How did you become a Shocker?

[HockeyShock]

I don't remember if I've told this story here or not, and most of the people who know me irl already know it, but for the rest of you, here goes:

My brother is seven years older than me. He graduated HS in 1985 and started at WSU that fall. That was also the first time I found out you could study to be somebody who designs airplanes and spacecraft ("Really? There's a school for that?!"). His sophomore year was my 7th grade year, and he bought me a WSU t-shirt for Christmas. It was just a normal t-shirt, had the old (angry) WuShock on the front, but it was from him and I loved it, so the first day back from Christmas break, I wore the shirt to school.

It gets around to 7th hour, which is Science class. The teacher used the stand-up comedy method of junior high instruction. At the start of class he'd come in and riff on current events or whatever for 20 minutes or so, maybe do a 10 minute lesson with another 10 minutes of actual work, then back to jawing for the last 10 minutes and that was it. He was a KU alum and a huge fan, and at that point I didn't watch sports at all. I'd follow the Royals in the summertime, but that was mostly background noise on the radio. I didn't sit down to watch sports.

So the teacher comes in, looks right at me in my new t-shirt and says, "We're going to kick your butts tonight."

Now, I have no idea what the hell he's talking about, so I find out that WSU and KU were playing basketball that very evening. Okay, great. But this jack@$$ just won't let it go. He's throwing names and numbers and acting all superior about it, and then some of the other kids in the class that were KU fans were getting into the act. I didn't have the best time of things in junior high (hey, who did?) and I was getting close to a panic attack because this was rapidly turning into a game of Dogpile On The Nerd. Then, in the "conversation," this teacher asked why my brother went to WSU. I told him that he was studying Aerospace Engineering. The teacher then said, "Why isn't he going to KU? KU is a much better school for that."

Okay, this just got personal.

The class mercifully ends, and along the way I found out that the game was actually going to be on TV in my small town. The only Wichita station we had was KAKE, and they were carrying it. So I went home and watched basketball for the first time in my life.

54 - 49

I wore the shirt again the next day, just savoring the eventual 7th hour, and oh was it glorious. The bell rings, and the teacher comes in, says in a hushed, "do-not-****-with-me" voice: "Turn to page (whatever), read Chapter (something), and do problems 1 through (yadda)." Then he sits down at his table at the front of the room and proceeds to grade papers. The rest of the class is dumbstruck. I blow through the problems, then I just lean back and stare at him. After about 20 minutes he looks up at me over his reading glasses: "(HockeyShock), I hope your teeth turn green," then he goes back to grading. About 10 minutes later, "(HockeyShock), I hope your hair falls out." 10 minutes after that the class was over, and he was still sitting there, fuming.

The Wichita State University men's basketball team did something that, to the best of my knowledge, nobody had been able to do before or since, they got that teacher to shut up. That meant they were mighty.

I was hooked, and of course, not long after that started The Dark Times, but I hung in there through both degrees. My reward was getting my first year of season tickets during HCGM's first year. Coincidence?

[Anthroshock]

In my mispent youth I was much more of a KState fan. Everyone else in my elementary were KU fans. I hated that.
I loved Mitch Richmond and Steve Henson. I wanted to be Steve Henson. I absolutely love college basketball.

Now, I knew who Antoine and Cliff were. My Dad made me sit down and watch Antoine's last game. I was young but suitably impressed. Remember watching X and Sasha. I listened to the baseball National Championship game on static-y AM in western Kansas.

When it came to picking schools. I knew KState ( brother went there) and made campus visits to KU and WSU.

Professors at KU never showed up to meet me. My tour guide was douche.
At WSU two professors took time out their day to meet me and tour me not only around the department, but also the campus. There was no doubt where I was going to school. I have a BA and MA to show for it. I had a Fulbright Fellowhsip for my MA research. First one in a long time, from what I recall.

Fall '95 I was one of the few in the three rows of the student section. I thought all college basketball games had at least 6-7k at them. I was working, listening to the radio the night Scott Thompson got canned. Couldn't have been more excited about the future.

Played in the basketball band, covered games for KMUW, try to get to at least one home game a year. Was there for the first game in the renovated Roundhouse. Came back to see the TxTech and UNLV games. Went to the SDSU game. Saw the disintegration fo the team in Vegas in '06-'07.

I have such incredible pride in the program and the University. Insult our reputation and it may come to blows.

[Good News]

As the son of a season ticket holder I went to games and was hooked before 1984, but it's a pretty special thing for a kid to be a small forward and get a chance to watch the best small forward in the country become the first guy to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding.

X. In the three decades that have passed I still haven't seen a player that pulsed with energy, hunted the play, and played with a controlled rage like him.

[SHOXAAC]

My Mom and Dad have been season ticket holders since 1965. I grew up hearing the legendary stories about how Dave "the Rave" scored the last 7 points in the final minute of the game to beat Cincy. How Jamie Thompson was the greatest corner shooter in Shocker history. How Warren Armstrong was the greatest college basketball player under 6-4.

From the time I was about 8 or 9 years old I would listen to the games on radio in my room, while playing out every game with my nerf ball and basket fashioned via a shoe box taped to my closet (even Mike Karas, Steve Cano, Mike James and Ron Soft were big-time scorers in my games).

My father passed away in 2000, when I began going to every game with my Mom. Over the years Mom's health has slipped slightly to the point where the tickets were transferred into my name at the beginning of this year. My wife is now able to join me for most games. My goal was to get my Mom to at least one game this year, which just so happened to be last night's win over Bradley. My section in 124 were so delighted to see my Mom again, as they always ask about her. It made Mom's night to feel so missed (thanks to all in my seating area).

[jpshocker]

Started going to WSU games religiously in the mid 80s and knew early on this was where I'd go to school. I received a Bachelor's and Master's degree from WSU and my wife received her Bachelor's here as well. My kids are still young but both insist they will attend WSU too so we must be doing something right.

[ripemupshocks]

I didn't have a choice, I was born this way. It's called Jaundice.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

I was born into it..

However I am now a Senior (finally) and will be graduating with a Bachelors from WSU sometime in 2015 (im only part time at the moment)

[rrshock]

Parents went to WSU but didn't graduate. I spent 4 years and earned my degree. I was really involved with on campus activities and worked in the athletic department for 2 years.

[WuDrWu]

Former Coach Harry Miller's son, Gary, was my age and lived in my neighborhood. My parents had season tickets before that, but that's when I started getting a feeling of "ownership" even at a young age (10-12 maybe?). We would go to football games when they had home games on non-Oklahoma weekends (sorry).

I remember a home football game against Oklahoma State. In high school my friends and I drove to Lawrence to watch 13-10. We watched the baseball team while sitting on the flat bed cars after school in the spring, like every day. Ron McDonald for Illinois lit us up one chilly spring series as I recall.

I hated missing games when we had to play our own....I remember playing angry when that occurred, although I can admit a possible creative license there.

Let me say that the head coaching job pays substantially more, relative to the general economy, than it did in the late 70s.

[SHOCKvalue]

Grew up in a primarily football-centric family, with baseball bringing up a distant second from a sports preference perspective. Basketball wasn't even on the radar - no matter the level - so WSU basketball wasn't in the household convo or on the TV watchlist. WSU baseball was however always quite high on the radar, as during my formative years the Shocks were a college baseball blueblood. Living in the Wichita metro at that time there were probably zero kids who played/liked baseball that weren't huge Shocker baseball fans. Even attended Shocker baseball summer camps a couple of times. Up until probably 10 years ago I cared very little for basketball, no matter what the jersey said. Nothing personal, just not imbued in my person.

Fast forward to the Turgeon years - during which I was a student - where from a student/campus perspective the vibe steadily grew from "who really cares", to "hey check this out", to "holy crap we are legit." Started attending games as a student, with my attendance regularity sort of plotted to the progression outlined in the previous sentence. My love for WSU basketball has grown exponentially to the point that today I am WAY more invested in WSU basketball than baseball, both emotionally and financially. My sports pecking order would have WSU basketball #'s 1-5, WSU baseball #6, and then stuff falling in order after that. Definitely not what I would have guessed for myself 15 or 20 years ago.

I met my wife while at WSU - an out-of-state girl who chose WSU due to it's strength in her particular academic field of study - and we are both proud to count ourselves as alumnus. Happily, my wife can hold her own with WSU haters as well as I can, no matter if that be in a professional or personal environment. Thankfully, we reside in Wichita where WSU fandom is the majority, and flack received is minimal. If I had to live someplace like NE KS or Omaha I am not sure how long my legal record would remain clean, as sooner or later I would probably be giving some other school's t-shirt fan a tonsil examination via foot, by way of anal cavity. Some might say I have a slight temper problem.

[SirShoxAlot]

I went to the Creighton game in the Colloseum when I was 11 for my first Shocker game ever.

That day, I decided I was and would be a Shocker.

Now, I should be on pace to graduate in 2015, but things happen, and I'm not. This is why I'm kind of sick of the whole "either you graduated or you're just a t-shirt fan" thing. I'm a much bigger fan than, possibly, any of the graduates from 2006 on.

But you some of you, I'm a t-shirt fan.

[jocoshock]

Second generation Shocker in a 3Generation Shocker family.
Father graduated in the 50s
I and two siblings in the 70s
Third Sibling in the 80s
Niece last year.

Born to be Shocker. Black had been my favorite color sine I was rwo years old.
Officially pledged my life long alegiance at the night I stayed late to watch the Shox play UCLA and Lew Alcindor.

Will add more when I can type on a real keyboard...

[jocoshock]

I went to the Creighton game in the Colloseum when I was 11 for my first Shocker game ever.

That day, I decided I was and would be a Shocker.

Now, I should be on pace to graduate in 2015, but things happen, and I'm not. This is why I'm kind of sick of the whole "either you graduated or you're just a t-shirt fan" thing. I'm a much bigger fan than, possibly, any of the graduates from 2006 on.

But you some of you, I'm a t-shirt fan.

Actually, you are a Grinder student. Grinders don't have to explain anything to anybody. They are the backbone of our student body and Alumni base.

Keep GRINDING!! You will get there.

[insaneykaney]

Shocker fan born and raised. My grandpa took my dad to games growing up. My parents weren't as well off as my grandpa was. But my dad and I still watch games together sometimes. He says the first time I ever smiled was watching a Shocker game with him as a baby. It's hard to not be a fan with a story like that!

[ShockerPrez]

Grandpa and his bro picked out seats when Leavitt first opened. Had the seats until the renovation.

I got to go to a few games while my grandpa and dad were alive during the early 80s. My dad would take me and my bro to my grandpas house where we would be left to watch the game on the Shocker Sports Channel while my grandpa and dad would go to the game.

When my grandpa died, my dad would take me or my brother. We had a draft before every year where we would alternate picking our games to attend.

Then we got older and my dad started letting me and my brother go by ourselves. It was during the dark ages, but I remember still seeing some good players and memorable games.

I also graduated after 5 or 6 wonderful years as a Shocker. Following my dad and brother.

I remember my brother and I talking about whether we would rather have the Shockers go to the final 4 or the Bears win the Super Bowl (We are Bears fans, unfortunately). We both said, hands down, Shockers final 4, because it was such an improbable dream and would never happen. It was during Thompson or Smithson. And we still think back on that conversation and marvel about where this program is now and how freaking awesome, and how much more it means, because of how truly low we were.

Go Shox