I Became a Shocker Fan....

[_kai_]

I picked Cohen, but could be Thompson too. Started early as a kid being a Shocker fan. Used to go to games with my dad as a kid. Definitely remember the Thompson days, vividly remember the Randy days.

Like Bane in Batman, I was born in the darkness, molded by it. I didn't see the light of day until I was a man. Literally. I was in college during the Turgeon era.

[wusphlash]

Grew up in a Shocker house. I remember my dad taking me to games and seeing Armstrong and others. Harry Miller came to one of my high school games. We got blown out. Never saw him again. Bought our first season tickets when AC signed his LOI. I liked Eddie ball but it was clear he didn't want to be here. Suffered through 3 coaches I hoped would succeed. Was gratified by 2006. The fact is that nothing measures up to the current run. It would be interesting to know how this question will be responded to 20, 30 years from now.

[Pigman]

I grew up getting to listen to both Shocker and Wildcat games on the radio. We lived in the country and never had the money to see a game. I did get to see a game with our high school team in the winter of 1976-77 against West Texas State (I believe). Back then there was maybe one game a year that might be on network T.V. So we saw the games in our minds through the radio. Great times with Dad!!! Have been a fan for a very long time. Favorite coach from youth though had to be Coach Hartman. He made a point of getting under valued players and making a great team unit. Reminds me a lot of how Coach Snyder does it as well. Have been fortunate to be a season ticket holder for 10 years now and couldn't think of a better way to spend the winter than at 21/st & Hillside.

[SPEShockAlum]

I became a Shocker fan when we went to the CWS in 1996. I selected Turgeon era since that's the first time I paid attention to Shocker hoops (when I was a student), but I guess once a Shocker fan, always a Shocker fan. That puts me at the tail end of the Thompson era.

[GarH]

My first memories of the Shockers was watching the Shockers play UCLA in the final four at my uncle's house in Wichita. My family had driven down from KC to visit. You'll have to forgive me but I was a Johnson County kid at the time. We lived in Prairie Village. I became a fan of the Shockers during that game.

[JJClamdip]

I grew up watching the greatest Shocker basketball player, Dave Stallworth.

[jocoshock]

Gary Thompson era. I was nime years old and stayed up late to watch the Shox get pounded by Lew Alcindor and UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. I was actually a fan before that, but that was the night I became 100%.

Second generation Shocker, My dad graduated the same year as Cleo. My oldest sister was a freshman in '65. I graduated the year before MTXE won the battle of New Orleans.

Everyone of my three siblings are Shockers, have a niece who was a Shocker, and one of my twin daughters is thinking about it, and will be doung a visit next month.

[Kung Wu]

Quite unusual to see such a pronounced inverted bell curve in a demographic poll.

[jazztrane]

Born & raised a Shocker by my Dad, I remember going to games with him, and listening at home to Kennedy call them. He was in the band for the Final 4 trip they're getting ready to celebrate 50 years, I was in the band when Cohen coached and the arena was 1/2 full. Boy did I get the short end of that stick! :)

[Shoxthemonkey]

Family had season tickets after Grandad was hired at WU in the early 60s. Mom was a classmate of Ralph Miller at East High. Met him, Dave Stallworth and Nate Bowman when I was 11 or 12. Kept the tickets until Teddy B made it hard for employees to afford them.

[molly jabali]

Moved to Wichita in the 70s, actually bought a house from a guy named Harry Miller...same year the coach was finishing his tenure. Back in the day, the Shockers once lost practice time at Leavitt Arena because a circus was in town, so I saw them practice at a local school. Harry sat the entire practice but he had a large assistant who did nothing but yell at Ray Shirley. Loved me some Limbert...so it was then, even though they were not really all THAT good.Jon Kobar, etc

[Steeleshocker]

My dad took me to the Cessna classic back in the mid-late 90s and I got to see LD Swanson hit a buzzer beater. I went to the basketball camp that gave us free tickets to the next game. My dad almost didn't take me to the second game, thinking nothing could beat that buzzer beater.

Except that LD Swanson went coast to coast for the winning shot in the second game. After witnessing those two games, I was a fan. And my dad and I would see a couple of games each year. Now that I'm an alumni with a bachelor's and master's degree my tickets are the season kind with my wife and parents.

[DUShock]

Who the hell picked the Cohen or Scott Thompson eras?

Smart asses...

Birth dates, for a lot of it falls on when you were born.

[WstateU]

Wow! Some of y'all are fossils!

Watch it buddy!

[Fozzy]

Became a fan during the MTXE years - up until then followed it a little but seemed like KU and Ted Owens and KSU and Jack Hartman got all the local press so probably paid more attention to those teams. Gene Smithson changed all that and I got to see AC, Cliff, and X play quite a bit. Great games during those times with Tulsa and Bradley when Nolan and Versace would come to town. Some of my favorite times were when the drummer for the band would start the part for the "Hey" cheer and the crowd would go nuts and really get into the cheer, especially after big dunks or the start of timeouts. Never forgave President Armstrong for banning the cheer :)