I Became a Shocker Fan....

[ShockerDropOut]

I have tried twice to post on this, but I guess I dont type fast enough and have timed out. So here goes my last try.

I became a Shocker fan during MTXE. I have many fond memories from those years. The best being the marriage of my Mom and Step-dad on March 20, 1981. Yep, The Battle of New Orleans. I told the pastor before the service stated, "You got 5 minutes.......go." (Seriously) I saw the opening tip and have been hooked ever since.

I attended WSU in 82-83. Life happened and I never went back. I do and always will consider myself a Shocker.

Good memories. Good stories. Great thread! Thanks for sharing.

[JackStraw]

3rd generation Shocker grad ....... the family moved back to ICT during the summer of '55 , when Dad took a position at WU . I was only 6 yrs old then , but the 55-56 campaign was my first year , and that should make this season my 60th consecutive year of attending at least 2-3 home games...... Missed some games as a kid , and lived out of state for a couple yrs , but made it back to qualify ........ Dave , AC , X ....... Warren should be up there....... In '72 I got to play in a pick up game with Dave the Rave , over in Henrion gym , after he was back from NBA.... I didn't deserve to be on the court , but they were short a player.......

While I'm bragging........ here's my basic Shocker heritage .......
1. Grandpa grad in 1905 or 6 , played on the 1904-5 football team. ( in photo)
2. Uncle that played frosh basketball in '40 or '41 ?? --- unconfirmed as of yet ---
3. Uncle that played golf for the Shocks in '47 ...... and became a pro......
4. Dad --- grad in 40's , then came back to work there until retirement...
5. Mom -- went back to school after kids grown , and got multi degrees ......
They had 4 kids , all Shocker grads ...... Oldest ran track and cross country , next was a Gore scholar , and the other two of us both have wives that got Shocker degrees ......

Go Shocks , and I'll hang up and listen ........

[_kai_]

I learned my first lesson with how the media works at a young age. It was Randy's first year as a HC, and I was 10 years old. We had started the year off actually really well. I think getting into conference play we were something like 10-3 or 11-3, it was pretty impressive at the time because we had just had one of the worst seasons ever under Thompson the year before. My dad and I got to the game early, and we would watch warm ups, mainly to see my favorite player Jason Perez who was a Freshman at the time. I'd also sign up for all the promotions (and I actually got to the do the bowling game and got a strike and won with Henry Levitt giving a round of applause it was amazing as a kid). But we're walking around the concourse and one of the sportscasters at the time asked if I wanted to talk about the Shockers on the news, and of course as a kid I said yes. So they're asking me why I think the team is doing so well, and I start listing off reasons, and Jason Perez is at the top, and I finish with listing "Randy Smithson." The news used literally just my "Randy Smithson." They used me and some other people as a lead in or outro to a commercial with "And next we'll talk about why fans think the Shockers are doing so well." And proceeded to show me and like 4 other people quickly all saying "Randy Smithson" like he's the savior. I was so upset because I was like "WHAT ABOUT JASON PEREZ!? WHAT ABOUT #33!"

[sdshox]

I became a Shocker fan the day I stepped foot on campus for the first time in April 2001. Liked the idea of a mecca of a baseball stadium and golf course being next to each other on campus and was hooked.

Freshman year kind of stunk having to drive out to the Coliseum for games, but it was all made worthwhile when we rushed the court after knocking off Creighton where I literally plowed into Korver as he was trying to get off the floor. Had to endure losing to K-State at home that year, but was able to give it back to a Manhattan roommate later in that same year when Pervis Pasco forgot to dribble and blew the win for the kitties in the Big XII tournament.

Still think the turning point (and one of my favorite memories) in the whole program's future was a win that I saw from the front row of the student section at the Chuck, beating Southern Illinois in Double-OT. Paul Miller had 30 that night, and without the win, we'd have lost the Regular Season championship on a tie-breaker to So. Ill. This game was 10 days before the CU/Braeuer game that cemented our status for the year as an NCAA squad.

[WuShock16]

Still think the turning point (and one of my favorite memories) in the whole program's future was a win that I saw from the front row of the student section at the Chuck, beating Southern Illinois in Double-OT. Paul Miller had 30 that night, and without the win, we'd have lost the Regular Season championship on a tie-breaker to So. Ill. This game was 10 days before the CU/Braeuer game that cemented our status for the year as an NCAA squad.

ESPN2 on a Saturday morning. It seemed like that was one of the first ESPN2 games we had at home in awhile. Students camped out in practice gym the night before. Might have been one of the first true YELLOW OUT games. Jamaal Tatum hit about a 30-foot shot to send it to overtime. Shocks finally pulled away in 2OT. I remember going to lunch with my family after the game and feeling EXHAUSTED. Not a YEEAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! feeling after the game....more like a "deep breath/sigh of relief/let's get some rest" feeling.

[WuDrWu]

I remember going to lunch with my family after the game and feeling EXHAUSTED. Not a YEEAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! feeling after the game....more like a "deep breath/sigh of relief/let's get some rest" feeling.

That's funny, because that's exactly what I remember about that game..so so tired after it was done.

[Dave Stalwart]

I have a hard time pinning it down. I started going to WSU as a student during the Turgeon years and I was in pep band all throughout. On the other hand, I don't remember a lot of details about that era the same way I will remember details from the Marshall era. I was new to college basketball back then, and I was in pep band as an extension of my music degree path more than anything. I remember it being a fun time, but I don't think I became a crazed fan until later as college was winding down for me. It's easy for me to just say I became a fan during Turgeon's years, but I don't actually know that it's true.

I graduated in 2006 in the fall and had witnessed the Sweet 16 thing as a more of a casual fan because it was happening during the upper level classes of college for me. Then, because of the rules back then, I was able to stay in pep band basically because they didn't require you to be a student yet back then. In other words, being an alum as okay. So, in 06-07 and 07-08 I was present for the downward trend, but I remember very little about it. That tells me I wasn't paying very close attention at all and I was not nearly as mentally invested as I am today. The only thing I remember about those two years was how hilarious Gal Mekel was with his hero ball. It was the most hero ball I've ever seen to this day...and he often failed (clock plays were turnovers on a drive or missed shots from outside more often than not), which is what made it so funny.

Anyway, all that to say this. I think I actually became the fan I am today during the turnaround that happened in 08-09 when we won a bunch of home games in MVC play and managed to squeak out a 17-17 record with that CBI or CIT appearance. I remember really getting emotionally wrapped up in a lot of those wins because we had been so used to losing prior. I basically hadn't missed one men's or women's home game or tournament game since 2002 because of the way pep band works. So even though it was only a two year period of struggling, it was still a lot of games to see us struggle in. Remember, the women weren't always so great either. After that, the team was basically good and good to stay (all the way till now).

So, if I were really to be honest, I think I became a fan in the Marshall era even though I was getting primed during the Turgeon era. My life as a Shocker is like this little micro version of what an 80's fan went through (fortunate for me). I saw good play in my college student years and never knew anything else. Then we went through a down time after that, and something about the reviving of the program brought it all home for me. I can't imagine how good it must have felt to witness this decade if you were an 80's fan. You had to wait a lot longer than I did :)

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

but was able to give it back to a Manhattan roommate later in that same year when Pervis Pasco forgot to dribble and blew the win for the kitties in the Big XII tournament.

Ahhhh, the Pervis Pasco play! Thank you for reminding me! I had totally forgotten about that. Shame on me as it has to be one of my favorite "doofus gets what he deserves" sporting moments of all time. It was like the college version of Leon Lett!

[tropicalshox]

I see us Ralph Miller era fans are slowly catching up. Everything takes longer at our age.

[ShockerMas]

I was born into a Shocker family since my dad worked in the Athletic Department from long before I was born up until I was 9. Unfortunately these years of my childhood coincided with the Scott Thompson era, Randy Smithson era, and the first 2 years of Turgeon. I remember a lot of years sitting in HLA wishing it was spring time at Eck Stadium. My favorite Shockers at the time were Kevin Hooper and Zach Sorenson for baseball and Jason Perez for basketball.

Slightly off topic but one of my most awkward Shocker stories happened in the late 90's when Joe Carter came to a baseball game and did an autograph session. My parents take me to this and my dad takes me up to the table where Joe grabs my glove to sign it. Before he is able to sign it I grab it back from him and tell him he'll have to sign something else cause that was my glove and I didn't want it to "get ruined". Needless to say, both Joe and my dad give me this look of "why the hell did this kid just do that?" I still have the ball I had him sign in my house somewhere.

[DUShock]

The summer of 1980 was perfect weather! For this 9-year old it was nothing but baseball and the swimming pool, except for game days, which i passed the time by cheering for the Cubs on WGN and scoring the game to pass the time. Good times for my blessed childhood.

[jocoshock]

...during which era?

A long time ago on a ShockerNet far, far away, most posters dated back to at least the elder Smithson or Fogler days. The bandwagon was lean during the 90s, but picked up steam again during the Turgeon years and is now jam-packed under HCGM. It would be interesting to see when our beloved Shocks became #1 in your basketball hearts. Valentine's Day is approaching, after all.

Stories and anecdotes are welcome and encouraged. Did you grow up in a Shocker household? Marry into one? Move to Wichita and start rooting for the local team? Start rooting for WSU when you arrived there for school? Did a particular team or player make you see the light? Maybe you started as a fan of another sport (baseball, for instance) and became hooked on the hoops team later on?

Let's hear it, SN.

Btw, thamks for starting this. Has to be the best thread of the season so far. MUCH,MUCH,MUCH more enjoyable than many of the threads this year. Thumbs way up..

[choida]

Became a fan in 2002 when I entered college... By my senior year saw a sweet 16 banner hang and soon after the Marshall era began and the rest is history

[pogo]

Sometime during my Junior High days at John Marshall. Always listened to Gus Grebe on my transistor radio. My dad finished his degree in Geology when I was 12 and we went to a couple of games when he was a student. One of the great things about WSU is that it lets people complete degrees even if they have full time jobs and families. Dave Stallworth and Dave Leach were two of my favorite players and listening to the Shocks play the likes of Cincinnati and Loyola and Drake made my whole week. Most of my friends went to ku but my parents knew I wasn't mature (they were really a lot smarter than I ever gave them credit for) enough to go away to college so they made me a deal...go to WSU for two years and then they would send me to wherever I wanted to go. Needless to say I finished my degree at WSU and served in the Marines. For my Christmas gift from my parents bought a yearly subscription to the Eagle and I would get like three papers at once because of the weird delivery system the military has. All I ever read was the sports and my Shocks and maybe the Sunday edition to see which of my former girlfriends got married that week. That was when GS was leading the MTXE guys. Got out of the Marines in 1980 and have held season tickets ever since. I think for a period of 10 years I was the only guy in Wichita that actually wore a WSU Basketball sweatshirt out in public. Still have it too. So far the kids and the grandkids (6) are all Shocker fans and they know not to mess with me when Shocker sports are involved. The programs we have and the athletes we have in all of our sports are good role models for all of the kids in Wichita and is just one of the reasons I love WSU. Go Shox. PS Jack Straw haven't talked to you in a while glad to see you still lurk, AEKDB

[Bluzrover]

I voted Ralph Miller but i think I really came of age in the Gary Thompson era after Ralph left. My mom and dad were season tickets holders and took me to many games when I wasn't much taller than a grasshopper. I remember struggling to carry mom's cushioned stadium seat that was a companion to dad's, both of which were used on those horrible old benches that used to line most of the arena (I was always a bit envious of the rich people on the opposite side of the court in their nice, "cushy" chair backs).

As I got older, and before I went back to school and while working at Boeing, I have fond memories of taking my 2nd shift lunch break out in my car and listening to Gus Grebe call the games, all the time freezing my ass off in my piece o' crap Volkswagen Bug. As an aside, I remember the excitement I would feel when I would see Dave "The Rave" Stallworth walking the factory floor of Boeing. I always wanted to say something to him, but never wanted to bother him.

After working the blue collar travails at Boeing, I went back to school to study photography and journalism and was fortunate to be a season ticket holder during the Bookend and X-Man era, getting to see the games up close and personal. I was there for AC's finale and got to interview him after the game, became friendly with X and Zarko, and met a lot of good players from that era.

While my love and fandom for Shocker basketball never completely waned, lack of program success coupled with the rise of Shocker baseball meant I rarely heard much about my beloved Shox after I joined the Navy. That changed during the Turgeon reign and the maturation of the interwebz and I'm happy to say that the last few years of Shocker basketball has been first and foremost in my heart more so than at any other time.

So, many thanks to ALL Shockernetters of all ages and this fine fan forum, love me some Shox!