When did you become and NFL fan? (1 Viewer)

[RoarinSonoran]

Mid-70's. Sir Francis and the Vikes, and the Steelers had a big impact.

 

[Urinal Mint]

I came out of the womb in 1977 to a Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys team. My allegiance hasn't wavered a millimeter since.And I learned to hate the 49'ers at age 4 when Dwight Clark caught the luckiest pass in NFL history.

 

[cstu]

Basketball and baseball were the big sports when I was a kid and it wasn't until I was a teenager in the mid-80's that I started paying attention to football. Like many others, it started with the Thanksgiving Day games, mainly Dallas. I really liked watching Dorsett play so when he retired I lost interest. What actually brought me back to football was hearing about a guy named Emmitt Smith who broke all the records at Florida and then was drafted by the Cowboys. The rest is history.

 

[redman]

Basketball and baseball were the big sports when I was a kid and it wasn't until I was a teenager in the mid-80's that I started paying attention to football. Like many others, it started with the Thanksgiving Day games, mainly Dallas. I really liked watching Dorsett play so when he retired I lost interest. What actually brought me back to football was hearing about a guy named Emmitt Smith who broke all the records at Florida and then was drafted by the Cowboys. The rest is history.

If you were looking for evidence of Cowboys fans being fair weather fans . . .

 

[The Jerminator]

When I was 8. I was born in LA and I remember watching the 1979 NFC Championship Game at my best friend's house. Rams 9, Bucs 0. We played with our "Mighty Men and Monster Makers" during the commercials. I watched the Rams-Steelers Super Bowl at my cousins' house with my whole family. Vince Ferragamo was GOD to me! We played Nerf Football in the front yard during halftime. Of course the Rams put up a goose egg after halftime and lost the game but I was a Rams, and NFL, fan for life. I got a subscription to SI when I was 10 and saved every issue (long since thrown away of course ). We moved to the Bay area in 1980 and I saw some great football between the Raiders and 49ers over the years (though I will always HATE the 'Niners ). I watched the Raiders-Eagles SB on a tiny B&W TV and some "family friend's" house. Everyone was rooting for the Raiders but I was pulling for the Iggles. I lived in New Orleans in 1993 when they started out 5-0, only to finish at 8-8 and miss the playoffs again... The Rams SB win over Tennessee was one of the greatest moments in my life and if I ever meet Kurt Warner I will offer him one of my children as a show of respect for what he has given me! I've been playing FF since 2000 and it has only enhanced my love of the NFL, plus it helps me get through those 6-10 seasons when the Rams lose to the 'Niners TWICE!!! :X I gotta go now, The Bus is staring at me from my latest copy of SI, SB XL can't come soon enough.- Jerm

 

[DoctorDetroit]

When I was 8.  I was born in LA and I remember watching the 1979 NFC Championship Game at my best friend's house.  Rams 9, Bucs 0.  We played with our "Mighty Men and Monster Makers" during the commercials.  I watched the Rams-Steelers Super Bowl at my cousins' house with my whole family.  Vince Ferragamo was GOD to me!  We played Nerf Football in the front yard during halftime.  Of course the Rams put up a goose egg after halftime and lost the game but I was a Rams, and NFL, fan for life.  I got a subscription to SI when I was 10 and saved every issue (long since thrown away of course ).  We moved to the Bay area in 1980 and I saw some great football between the Raiders and 49ers over the years (though I will always HATE the 'Niners  ).  I watched the Raiders-Eagles SB on a tiny B&W TV and some "family friend's" house.  Everyone was rooting for the Raiders but I was pulling for the Iggles.  I lived in New Orleans in 1993 when they started out 5-0, only to finish at 8-8 and miss the playoffs again...  The Rams SB win over Tennessee was one of the greatest moments in my life and if I ever meet Kurt Warner I will offer him one of my children as a show of respect for what he has given me!    I've been playing FF since 2000 and it has only enhanced my love of the NFL, plus it helps me get through those 6-10 seasons when the Rams lose to the 'Niners TWICE!!! :X    I gotta go now, The Bus is staring at me from my latest copy of SI, SB XL can't come soon enough.

- Jerm

In 1992 before the instant information age I bet a Dallas Cowboy fan $500 that Tampa Bay was in the NFC Championship game. I lived in Italy and had to drive 300 miles to get a sports almanac to prove my point. English chicks on beach vacation got free drinks on the Cowboys the next night and I got served up some critter . The one and only time I ever liked the Cowboys.

 

[cstu]

Basketball and baseball were the big sports when I was a kid and it wasn't until I was a teenager in the mid-80's that I started paying attention to football. Like many others, it started with the Thanksgiving Day games, mainly Dallas. I really liked watching Dorsett play so when he retired I lost interest. What actually brought me back to football was hearing about a guy named Emmitt Smith who broke all the records at Florida and then was drafted by the Cowboys. The rest is history.

If you were looking for evidence of Cowboys fans being fair weather fans . . .

Hey, I lived in Iowa with nobody else in my family into football. Believe it or not, but I did support them during the Switzer, Gailey and Campo eras.

 

[facook]

And I learned to hate the 49'ers at age 4 when Dwight Clark caught the luckiest pass in NFL history.

 

[CrossEyed]

Started going to Steeler games in 1974 with my mom & dad, who bought their season tickets in 1971. So I grew up going to Three Rivers stadium during the glory years. I've seen a lot of great games over the years. My parents still have 2 of their season tickets and I usually get to one game per year.GO STEELERS!!

 

[redman]

Basketball and baseball were the big sports when I was a kid and it wasn't until I was a teenager in the mid-80's that I started paying attention to football.  Like many others, it started with the Thanksgiving Day games, mainly Dallas.  I really liked watching Dorsett  play so when he retired I lost interest.  What actually brought me back to football was hearing about a guy named Emmitt Smith who broke all the records at Florida and then was drafted by the Cowboys.  The rest is history.

If you were looking for evidence of Cowboys fans being fair weather fans . . .

Hey, I lived in Iowa with nobody else in my family into football. Believe it or not, but I did support them during the Switzer, Gailey and Campo eras.

I kid, I kid!

 

[Family Matters]

Since there are a few guys 30 plus I have to ask. Did anyone else have the Hutch all in one jersey, helmet and pants set?

I got a Lions set and think my helmet lasted about half an hour before I cracked it in half, while hitting my brother. Oh, the Christmas Day memories...

Family Matters, I don't care if it is a high school game take your little man. If he is young enough, like 2-5, he will not even know the difference. My HOF MLB in the making is only 6 and has just begun to figure out the differences between attending a high school, college and pro game.

He's just as happy, though, at any of the three and has learned to immediately locate the cheerleaders, nearest bathroom and beerstand upon finding our seats. He even has the 3 in proper order. Nothing like taking him and the wife to a game and having him say, hey, dad the cheerleaders have different outfits this time. Of course, I placed full responsibility onto his grandfather.

WhoDat, Couch Potato, Frodo & MOP, thanks for what you said. I'm not surprised by your answers and I'm glad you took the tiome to respond.MOP-I remember when your father passed away. I remember thinking I wish my dad had liked sports and we could of done some things together like that. But it didn't turn out that way. So I find other ways to connect with him.

Guys, for those of you that know me you know about my health issues. I've had serious neck problems the last 2 years and it has developed into permanent nerve damage. You think about how much pain your in and ask yourself "why me"? But once you come to terms with it you start to find the positives.

While I'm disabled and limited in so many ways now, I've come to realize some of the gifts I have now. Time with my family. I have a 28 yr old son, 9 yr old son and 8 yr old daughter. I spent time with them everyday. Homework, school activities, football, skating and baseball are just some of things I get involved with. It's been a blessing to be able to see so much of them and spend more time with my wife.

I have to pick and choose my time carefully because I am limited in how much time I can do an activity. I am on morphine all the time and still in a lot of pain. And yet I still feel lucky on these counts.

Guys, like MOP, WhoDat, Frodo and Couch Potato have said, spend the time. Make the time. We only get 1 chance to do this right. You don't get do overs or instant replay when you raise your children.

Thanks for the stories guys!

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Soon after I became an OSU Buckeye fan as well!

:X :X :X

And now my son (he's 9) has become a great fan and a really good player. Last week he threw 1 TD and rushed for 2 more in his season ending game.

Michigan will need a HB of his caliber in nine years.

Sorry, he's a QB and he's going to be a Buckeye come hell or high water. Unless Michigan is offerring a full ride scholarship. Then I can be a Wolverine for 4 years.

I'd say the same thing, I think.

 

[ravnzfan]

Homer Jones played WR for Big Blue

that, for you younger fellas, was more than a few seasons ago

 

[Monty Burns]

For me it was, when listening to the RADIO, as we didn't get the game on our 1 TV station, with my dad. The Packers Jesse Whittenton (or was it Hank Gremminger?) stole the ball from a Giants player, to seal the Packers win in the 1961 (or was it the 1962) NFL Title game. Been a while.... ....can anyone help me out with the player and the year?

 

[Couch Potato]

For me it was, when listening to the RADIO, as we didn't get the game on our 1 TV station, with my dad. The Packers Jesse Whittenton (or was it Hank Gremminger?) stole the ball from a Giants player, to seal the Packers win in the 1961 (or was it the 1962) NFL Title game. Been a while.... ....can anyone help me out with the player and the year?

GB beat NY 37-0 in 1961 and 16-7 in 1962 in the title games. The game you are remembering, though, was a regular season game the two teams played earlier in 1962 in which the Packers clinched the division, winning 20-17.Monte, I think you'll like reading this page I found from an old book shown on a Wisconsin history website, discussing Whittenton and his steal of the ball from the Giants' Alex Webster to help GB win. A picture of the thievery is included:

Story

 

[roadkill1292]

I wasn't even in school yet when I got hooked, probably from seeing my dad, a soft-spoken churchgoer, screaming unkind things at Bart Starr during the epic battles between the Pack and our beloved Colts in the late fifties.

 

[Monty Burns]

For me it was, when listening to the RADIO, as we didn't get the game on our 1 TV station, with my dad. The Packers Jesse Whittenton (or was it Hank Gremminger?) stole the ball from a Giants player, to seal the Packers win in the 1961 (or was it the 1962) NFL Title game. Been a while.... ....can anyone help me out with the player and the year?

GB beat NY 37-0 in 1961 and 16-7 in 1962 in the title games. The game you are remembering, though, was a regular season game the two teams played earlier in 1962 in which the Packers clinched the division, winning 20-17.Monte, I think you'll like reading this page I found from an old book shown on a Wisconsin history website, discussing Whittenton and his steal of the ball from the Giants' Alex Webster to help GB win. A picture of the thievery is included:

Story

WOW! THANKS for finding that and helping me re-live the real story. I'll definately have to send a copy of it to my dad (now 73) so he can do the same!

 

[oukurt]

Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson, and Butch Johnson are to this day my 3 favorite Dallas Cowboys. Safety Roy Williams is closing fast. My favorite player from another team is easily Walter Payton. What a gift he was.Favorite memory #1 -Helping my dad adjust the antenna on the old Magnavox during football season when I was a kid for Dallas games.Favorite memory #2 - Butch Johnson catch vs Denver in the Super BowlFavorite memory #3 - Dallas comeback win vs the Falcons in 81 divisional playoffFavortie memory #4 - Dallas return to glory in 91 and winning the NFC championship at CandlestickLeast favorite memory #1 - The CatchLeast favorite memory #2 - Jackie Smith's drop in the end zone vs Steelers in Super Bowl.Least favorite memory #3 - Lynn Swann catch over Mark Washington in Super BowlLeast favorite memory #4 - Staubach retiringGot a little nostalgic there.

 

[sho nuff]

Growing up in Miami, when I was real young I was a Steeler/Cowboys fan...loved to watch Dallas on Thanksgiving.

When Miami went to the Super Bowl in the strike shortened 1982 season I started getting into the Fins...Riggins broke my heart in that Super Bowl.

Than the next season my father took us to a couple of Miami games in the Orange Bowl, that hooked me real quick.

Let me ask you a question. How important was going to that game with your dad? Did that mean a great deal to you? The reason I ask is my boy has been asking to go to a game. I hate going to games but I think I should take him to one or more.

My father passed away last year. I can remember the smell of the hot dogs...this was when you didn't have to stand in a concession line...they actually had it in a warmer and carried it around the stadium. I can remember where we sat in the closed in part of the end zone in the Orange Bowl...I can remember seeign the helmets and the color of them. They played the Chiefs...those red uniforms took me aback...I coul;d never describe to folks that have never been how vibrant a football looks till I watched the NFL thru HD...I immediately thought of those games I went to with my father.

You asked a question that has really made me pause and think...you didn't know so its no biggie, but I will probably be thinking of him the rest of the day. It was a great time and a great memory and somethign I am so thankful of.

My son was a fan about 17 hours into his life...born in 04 on Sept. 13th...Green Bay's opening game on Monday against Carolina. Got a picture of him with my Favre jersey on him like a blanket...then another on his 1st birthday wearing the jersey...we are going to try and get a picture of him in it every year on his birthday to show how he grows through the years.Though his mother will try and pull him towards the Titans (which will be fine since we live here in Nashville and are season ticket holders)...but he will always have at least a respect for the Packers...either that or me and his grandmother will kill him...lol

 

[Mik789fl]

I have no recollection of ever NOT being a fan. My earliest memories,at Grandma's house for Sunday dinner watching the Giants every week and hearing the great Jack Whittaker say "....Jim Katkavage makes the tackle for the Giants.."

 

[miphin]

Grew up in Houston, I remember the Luv Ya Blue Days (Earl Campbell, Dan Pastorini, later Kenny Stabler, Bum Phillips, Kenny Burrough, Elvin Bethea, Billy White Shoes Johnson, etc...) they had some real battles with Pittsburgh, this and playing football at recess is what made me a fan. I can remember being in elementary school assemblies having pep rallies for them.In 1984 I noticed a young QB, by the name of Marino tearing up the league. Became a Dolphins then and continue that trend today.

 

[boubucarow]

I was a 7 year old living in Chicago in 1985. No explanation needed.However, I was a huge sports fan who brought sporting newspapers and magazines to school as early as 3rd grade. I loved the Cubs, Bears, and Bulls. Of course, Jordan and the Bulls were king going into the late 80's and beyond. And the Cubs had their one miracle year every so often. But two things got me hooked on football above all else.First, Barry Sanders. No explanation needed.Second, the NFC playoffs in the late 80's and early 90's. The 49ers, Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins had me anticipate the playoffs like no other sport. Also, the regular season matchups between those teams had me spellbounded.