RB. The Dolphins were undefeated. But the Steelers... the defense. Their players were colourful... the big funky RB with the beard, the country singing QB, the WR who could jump over everyone, a dude called "Mean Joe". They were fun. They had fun and won. But man, that defense.

 
Home team (this is the only correct answer BTW).

In 1967, Russ Thomas - former player and brand new GM - drafted Mel Farr in the 1st round and Lem Barney in the 2nd. Both went to the Pro Bowl, winning NFL offensive and defensive ROtY. HC Joe Schmidt, a HoF MLB, was one year removed from retirement. Young, talented, fresh thinking in the front office...dynasty?



51 years and counting if anyone is still keeping track...

 
Bronco fan my whole life, because that is where I was born and that is how it was.

Became a diehard in 1983 when the drafted the Duke.

 
Grew up a Cowboy fan since Dad was a Steelers/Skins fan.

Titans fan now, ever since Eddie George / McNair era.

 
Redskins fan here. The story of why I am a Redskins fan isn't all that exciting - Born in 1972, dad was a Redskins fan, he bet the house and the car on the Redskins to beat the undefeated Dolphins. Well we know how that turned out - no choice - I was born a Redskins fan.

What is more interesting is the team I hate the most, and it isn't the Dallas Cowboys.

I grew up in Chicago and in 1985 I was in junior high. I got so sick of the Bears that I developed a total hate for them. The stupid super bowl shuffle, and listening to my friends argue with me that Willie Gault was best WR in football. Or how he was the fastest man in the NFL (not true - we all know D. Green was the fastest man). Or how McMahon was better than Montana and one of the greatest QB's ever to play the game.

Every discussion about football would be how every single player on the team was "the best to ever play the game." Ever since then have I rooted against them and every change I have had - I have mocked at how bad the Bears are.

Now looking back to 1985, I can admit they were pretty good, but thank god the Redskins put an end to any talk of dynasty the very next year.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Cowboy fan since the mid 70's. Grew up in Maine with my entire family hating them (even to this day) so I've loved them ever since. :unsure:

 
DanFouts said:
1979..9 years old....growing up in Alabama..everyone is a college football fan or lukewarm Falcons fan...I wanted a different team....Hung out in the summer at the YMCA....put a dime in a candy machine that would spit out football helmets and said whatever team comes out, that will be my team....blue helmet with the lighting bolts....then it got better...I wrote the team to the address in the farmer's almanac...told them I was a new fan in Alabama...a few weeks later they sent me a package full of team photos, autographs, and sticker!Die hard Charger fan ever since...(even through the Vlasic, Billie Joe Tolliver eras)Finally made it to a game in San Diego for the playoffs 2 years ago when they lost to the Pats.....
Click to expand...
It sure is a small world. I have an eerily similar story...Mid 1970's - growing up in Connecticut. A small town called Mystic (which is right on the Rhode Island border). The entire town seemed to love every Boston team in every sport (and alot of New York teams too, but mostly Boston), so I decided to pick the rival teams. I chose the Reds for baseball (they got to whale on the Sox in the 1975 World Series, then beat the Yanks the following year). Hell, the Reds were so dominant for those 2 years, the All-Star games in '75 and '76 were basically the American League vs the Reds. To this day, Pete Rose is still my favorite sports figure.OK, moving on to basketball. From my story above, it should be pretty easy to guess that I root for the Lakers. I despise the Celtics, but I only hate the Knicks. A huge fan of the days of Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Silk, Nixon, Cooper, etc. Those guys didn't care about defense. They only forced you to keep up with them as they ran up and down the court. My favorite player is James Worthy. He just seemed to make everything look so effortless.I hate the Bruins, but never really followed hockey, so let's get to football...Football was alot tougher to pick a favorite team from. The only thing I knew was that I was supposed to hate all the teams from New England, because, as I said, everyone around me liked them, especially the Patriots. There was no true rival at the time, so I started by liking the Dolphins. They seemed to be the closest thing. Then in 1979, along comes a guy named Kellen Winslow. Well, I have the same last name, so I was drawn to the Chargers. I remember thinking the Bolts were the most exciting team to watch in the NFL. In the early 1980's, they were awesome. Fouts had Winslow, Joiner, Jefferson, Muncie to throw to. They seemed to score 50 points a game, and still manage to lose by a few points. Who can forget the game between the Chargers and Dolphins when Winslow seemed to go off on a stretcher like 20 times?
 
Im a RAIDERS fan yet live in new england....i never watched a football game until 1983 when i bet against the washington redskins vs the Raiders...all the guys at my work were taking the skins and i just starting making bets with everyone ...i picked the raiders to win out right in the superbowl ...i won 800.00 bucks and fell in love with the team that day...i researched the whole history and being kind of a ''bad boy'' all my life i just instantly related to all the stories and players...alzado , the tooz , stabler..ect;...them hangin` with the hells angels in oakland...stuff like that...its been a long difficult ride i must say since BLACK SUNDAY...but a fan is a fan forever :excited:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
hostile said:
Be honest?*sigh*...Tecmo Bowl. That's what got me hooked on the NFL, and my favourite team - da Bills. :shrug: :bs:
Click to expand...
That... and latter the Madden series are a huge reason of why I'm a football fan.I grew up in SoCal when both the Rams and Raiders were here... but I wasn't really a fan of either. (Though of course I thought Bo was the greatest) I was more of a Laker/Dodger fan... and for football I liked Philly because of Randall... and Buffalo because that's where my Mom's side of the family was from.Then I moved to Michigan in the early 90's. Barry was awesome but I didn't want to move so I hated all things Michigan/Detroit. But being in the midwest there I got to see a lot of the Packers play and I liked Sterling... and when they got Reggie from Philly I really started paying attention to them... and Favre had the MVP seasons and then they won the SB... but the history of the franchise and their ongoing connection and commitment to those roots and just the whole community... that's what made me really fall in love with the Packers.
 
Saints fan for two reasons, since 1980 or so.

One, my older brother was my idol as a kid, and played football for the local high school. Their colors were black and gold.

Two, I was one of those kids (and to a certain extent, adult) who always want to root for people that no one else roots for. The whole "Aints" concept really irritated me, and I decided that even if they didn't have any real fans in their stadium, that I'd cheer them on from afar.

In the almost three decades since, there have been only a few highlight moments--but they're really, really sweet. The best, however, has to be the Rams-Saints playoff game in 2001. Something I didn't mention is that I grew up in St. Louis; we had season tickets to the Cardinals until they left in the late 80's. I adopted the Rams when they arrived, and said I'd cheer them on against every team but the Saints. I was out of town on the playoff day and managed to stumble into a bar late in the 3rd quarter. The Saints were up by three touchdowns, and I was shocked--and then proceeded to watch Warner drive the Rams back within contention, 31-28, with two minutes left. The Saints punted, and Az Hakim famously muffed an easy fair catch that the Saints recovered to win, when everyone in the bar--myself included--thought that there was simply no stopping the Rams from driving down the field to tie or win at that point.

I didn't see the Saints score a single touchdown, yet it was the most emotionally wrenching near-loss I've watched. Amazing.

 
I grew up in Tampa, and as a little boy it was hard to convince me to be satisfied supporting a team with wimpy uniforms that lost all the time. ALL THE TIME. If you're an adult, you can be patient. If you're eight-years-old, it's hard to see things long-term. Plus, I didn't have a hard-core football fan in the house to keep me on track. My folks weren't against watching sports, but not fanatical.

I wanted a team that could throw the ball, catch the ball and had cool-looking uniforms. Then I saw Dan Fouts slinging it with a lightning bolt on his helmet. That was good enough for me.

When I got older it became easier to get more philosophical about the Buccaneers (even after moving), so I matured enough to be a true fan. I didn't stop following them, but I didn't have to be as invested in a team that won two games every year. But I still have a soft spot for the Chargers even today. People say you can't like two teams, but you really can-- even if you don't live in the city of either of them.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh you're gonna love this -

I am a Steeler fan because of ... Robert Urich.

:shrug:

Yes, Robert Urich. Allow me to explain.

Early in my life, I was exposed to what my family considered football, for you see, most were Baltimore Colts fans. For some reason, I never really cared for pro-football. The Colts were pretty bad during this time (70's). Then one night in the early 80's, ABC aired "FIGHTING BACK : THE STORY OF ROCKY BLEIER"

I saw Rocky's determination, Rocky's drive to succeed (hell, he was the writer, so of course it made him look good) and I learned about the Rooneys. Been a fan ever since that movie. Is that sad or what?

:bag:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0080733/

for the movie

:popcorn:

 
My dad flew out to PA as an oversight group post Three Mile Island.

I was 8 years old. He brought me home (to Idaho) a Steelers jersey. #88. Lynn Swann.

Sunday AM, I turn on the TV, just in time to see Swann catch an acrobatic TD.

Fan ever since.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
The 1981 Chargers.

Grew up in Texas, I got the Cowboys, my brother got the Oilers. I was a Drew Pearson/Tony Hill/Charlie Waters/Cliff Harris/Randy White/Ed Too Tall Jones/Harvey Martin guy, he was an Earl Campbell/Dan Pastorini/Billy White Shoes Johnson guy.

I watched network games from noon til 6pm Sundays, had a crate full of Topps cards, memorized every stat, and raced to get the boxscores and cut out the clippings from the newspaper every Monday morning.

Sometime after the 1978 season, after the Cowboys transitioned to Danny White, I just got tired of getting burned hoping and hoping for them to get to and Win the SuperBowl. I was also sort of lost in the memory of the acrobatics of Lynn Swann and John Stallworth from that '78 Season. Even though those graceful Steelers WRs were 'the enemy', I started loving the big passing game (and still do).

Enter the 1981 Chargers. Dan Fouts. Kellen Winslow Sr. (the REAL soldier), Ch Joiner, John Jefferson, Wes Chandler, James Brooks, Chuck Muncie... Watching those 45 point games from that offense just made football fun again. "The Game" sealed the deal for me. Watched (on TV) the whole game, including all the overtimes and my hero Kellen Winslow get carried off the field after that one.

Now, they might have proven to be a bigger heartbreaker over the years, with regards to the big game, but I took the Chargers and never looked back.

San Diiiego...Suuuuuper Chargers!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Captain Spaulding said:
Ok, I'm a Steeler fan. As lame as this sounds, I initially became a Steeler fan when I was in elementary school and the 1st game I recall ever really watching with my dad was Steelers vs. Cowboys in the 1979 Superbowl. I choose the Steelers in that game for nothing more than I liked their Black and Gold uniforms (striking colors in the eyes of a child, but most adults probably agree its a pretty hideous color combo).

That's it. Anyone care to share their reasons? Parental brainwashing? Hometown follow-the-herd loyalty? Flamboyant playmakers draw you in? Hottest cheerleaders?

Of course the reasons as a child will be drastically different that more legit reasons if you chose a team as an adult.

Its Friday....
Click to expand...
I happened to live in Charlotte NC when they were awarded the Panthers' franchise. My boss at the time had season tickets, but made a practice of giving away the seats to his top employees, so I got to watch the Panthers play several times in Bank of America Stadium - it's an awesome venue.Also, the best sports bar in Charlotte, Coaches, was within walking distance of my apartment at the time, and the Panthers did their weekly radio show out of that venue. So I met a bunch of the players in person after the radio show and got autographs, etc. Kerry Collins was a jerk when he first got into the league: But Sam Mills was absolutely fantastic as a player and a team representative. I saw him several times at Coaches and he always was nice to fans and signed tons of autographs.

He would've made a fine NFL head coach. RIP Sam Mills.

Anyway, I pull for the Panthers over other teams because I recall fondly all the excitement that club generated when it was awarded to Charlotte; because of the fond memories I have of going to the stadium; and because of Sam Mills' community outreach.

 
Captain Spaulding said:
Ok, I'm a Steeler fan. As lame as this sounds, I initially became a Steeler fan when I was in elementary school and the 1st game I recall ever really watching with my dad was Steelers vs. Cowboys in the 1979 Superbowl. I choose the Steelers in that game for nothing more than I liked their Black and Gold uniforms (striking colors in the eyes of a child, but most adults probably agree its a pretty hideous color combo). That's it. Anyone care to share their reasons? Parental brainwashing? Hometown follow-the-herd loyalty? Flamboyant playmakers draw you in? Hottest cheerleaders?Of course the reasons as a child will be drastically different that more legit reasons if you chose a team as an adult.Its Friday....
Click to expand...
Very similar reason. When I was about 5, I saw the gawd-awful Orioles uniforms (orange and black like Hallowe'en, no grey backt then) and became a fan. When asked who my football team was, I simply answered "Baltimore". Was a Colts fan ever since and as luck would have it, my job moved me to Indianapolis 10 years ago.I learned, though. When asked who my college team was, I went with the Nittany Lions for their absolutely boring (but perfect) uniform.
 
meeka said:
Phurfur said:
Home Team! It is that simple.
Click to expand...
Same here. Stupid Lions.
Click to expand...
First football memory was Barry Sanders in 1986 when he came in to spell Thurman for a bit, got hooked in more in '87.Then the Lions drafted him. :thumbdown: No idea why... but after 10 years I couldn't shake it. Still here 18 years later as well, but I've about given up. 0-16 would be the last straw.
 
Grew up loving the Dallas Cowboys. Mainly to drive my parents and siblings crazy since they loved the Cardinals. Got to meet Roger Staubach and Tom Landry when I was 8.

Then when Jerry Jones rolled into town and backstabbed Landry I had no team.

Being from St Louis (and loving the Cardinals in baseball and the Blues in hockey) I decided to follow the Rams after Bidwell took the Cardinals to Arizona.

 
Ditkaless Wonders said:
I was an impressionable boy when the 60's Packers bestrode the NFL like a collassus. Living in Wisconsin, hearing Lombardi preached in Church so often that I thought the trinity was the Father, the Son, and Coach Lombardi how could it be elsewise? Their colors included gold. Their Q.B. was a Starr. They produced champions and legends at a rate since unequaled. When the greatest team of all time is your local team during your boyhood the deal is sealed.
Click to expand...
:thumbdown: Though...I grew up through the lean times of the late 70s and the 80s.But living 30 minutes from Lambeau Field...with a total of 6 season tickets in the family. Its not hard to start liking the team.Now...as a young child, you want to root for a winner...well, my brother adopted the Steelers during his youth (but grew out of it by about age 13)...me, forget the winners, I liked the orange of Tampa Bay. Loved Doug Williams for some reason back then. Leroy Selmon. And adopted them to just have someone else to watch. Also pulled for Williams when he won the SB with Washington.Though, never turned my back on the Pack. Was there in the blizzard game against Tampa and loved every minute of it.Grew up loving Lynn Dickey, James Lofton, John Jefferson. Eddie Lee Ivory.The Green and Gold is in my blood and has remained even when I moved to TN.And will be in LP field next week ready to go.
 
PatrickT said:
DanFouts said:
1979..9 years old....growing up in Alabama..everyone is a college football fan or lukewarm Falcons fan...I wanted a different team....Hung out in the summer at the YMCA....put a dime in a candy machine that would spit out football helmets and said whatever team comes out, that will be my team....blue helmet with the lighting bolts....then it got better...I wrote the team to the address in the farmer's almanac...told them I was a new fan in Alabama...a few weeks later they sent me a package full of team photos, autographs, and sticker!Die hard Charger fan ever since...(even through the Vlasic, Billie Joe Tolliver eras)Finally made it to a game in San Diego for the playoffs 2 years ago when they lost to the Pats.....
Click to expand...
That's a pretty cool story.
Click to expand...
Indeed.I think I still have the entire collection of those helmets somewhere.
 
I grew up in southeastern Ohio (Zanesville), and for whatever reason wasn't all that enthralled with the Browns or Bengals. This was around 1971. I was 8. Was barely familiar with the game, but found it highly entertaining. Had no outside influences. Dad was not a sports fan at all, and I was the oldest of three boys. Caught a glimpse of the Dallas Cowboys and I was sold. Loved the uniforms, the stadium, the star on the helmet. Been with them ever since. By the time I was in high school, I proclaimed that someday I was going to move to Dallas and here I am. Couldn't begin to name the number of players, both past and present, that I've had the opportunity to meet and mingle with. I'm livin' a dream. Drew Pearson was my idol during my athletic playing days. Friends even called me "Drew" during those years. I was a pretty prolific receiver myself during those years.

I still remember a rhyme/chant from back in those days. "Six foot two, dressed in blue, hands of glue, it's Drew!" Funny thing was, Drew was only six foot.

 
Dirty Weasel said:
DanFouts said:
1979..9 years old....growing up in Alabama..everyone is a college football fan or lukewarm Falcons fan...I wanted a different team....

Hung out in the summer at the YMCA....put a dime in a candy machine that would spit out football helmets and said whatever team comes out, that will be my team....blue helmet with the lighting bolts....then it got better...

I wrote the team to the address in the farmer's almanac...told them I was a new fan in Alabama...a few weeks later they sent me a package full of team photos, autographs, and sticker!

Die hard Charger fan ever since...(even through the Vlasic, Billie Joe Tolliver eras)

Finally made it to a game in San Diego for the playoffs 2 years ago when they lost to the Pats.....
Click to expand...
It sure is a small world. I have an eerily similar story...Mid 1970's - growing up in Connecticut. A small town called Mystic (which is right on the Rhode Island border). The entire town seemed to love every Boston team in every sport (and alot of New York teams too, but mostly Boston), so I decided to pick the rival teams. I chose the Reds for baseball (they got to whale on the Sox in the 1975 World Series, then beat the Yanks the following year). Hell, the Reds were so dominant for those 2 years, the All-Star games in '75 and '76 were basically the American League vs the Reds. To this day, Pete Rose is still my favorite sports figure.

OK, moving on to basketball. From my story above, it should be pretty easy to guess that I root for the Lakers. I despise the Celtics, but I only hate the Knicks. A huge fan of the days of Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Silk, Nixon, Cooper, etc. Those guys didn't care about defense. They only forced you to keep up with them as they ran up and down the court. My favorite player is James Worthy. He just seemed to make everything look so effortless.

I hate the Bruins, but never really followed hockey, so let's get to football...

Football was alot tougher to pick a favorite team from. The only thing I knew was that I was supposed to hate all the teams from New England, because, as I said, everyone around me liked them, especially the Patriots. There was no true rival at the time, so I started by liking the Dolphins. They seemed to be the closest thing. Then in 1979, along comes a guy named Kellen Winslow. Well, I have the same last name, so I was drawn to the Chargers. I remember thinking the Bolts were the most exciting team to watch in the NFL. In the early 1980's, they were awesome. Fouts had Winslow, Joiner, Jefferson, Muncie to throw to. They seemed to score 50 points a game, and still manage to lose by a few points. Who can forget the game between the Chargers and Dolphins when Winslow seemed to go off on a stretcher like 20 times?
Click to expand...
Sigh....the glory years......Jefferson was one of my favorites too....that dude could catch everything!I had a lot of expectations for the past 3 that we were getting close to a Renaissance....and would finally hit the big time.

The 94 Super Bowl is still a shock in my mind...

 
Living in central California, there were Raider n 49er fans everywhere. My family was from washington and when the Seattle got a team my grandpa sent me Seahawk stuff and I started watching them and they became my team. Back then in the late 70s the only way I got to see them was in the hightlights at half time. It was the best part of the game for me at half looking for the 5 second blip of the Hawks, usaly some trick field goal or Zorn with a crazy scramble/throw to lil Largent......ahh life before internet.

Go Hawks

 
The Drive.

I was 11 years old at the time, and my interest was piqued in pro football - my teacher at the time was a die-hard Bronco fan, and more close to home my Grandpa was a fan. I remember being pretty excited after the Broncos beat the Pats in the playoffs, was caught up in Mile High Mania (lived within local TV viewing distance of Denver) leading up to the CG, and was absolutely estatic when Elway hit a sliding Mark Jackson in the end zone to send the game into OT. That catch sealed my fate, and was possibly one of the more significant turning points of my life.

ETA: whenever the NFLN replays that game or shows highlights, it brings a tear to my eye to this day.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
moleculo said:
The Drive.I was 11 years old at the time, and my interest was piqued in pro football - my teacher at the time was a die-hard Bronco fan, and more close to home my Grandpa was a fan. I remember being pretty excited after the Broncos beat the Pats in the playoffs, was caught up in Mile High Mania (lived within local TV viewing distance of Denver) leading up to the CG, and was absolutely estatic when Elway hit a sliding Mark Jackson in the end zone to send the game into OT. That catch sealed my fate, and was possibly one of the more significant turning points of my life.ETA: whenever the NFLN replays that game or shows highlights, it brings a tear to my eye to this day.
Click to expand...
WOW what a thread!!!!And how poetic for me that I catchit here because I too became a Bronco Fan after "The Drive"But what really sealed it for me was the summer of 97. Kubiak had a house that was basically across the road from my grandmother's farm. His house was being remodeled and he was staying at the quest house on the farm. I go t to meet him and he even let me look through the playbook for the upcoming season. Not that much of it made any sense at the time. He sent me a signed ball from TD and Elway during the pre-season. That is now in a safety-deposit box. Huge fan now and even a Texan fan to some extent
 
Steeler fan. Dad was a huge Steeler fan and that's all I knew. Growing up in the 70's with Bradshaw, Franco, Rocky, Lynn, John, Mean Joe, Lambert, Ham, Blount (among others) made it very easy to cheer for them. Lifelong fan and I'll never switch to another team. Ironic that I grew up near Buffalo and never liked them.....

 
The High Priest said:
Living in central California, there were Raider n 49er fans everywhere. My family was from washington and when the Seattle got a team my grandpa sent me Seahawk stuff and I started watching them and they became my team. Back then in the late 70s the only way I got to see them was in the hightlights at half time. It was the best part of the game for me at half looking for the 5 second blip of the Hawks, usaly some trick field goal or Zorn with a crazy scramble/throw to lil Largent......ahh life before internet.Go Hawks
Click to expand...
Reading through all of these storys, I couldn't wait to post mine. Low and behold a few away from the end and you pretty much stole my story same team and all. Grew up in the Tampa Bay area, Bucs were just too ugly, seeing those halftime highlights of Zorn to Largent just drew me in as an 11 year old. Thought the unis were cool too. We'll win it all someday!!! Seahawk love
 
Home teams were never pounded in my head, early on i was a Dolphins fan simply because they won the super bowl the year I was born. Come high school, I wanted to choose a team that I could call my own, so I picked the worst team with the ugliest uniforms out there, the Bucs. I wanted to be a Bucs fan so if/when they got good I could say I was with them through the bad times. College was rough, I would literally talk smack if they won one game and got busted on big time. But when they won it in 03, I probably got 10 phone calls from old college buddies congratulating me. It's not so hard being a Bucs fan now.

 
Phurfur said:
Home Team! It is that simple.
Click to expand...
except some of us dont have home teams. theres a lot of us that grew up in states that dont have NFL teams.my earliest memories of watching football (not as old as some of you :excited: ) are of watching Tony Dorsett and the Dallas Cowboys in the early 80's. i've always been a Cowboys fan and always will. i cant say i agree with how pro sports have evolved, but i look for the positive. my favorite Dallas Cowboy right now is Jason Witten. before him it was guys like Aikman/Novacek/Emmitt/Moose Johnston/Darren Woodson. some of you have expressed who/what you hate. i dont REALLY hate any fans or teams. except maybe the eagles :bag: . but what i dont like are fans that change teams, and fans that live in the city of the team they follow who think they are better than fans that dont live there. i'm a football fan, 1st and foremost. i loved playing it. i love the strategy. i love the toughness. i love the sound of a hard hit! FOOTBALL IS LIFE!
 
Grew up on Long Island. Mets and Jets territory. Grew up watching Kenny O'Brien and Marino shooting it out. Jets haven't won anyting while I've been alive. But hopefully it will be worth the wait. How can being a Yanks fan be fun? If the Jets ever go all the way it will be more euphoric then any Yankee fan could ever experience at this point. That's why the 86' Mets are so dear to me.

 
One Sunday afternoon I walked into the living room, I was about 9 years old, and happened to catch Bo Jackson on the screen.... That was it. Raider fan ever since.

 
Grew up in a Dayton, OH suburb and grew up initially on the Browns ...there were no Bengals until I was 10. Black & White TV watching Leroy Kelly, Gary Collins, Paul Warfield, Frank Ryan. Loved'em. I did dally a bit like a lot of kids with the better teams, initially was a big Bart Starr guy - wore a Bart Starr jersey until it fell apart. And then had a kid-crush on Fran Tarkenton since the Giants but really took off with the Vikings and their success (not counting all the lost SuperBowls). I was a dinky little kid and I loved that he was small and the way he scrambled around. The Bengals had quick success and they were just like the Browns anyway until Paul Brown quit coaching. Pretty much same uniforms too.

The Browns of the early-mid 80's brought me all the way back - the Cardiac kids. Been there ever since - even counting the days for the comeback in '99.

 
rm77478 said:
moleculo said:
The Drive.I was 11 years old at the time, and my interest was piqued in pro football - my teacher at the time was a die-hard Bronco fan, and more close to home my Grandpa was a fan. I remember being pretty excited after the Broncos beat the Pats in the playoffs, was caught up in Mile High Mania (lived within local TV viewing distance of Denver) leading up to the CG, and was absolutely estatic when Elway hit a sliding Mark Jackson in the end zone to send the game into OT. That catch sealed my fate, and was possibly one of the more significant turning points of my life.ETA: whenever the NFLN replays that game or shows highlights, it brings a tear to my eye to this day.
Click to expand...
WOW what a thread!!!!And how poetic for me that I catchit here because I too became a Bronco Fan after "The Drive"But what really sealed it for me was the summer of 97. Kubiak had a house that was basically across the road from my grandmother's farm. His house was being remodeled and he was staying at the quest house on the farm. I go t to meet him and he even let me look through the playbook for the upcoming season. Not that much of it made any sense at the time. He sent me a signed ball from TD and Elway during the pre-season. That is now in a safety-deposit box. Huge fan now and even a Texan fan to some extent
Click to expand...
I always liked Kubiak. You have just solidified my belief about him being a stand up guy. Great story.
 
fred_1_15301 said:
Captain Spaulding said:
Ok, I'm a Steeler fan. As lame as this sounds, I initially became a Steeler fan when I was in elementary school and the 1st game I recall ever really watching with my dad was Steelers vs. Cowboys in the 1979 Superbowl. I choose the Steelers in that game for nothing more than I liked their Black and Gold uniforms (striking colors in the eyes of a child, but most adults probably agree its a pretty hideous color combo). That's it. Anyone care to share their reasons? Parental brainwashing? Hometown follow-the-herd loyalty? Flamboyant playmakers draw you in? Hottest cheerleaders?Of course the reasons as a child will be drastically different that more legit reasons if you chose a team as an adult.Its Friday....
Click to expand...
When I was little (around 7 or 8 yrs old), I was a Niners fan because of their cool uniforms and the fact that they were winners. In the early 90s, I shifted to a Steeler fan cause thats where I'm from. Die hard Steeler fan now and forever.......
Click to expand...
:hifive: I was always a steelers fan growing up here but the 49ers were #2 back then. Still have my Montana, Rice, Young jerseys from those days. Ronnie Lot :thumbup:
 
I was a Minnesota fan as a child, watching Fran Tarkenton, Chuck Foreman, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, Ahmad Rashad and Sammy White whenever one of my 3 channels showed them.

Being from S. Carolina, we didn't have a local team so I pulled for the Eagles and Falcons some.

But then the Carolina Panthers were formed. I've been a loyal Panther fan ever since.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

kremenull
DRAGGIN'S '09 NFL MOCK DRAFT - 1st Rd
2
Replies
50
Views
3K
Andy Dufresne
Andy Dufresne
BobbyLayne
The 25 Greatest Films of the 21st Century So Far
2 3 4
Replies
155
Views
11K
El Floppo
El Floppo
Raider Nation
Article: What if foreign soccer fans had to choose an NFL team?
Replies
31
Views
1K
Kal El
K

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top