"Are you a fan, or do you just wear the shirt?"

[Ta Town Shocker]

I don't travel too often but I usually get away from the ICT once or twice a year. I always make it a point to only wear WSU gear when I travel.

In April when I was changing flights in ATL there were a couple of people who said "Go Shockers!" as I walked by.

Even though the Shocks lost the game, it was a gratifying experience listening to the kind words spoken by UK fans walking out of the Scottrade Center in STL.

Perhaps the ultimate show of respect was when no words were said at all. At the KU game in Omaha we had a few very close family members sitting behind the KU bench only 50 feet or so from where we were sitting behind the basket. The type that live and breathe KU basketball and truly believe every other team on the face of the planet is inferior. There was not a word spoken to them at any point before, during, or after the game. They had to actually take another in state team seriously for once in which case they didn't want to have any discussion about it :).

[WuShock16]

I don't travel too often but I usually get away from the ICT once or twice a year. I always make it a point to only wear WSU gear when I travel.

In April when I was changing flights in ATL there were a couple of people who said "Go Shockers!" as I walked by.

Even though the Shocks lost the game, it was a gratifying experience listening to the kind words spoken by UK fans walking out of the Scottrade Center in STL.

Perhaps the ultimate show of respect was when no words were said at all. At the KU game in Omaha we had a few very close family members sitting behind the KU bench only 50 feet or so from where we were sitting behind the basket. The type that live and breathe KU basketball and truly believe every other team on the face of the planet is inferior. There was not a word spoken to them at any point before, during, or after the game. They had to actually take another in state team seriously for once in which case they didn't want to have any discussion about it :).

It's easy to be gracious after a win but after both losses against Bluegrass State opponents, I found the opposition to be pretty respectful. They knew they escaped by the hair of their chinny-chin chins against an equal opponent, especially top-seeded Louisville.

I have some family friends whose daughters graduated from KU. When WSU struggled with Indiana, my mom started to get some snarky messages of "You're going to blow your big chance to play us." Once WSU finally pulled that out, Mom got another message, "Okay, no more trash talking!" like our friend all of a sudden was realizing his worst nightmare. I told my mom that our best taunting would be to not taunt at all. Act like we fully expected the Shockers to prevail. That's exactly what happened.

[moshock]

I wear my Shocker gear all of the time in Branson/Springfield. It's interesting - there are very few - if any - MSU fans in Branson. I usually take 4 to 6 friends to the WSU/MSU game and they all root for the Shocks. Most of the people I know here ask me about the Shocks even when I'm not wearing my gear.

On the other side of it - I always say something to a tourist wearing WSU gear. Last month, I was on 65 just south of Branson and saw a car with a WSU license plate frame on it. I pulled up beside them and gave them the "W" sign with my hand. I think they might have thought I was flipping them off !!! They sped up.

I was at Silver Dollar City a couple of weeks ago and said something to a lady wearing a WSU shirt. Things like that happen all of the time around Branson.

If any of you are visiting our town and some psycho WSU fan approaches you - it's me.

Mrs Mo and I were eating on the Illinois side of STL a couple of months ago and a man and his daughter saw my Play Angry shirt. He said that his father in law was a big WSU fan that lived in Collinsville. He asked me if I minded if his father in law gave me a call to talk about the Shocks. I said "sure, I love talking about the Shocks ! " and gave him my number. I was headed to Ohio that night. He called me around 8 and we talked til after 10pm. He turned out to be a really nice guy and a big fan of the Shockers. We are going to hook up at Arch Madness in 2017 !!!

I do get the stink eye and boo'd when I'm in Springfield though.....and I like it.

[ShockingButTrue]

It's easy to be gracious after a win but after both losses against Bluegrass State opponents, I found the opposition to be pretty respectful. They knew they escaped by the hair of their chinny-chin chins against an equal opponent, especially top-seeded Louisville.

I have some family friends whose daughters graduated from KU. When WSU struggled with Indiana, my mom started to get some snarky messages of "You're going to blow your big chance to play us." Once WSU finally pulled that out, Mom got another message, "Okay, no more trash talking!" like our friend all of a sudden was realizing his worst nightmare. I told my mom that our best taunting would be to not taunt at all. Act like we fully expected the Shockers to prevail. That's exactly what happened.

The Chickens had their chance. Without Cle even...

[Dan]

I coach my younger daughters basketball team here in Houston. The other coaches and dads are well aware that we run a simplified version of the "Shocker Offense". Pretty much everyone I know down here likes to talk to me about the Shox during basketball season. You'd be surprised how many of them watch the games when they're on national TV.

[William]

I probably wear one of my 5 or so Shocker shirts once a week out and about...and there's been plenty of looks...double looks and the occasional "Shockers cool!!!" comments. I feel like most of the looks are quite positive.

A couple years ago I was finishing up a show (entertainment biz) walking off a stage in North Scottsdale when a guy about my age approached me with a big grin on his face asking if I was just wearing a Shocker shirt for no reason or had a connection to Wichita St. I put out my hand to shake his and said "I went to school there and was the BIGGEST Shocker fan this side of the Rocky Mountains." He practically hugged me and said..."Awesome man...I played baseball there back in the late 80's." I was like..."nice that '89 team was the best" and we reminisced for some time about his time in a Shocker uniform.

I'm gonna guess Bryant Winslow?

[Shockthemonkey]

We always try to wear our WSU gear when we travel. Especially on spring break. I've had many many conversations about the Shox as a result but here are my most memorable moments.

Was on a biz trip in NYC during the undefeated run and just happened to be at the same time as the Big East tourney at the Garden. Touring the WTC and a group of NY's finest looked up when I was in my WSU pull-over and said, "undefeated... we'll see about that!" In a thick NY accent.

Later that same day I was riding the subway from lower Manhattan to Time's square, subway was packed and I see some younger 20 somethings talking to each other and looking at my pull-over. They looked at me and said, did you know they're undefeated? I was like, yeah pretty cool right?

Walking across a cross walk in Times Square and just happened to be walking towards a group of BlueJay fans. Not one of them would look me in the eye.

Landed in the airport in St. Thomas USVI and was waiting for our luggage. A family of UNI fans came up to us and we had a great talk about both teams. That was fun!

Too many conversations at Disney World to count. Always respectful and not always during the times where WSU was playing in that tournament. Airports as well. Everyone loves the Shox!

[ShockerPhi]

In the summer of 2011 after we won the NIT, I went on a vacation to Washington DC. This was probably the first time I've had someone recognize my WSU gear that I wear whenever I'm out of town. The guy who noticed was a tour guide at Mount Vernon. We talked with him briefly about winning the NIT and he said he went to Virginia Tech. Lol.

However, on that same trip, I was wearing my NIT shirt that said "Live from New York, it's Wichita State!" Some stranger we were talking to at the Lincoln Memorial asked "Wichita State... are they from New York". I laughed, but definitely understood the confusion.

Since then, my Shocker gear has been recognized all the time and I love it. Got the shocker thrown at me while driving in heavy traffic in Dallas one time (my car has plenty of Shocker stuff on the back), get the occasional "Go Shockers!" in airports, and now living in OKC, in the middle of Big 12 football country, my Shocker gear gets plenty of love.

[DwShock]

I wear my Shocker gear all of the time in Branson/Springfield. It's interesting - there are very few - if any - MSU fans in Branson. I usually take 4 to 6 friends to the WSU/MSU game and they all root for the Shocks. Most of the people I know here ask me about the Shocks even when I'm not wearing my gear.

On the other side of it - I always say something to a tourist wearing WSU gear. Last month, I was on 65 just south of Branson and saw a car with a WSU license plate frame on it. I pulled up beside them and gave them the "W" sign with my hand. I think they might have thought I was flipping them off !!! They sped up.

I was at Silver Dollar City a couple of weeks ago and said something to a lady wearing a WSU shirt. Things like that happen all of the time around Branson.

If any of you are visiting our town and some psycho WSU fan approaches you - it's me.

Mrs Mo and I were eating on the Illinois side of STL a couple of months ago and a man and his daughter saw my Play Angry shirt. He said that his father in law was a big WSU fan that lived in Collinsville. He asked me if I minded if his father in law gave me a call to talk about the Shocks. I said "sure, I love talking about the Shocks ! " and gave him my number. I was headed to Ohio that night. He called me around 8 and we talked til after 10pm. He turned out to be a really nice guy and a big fan of the Shockers. We are going to hook up at Arch Madness in 2017 !!!

I do get the stink eye and boo'd when I'm in Springfield though.....and I like it.

I have family in the Springfield/Branson area(I think you might know one of them). Last October I was eating at that BBQ joint across from Bass Pro. Of course I had my WSU gear on. I don't leave Omaha without it. It was football game day and a family was in eating all dressed for the loss in bears stuff. They all gave me a dirty look and one said Wichita huh? I just smiled and said yep.

I get all kinds of odd looks when wearing my WSU gear in Omaha. But am used to it by now.

[sdshox]

So many good stories being from out-of-state, and some baseball/basketball combos.

I still remember coming back to SD from WSU and starting my own coaching career, only to run into the Shocker look-alikes on the baseball field. Mitchell (S.D.) took our W and flipped it - I claim responsibility as I was wearing my WSU "Flying W" hat non-stop for a couple years when coaching summer ball that surely gave them the idea. They started with just the "W" flipped to an "M" on the hat but now have expanded it out to all of their jerseys...







Too many good stories about wearing the gear around Omaha and exchanging stink eyes with BlueJay fans, including family members. Perhaps one of the best was a chance meeting with a high ranking US Senator who recognized Wu and having a half-hour long conversation about Gregg Marshall and all things Shockers while waiting for the same plane. CU fans from all around were giving us both the stink eye and I was loving every minute of it.

I was travelling for work in March of 2015 and went to a bar in midtown Manhattan to watch the Shockers v Notre Dame game. About everyone else in the bar was either already on board with cheering for the funny looking mascot on my shirt, or got there by the end of the game. Work took me to a prominent league headquarters building and I can hardly remember anyone there that didn't recognize the Wu decal on my bag that saw it, all either wishing us luck against the Irish, or very complimentary of the team the morning after. Also seeing the Cleanthony Early jerseys in the sporing goods store(s) just outside of MSG might have helped w/ the recognition too.

[WSUwatcher]

No recent experiences outside the house, but I do have about a half dozen of the old yellow Battle at New Orleans Coke cups they sold at Levitt Arena in the early 80's -- in fact, I drank my virtuous protein shake from one just this morning at breakfast. The print is somewhat faded on most of them from years of going through the dishwasher, but it's still easy to make out the old-style WuShock clutching the Chickenhawk in a chokehold.

I also have a white 1989 National Championship baseball concession stand cup, and since it's the only one it doesn't get much use -- don't want it to fade from washing.

[ShockingButTrue]

No recent experiences outside the house, but I do have about a half dozen of the old yellow Battle at New Orleans Coke cups they sold at Levitt Arena in the early 80's -- in fact, I drank my virtuous protein shake from one just this morning at breakfast. The print is somewhat faded on most of them from years of going through the dishwasher, but it's still easy to make out the old-style WuShock clutching the Chickenhawk in a chokehold.

I also have a white 1989 National Championship baseball concession stand cup, and since it's the only one it doesn't get much use -- don't want it to fade from washing.

I remember those cups. Had some. Lovely.

[WuShock Reaper]

I watch this at least once a week: