I Became a Shocker Fan....

[SHOXAAC]

Wow! Some of y'all are fossils!

That's Mr. or Miss Fossils to you young peep squeaks.

[Shocktoberfest]

I was a grade school kid watching Ricky Ross play at South and Antoine at Heights. Holy Crap! That was awesome. When Antoine, Cliff, Aubrey and X were Shockers those guys were like gods to me. I will forever be a Shocker because of that time. I was sick in the hospital for a couple of days at one point during that era and got a get well card from X and Gibbs. A speedy recovery ensued. Old man Smithson was entertaining. It's that foundation that makes this current run so special.

[SHOXAAC]

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.

Glad to see you raised above your raising!!!
:-)

[GarH]

That Heights team was lights out unbelievable.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

I remember watching many road games on TV on KWCH 12 in the late 90s. I loved basketball so much that it didn't matter how bad the Shockers were. Attended 1-2 home games many years, but first chance to attend more than that came in 2001-2002. It was exciting to see the Shox finish .500 (15-15, 9-9) which seemed impressive at the time. Started school at WSU the year of the Coliseum. Attended almost every game that year, and will never forget beating a ranked Creighton squad with Korver and getting to rush the court. At that point I was hooked and even made the trip to Ames to watch the NIT game against Iowa State.


Have been sitting somewhere in Koch Arena most home games ever since. Road trips to Ames, Vandy, St. Louis, Creighton, SWOMO, Tulsa, and Atlanta.

[Cdizzle]

and will never forget beating a ranked Creighton squad with Korver and getting to rush the court.

Aaron Hogg, ftw. An oft-forgotten Shocker that moved the program forward.

[ShockTalk]

When I was a kid, I was a baseball fanatic. Basketball was a distant second. We moved from out of state to Wichita before my junior year of HS and that first year, my dad took me to some games at WSU. I got to watch Warren Armstrong (Jabali) and I was hooked. Wow! Just wow! The teams during my early WSU years may have been very average at that time, but I fell in love with college basketball and the Shockers.

[1972Shocker]

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

As did I, although my family did not have season tickets so most of my watching was from games that were on TV. Not nearly as many opportunities as there are now but when the game was on TV it was usually one of the top if not top billed games of the week. Who can forget Dave the Rave's #1 Shockers vs Cazzie Russell's #2 Wolverines in Ann Arbor in December 1964. I was heartbroken when Cazzie hit that long, long jumper at the buzzer to beat the Shocks 87-85 in December 1964.

I made a few games in person here and there in those days including the Valley Championship playoff between Drake and the Shocks at the Phog in Lawrence in May 1963 for the right to represent the Valley in the NCAA Tournament. The Shocks won that game 58-50 and the stream of fans heading up the turnpike was impressive.

In any case, I was glued to the radio, or TV set when that was available, in those days and I can tell you Dave Stallworth played many a game on my backyard basketball court.

I vaguely remember my Grandad taking me to a couple of games at the Forum but I really wasn't a fan at that point. In fact, I don't even recall if that was the Shockers or the Vickers playing.

In any case, I have to agree with @JJClamdip that Dave the Rave was and is the greatest Shocker. A pretty common thought for those of us that grew up with the Stallworth-led Shockers and one that most of us will take to our graves.

[shocksrbest]

I grew up watching Cheese, Morsden, Elmore, Bruton...and listening to Gus Griebe. Really got hooked in the early 80's. And now am more excited than I have ever been with our young men and super head coach

[ShockerEngineer]

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

My dad once told me that Dave the Rave umpired one of his little league baseball games.

[Shocker-maniac]

I marked the Harry Miller era because that is the earliest era that I can remember. I was a little too young to remember the Gary Thompson era, but I can faintly remember my brother talking about going to a Shocker game and seeing a fan holding up a "Fire Thompson" sign or something like that.

The truth is that I was born a Shocker! I am absolutely convinced that Shocker is in my DNA. I have never been a fan of any other college basketball team. The Shockers are my first and only college sports love of my life. My folks had season tickets for a while and I can remember anxiously waiting for them to come home to tell me about the games. My mother was a huge Cal Bruton fan. I don't really remember going to many games prior to high school, and they were not on TV very often back then. But every time the Shockers played I would listen to Gus Griebe on the radio. I remember my brother telling me that he went to a game one time and Gus Griebe was so excited that he was standing on the press table at the end of the game during the broadcast.

By the time I was in highschool and driving a car I would try to go to as many Shocker games that I could even if it meant going by myself. I remember in high school that one of my teachers had each student write on a piece of paper who was his or her hero. Most of my classmates put down movie or TV stars or professional sports stars. When my teacher saw the name I put down on paper he thought it was a joke, but I was serious as anything. I wrote down that Cheese Johnson was my hero and I was proud of it!

As my highschool buddies started to make their college choices most of them were going to places like KU, KState, or places far away like Notre Dame. Not me, I never had to think about it. There was only one place that I wanted to be. I wanted to be a Wichita State Shocker!

No regrets. No second thoughts. No looking back . . .

I AM VERY PROUD TO BE A SHOCKER!!!!

[Play Angry]

A lot of you guys have phenomenal stories. Thanks and please keep them coming!

[1972Shocker]

A few years back I sighted Dave the Rave in the lower bowl of Section 122. My grandson asked if he could go ask Dave for his autograph and I said sure and I gave him a marker. He went up to Dave and politely asked if he would autograph the t-shirt my grandson was wearing. Dave responded by asking him if he really wanted to ruin a perfectly good shirt. Of course, my grandson was delighted to have his shirt "ruined" by the Rave (as was I).

[kcshocker11]

Grew up in KCK. Used to listen to KU on occasion on the radio. Attended WSU when my brother came down to bowl in a tournament. He attended KU and bowled on their team. I told my Mom I am going to WSU when I was in my very early teens. I came to WSU to study music (ended up with Accounting and Communications)in 1974. Remember attending WSU BB games and marching band at Fb games. Loved Cal Bruten, Cheese, Robert Gray and Bob Elmore. During the 70’s I watched Larry Bird play our Shocks.When AC. Cliff, Aubrey, X came along was able to watch some of the greatest BB played at WSU. I was friends with Zarko and celebrated with him and a few others after beating the Russians. I still have my battle of New Orleans Tee.
Got to watch Shocker Baseball at its best and WSU Football thru good and bad times.
One thing many of us used to play a pick up game at HL Arena several times with Dave the Rave and others. Dave just love to play and didnt care that we werent in his league.

Also had AC and Cliff in an economics class. Rem AC being a good student.

[fansince80s]

1980-81. Would try watch games on channel 99 thru the fuzz and listen on the radio during Carr's 47 point game. Remember Bird for ISU. Actually went to the football games before following bball. Seen Joe Williams kick that 67 yard FG as time ran out.