March Madness Story-time 😊 ; Describe how you became a UK fan

[JST390-2]

As a child I remember my Dad …he was pretty chill …loved to laugh, tell jokes …I am 60 now …we had like a big record player, radio stereo in the house …when the game was on it was like nothing else mattered do not disturb me …I was like what is he doing, listening too that has his attention like that and is so important ??? …He was so focused and serious on listening to at that time’s radio personality Cawood Ledford lol…TV was not a big thing

We moved to Florida when I was 12 …the reception to listen to WHAS in Louisville was not that great in our house …Every stinking game he would get in his car and drive it around our neighborhood until he could find a spot where the reception worked and he would park his car …I know the neighbors thought he was crazy lol …I still remember periodically going to find him …he always welcomed me to listen to the games with him …Those Al Purnell Old Folks Country sausage commercials still ring in my head and mind 😊

Lastly, he did not like it when UK lost …his demeanor would change if you know what I mean lol …He would not physically tear the house up but there was one time he kicked the stereo …I think it was in 1966 against Texas Western …pretty sure you guys know that story …when they lost he would be in a bad mood …sometimes it would take a day or two for him to come out of his doldrums …kind of like this board lol …He loved talking UK basketball …Even when we butted heads the love of the team always got us back in a good relationship.

Anyway, growing up in the Ashland, Boyd County area …when your Dad behaves like that it certainly has a way of molding and or effecting your personality and life .

Your turn …

 

[Gromcat]

Grew up about 45 minutes from the state line of Kentucky. My fathers side is all UK and from Mayfield. Bred on UK from birth. Grew up a 90’s kid with the 90’s teams. That ended the conversation. Fell in love with them in 95/96 at Pitino father son camps. Kentucky is far more than just enjoyment for me. I’m totally invested in the programs well being. I will be attending UK for grad school and can say without a doubt if the connection wasn’t this strong I wouldn’t be driving from near Memphis to class in Lexington every week for a year.

I love my family, kids, and the University of Kentucky.

 

[UK19]

In the summer of 1966 , my family drove down to Kentucky , from Toledo , for vacation . We stopped in Lexington and went into Kennedy's bookstore. It was the first store of its type I had ever been in . I was surrounded by EVERYthing UK ! Behind the cash register was a black-and-white lithograph of Rupp's Runts . I bought my very first UK piece of clothing , a reversible jacket , and I was hooked ! For LIFE !!! GBB

 

[Ugoff]

When I was a kid of about the age 6 or 7, one of our local Mason County boys took his talents to Lexington to play for Adolph Rupp. Watching him on TV was like having a celebrity in our midst. I've been hopelessly hooked ever since. Some of you may have guessed the player's name....Ronnie Lyons

 

[HerrosHeroes]

I am a 3rd generation UK fan in my family and was born and raised in Ky.
My first recollection of UK basketball was the 1978 Title team. I was 11 and can remember my Mom crying tears of joy when UK cut down nets.
Also, my Mom said I was branded as a UK fan because she was preg with me in March of 1966 when the historic UK/Texas Western final took place. She said her and Grandpa cried and cried after it was over.
I vaguely remember crying in her womb, upset at how the refs had screwed us.

 

[Jamal Mercer]

I am a born and raised Michigander. Mom and dad were born and raised near Hazard.

I have been a sports nut since I was three or four years old. I just gradually adopted all of my dad’s teams I guess. So thankful that he was a Kentucky fan LOL.

Not thankful that he was also a Detroit Lions fan.

 

[STL_Cat]

It’s hard for me to tell the story about when I became a UK fan because there’s never been a time I wasn’t a UK fan. Grew up in Kentucky. There wasn’t a watershed moment, it’s in my veins.

All this being said, I was 9 years old when we hired Rick Pitino. I remember thinking this feels like a cool moment. Then that first year we were still on probation and none of our games were on TV, I would listen to Cawood on the radio call every game and shoot on my nerf hoop behind my bedroom door. Cawood Ledford taught me the game when I was a kid. Absolutely bled blue from day 1.

 

[Jamal Mercer]

It’s hard for me to tell the story about when I became a UK fan because there’s never been a time I wasn’t a UK fan. Grew up in Kentucky. There wasn’t a watershed moment, it’s in my veins.

All this being said, I was 9 years old when we hired Rick Pitino. I remember thinking this feels like a cool moment. Then that first year we were still on probation and none of our games were on TV, I would listen to Cawood on the radio call every game and shoot on my nerf hoop behind my bedroom door. Cawood Ledford taught me the game when I was a kid. Absolutely bled blue from day 1.

Love this. I was 13 that year we couldn’t be on television. BUT, there were tape delay broadcast around midnight after the games. My aunt would send us videotapes and I would watch them 100 times. Great memories listening on the radio as well.

 

[BradleyCrawford08]

Born and raised in Louisville. Both parents (Dad especially) were Kentucky fans so naturally I grew up into it. First team I remember was the Rondo/Sparks 2005 Elite 8 team. First team I became attached to was the Bradley/Crawford/Patterson team in 2008 (the reason behind my account name). Started attending games after Cal got hired and I became even more invested in the program. Been that way ever since.

 

[WallMashKyBall]

Grew up with my dad yelling at the radio over every bad shot and turnover. I kinda yell too.

 

[ChicagoCat1990]

My family was moving to KY before my freshman year of high school. We were boxing up our house to move and my dad turned on the tv. The very first thing to come on was UK vs UL NCAA basketball. We all laughed at the coincidence of it. That was my first time ever watching a college basketball game and I’ll never forget it either. It was the game Patrick sparks got fouled in the corner and clutches the free throws to win the game. It was at that moment my blood turned blue and I’ve been obsessed with UK and college basketball ever since.

 

[ukcatz12]

Grew up in upstate NY. 2nd grade me thought Kentucky was a cool name, a Wildcat was a cool mascot, and blue was my favorite color. Seemed like a natural fit. All my friends were Syracuse fans and I remember telling them the Cats were gonna turn those Orangemen into orange juice in the '96 title game.

Fast forward a decade and I ended up attending UK (first one ever from my high school) and eventually managed to graduate.

 

[CastleRubric]

late 70s i was a kid in the mountains - HS in Middlesboro ...lived in Claiborne Co TN - about an hour 1/2 north of knoxville

all 5 older siblings were UT fans - went to school and church with all kinds of UT fans

Dad had the quiet , respectable den with his books and Cawood calling the UK games - always a Kentucky basketball calendar taped to the door with notes and scores

The UT tribe seemed like a loud , angry cult so i scurried away from them

First teams i remember were Macy’s / Minnifields / Verderbers / Hurts / Hords, Bowies and Turpins

Loved those Hall teams and love the cats still

Good thread
this is in our blood

 

[Aike]

In the immortal words of Anton Chigurh, I was born into it.

 

[funKYcat75]

In the immortal words of Anton Chigurh, I was born into it.

Damn you. Beat me to it.

 

[ThreeHogNight]

I married into it almost 34 years ago. Wife is a die hard Kentucky Fan that says she will always remember growing up while listening to Cawood Ledford call the games on the radio.

 

[crawfords corner]

I was captured by a group of Hungarian Barbarians in the rain forests of Borneo who were living there because they were captured by a group of time travelling Morlocks. While they were capturing a village of people in the rainforests of Borneo I found a National Championship T-shirt of the 1997 Kentucky Wildcats. I later came to find that's what they do with the losing T-shirts they print up for both teams so they can get the shirts out as fast as possible.

I've been a fan ever since.

 

[CastleRubric]

I was captured by a group of Hungarian Barbarians in the rain forests of Borneo who were living there because they were captured by a group of time travelling Morlocks. While they were capturing a village of people in the rainforests of Borneo I found a National Championship T-shirt of the 1997 Kentucky Wildcats. I later came to find that's what they do with the losing T-shirts they print up for both teams so they can get the shirts out as fast as possible.

I've been a fan ever since.

No TARDIS ????

 

[Aike]

Damn you. Beat me to it.

I guess his words were actually, “you married into it,” but close enough.

 

[RunninRichie]

Dad and grandma were huge fans. So uh had no choice.

 

[STL_Cat]

What’s surprising me in this thread so far is there are more people responding that are from outside the state than people that are from Kentucky.

Might be because the people from Kentucky are thinking, “When I became a UK fan? What does that mean? I was born a UK fan.”

 

[RunninRichie]

What’s surprising me in this thread so far is there are more people responding that are from outside the state than people that are from Kentucky.

Might be because the people from Kentucky are thinking, “When I became a UK fan? What does that mean? I was born a UK fan.”

yeah. I was born here wtf team am I gonna follow? UL? LOL

 

[JST390-2]

What’s surprising me in this thread so far is there are more people responding that are from outside the state than people that are from Kentucky.

Might be because the people from Kentucky are thinking, “When I became a UK fan? What does that mean? I was born a UK fan.”

Lol yeah I know …in my early years as I described above everybody was a UK fan everywhere I went …Ashland where I grew up was called TomCats so it kind of fit …but yeah if you were raised where you were indoctrinated guess you don’t have much to write lol …my Dad didn’t force me to be a fan though …I kind of migrated myself …I remember playing church ball on Monday night they’d be playing pickup games with the radio on to Cawood

 

[LowCountryCat]

Was stationed overseas in 1992. Watched the Duke/UK game at 3am live and saw "the shot." I was moved by the display of the Unforgettables. It was like a moment of conversion. Then I moved to Kentucky that same year shortly after getting out of the military and the rest is history.

 

[Deli owl]

Surgery

 

[Jont0805]

Growing up in Kentucky it’s almost a given for a lot of people Kentucky Basketball will be in your blood so I always liked them growing up.

I would say the first UK story I remember is the 1998 game with DUKE, my dad was about as intense then as me and my siblings are now, he has calmed down a lot in his older days.

anyways as you all remember things were not going so well, so dad had my mom
Go take my younger brothers to the park and told me and my sister to get our butts in
Her room and we better not turn that tv on!

we literally put it in cnn to see the bottom line updates as per his request. The next thing we know our whole house is shaking it seemed and he is screaming “knock ‘em down Wayne! Knock wm down Wayne!

needless to say as the commercial states, it’s not crazy if it works, and we have been crazy every since.

 

[Kevboy1995]

I just remember being 4-5 years old and running to my dad when he’d get home at 9pm and say “dad the cats are winning!!!!!” Score is 2-0 lol. Don’t think I have missed a game since. Much more into it than my dad now even. Probably says more about my craziness

 

[U Go UK]

Born into it. Grandfather and Rupp were in the registered cattle business together.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I hated all the UNC and Duke fans up by me. Which made no sense because neither school is near us. And I remember thinking how they were kind of front-runners, liking teams that are in the national spotlight.

So around 16-17 years old (2004/2005), I wanted to get into March Madness and pick a team that wasn't these two schools. I really had no idea about the sport at all. I liked Kentucky's colors (blue and white), I saw that they were a top team but not on the level of picking Dallas or the Yankees(like some people do, latching onto a team that's already winning).. and figured it was a team that would do well and one I could watch regularly on TV. Became hooked after that.

Family got me tickets to go see Kentucky play Ole Miss in 2012. Toured Lexington, went to the distilleries, actually got to hangout with fellow Kentucky fans.

I'm sure it sounds stupid to just pick a team at random, that you don't have much affiliation with. But then again, the vast majority of sports fans like a team that isn't where they are from. As long as you're not picking them at their peak, and you actually stick with them, I find that to be OK. In reality, I REALLY started to get into Kentucky basketball during our worst years: the final few Tubby years and into BCG.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

First game I remember was UK Nebraska. The next was UK Austin Peay. Got hooked harder in 1975. Winters of 77 and 78 made me fanatical.

 

[mcnicKY91]

So my story is completely random...born and raised in Chicago burbs, so huge Chicago sports fan. Was 6 yrs old in summer of 1993, Bulls had just completed first 3-peat. Was visiting my uncle down in Texas, he took me to some sporting goods store, told me to pick out one item, whatever I wanted, and he would pay.

Started looking for some Bulls apparel, they didn't have anything. My favorite color was blue (still is), so I picked the first jersey I could find that was blue, and it just so happened to say Kentucky across the front. Could have just as easily said Kansas, or Duke, or a number of other schools, and I would have picked it because of the blue color. I wore it proudly out of the store, and the rest is history. As die hard as they come!

 

[yes_takeaside]

Born in Georgia. At the age of 9, we moved to Camden, TN. where my dad was in a training program with TVA. Moved in August of 1954. On January 29, 1955 there was a college basketball on local tv out of Nashville.

Turned out it was between Vandy and UK. First bb game I’d ever seen. Announcers talked a lot about Adolph Rupp, the man in the brown suit. Bird, Burrow team edged the Dores.

Two months later, Dad completed training and got a permanent job with TVA in Paducah, Ky. Discovered I could listen to all UK games on radio. Two different local stations carried UK games, one featuring Claude Sullivan, the other Cawood.

I was hooked.

Note this was edited for game correction. Apparently I’ve slept since 1955.

 

[Roxamora]

I married my husband (from Lexington) in November of 1991. One night in late March 1992 I came home from work to find (1) our cat, traumatized under a piece of furniture, having been held against his will in some sort of good-luck-death-grip during the UK-Duke basketball game, (2) my sobbing husband lying prostrate on the floor. That's when I knew this was serious stuff. Thanks Christian.

 

[triadaz]

Not sure I had a choice. Moved to Lexington when I was 4-5 years old. Everybody had a hoop in their driveway so that's what we did after school/weekend. Some memories:

• On road trips dad trying to find reception from any AM station to listen to the Cats
• First time in Rupp - 8/9 years old - walking into the area in the 200 section and seeing the court below - stopped me in my tracks
• Stopping for gas in E. Kentucky and joining a group of 20 people around a small black and white tv watching a NCAA game
• Meeting Kyle Macy at a friends house, went to school with Dan Issel's daughter, Joe B's camp in the summer

 

[zannmann]

My dad. I remember the 78 Championship well. I was a fan of Mike Phillips and Kyle Macy.

 

[Catman100]

Moved to Ky in 78, just in time to see UK and Joe B win it all. I was forever hooked.
As a side note, even at a young age I knew I was going to hate Duke forever.

On another side note, it always amazes me that you can find Wildcat fans everywhere. If I am ever on vacation and the Cats are playing a big game, you can usually find an establishment full of Cat fans cheering the way. I always say, if one day the Cats play on the moon, you will find Cat fans there watching.

My 14 year old daughter is finally starting to understand it. I hope to take her to Indy on Saturday.

 

[AGEE11]

I was captured by a group of Hungarian Barbarians in the rain forests of Borneo who were living there because they were captured by a group of time travelling Morlocks. While they were capturing a village of people in the rainforests of Borneo I found a National Championship T-shirt of the 1997 Kentucky Wildcats. I later came to find that's what they do with the losing T-shirts they print up for both teams so they can get the shirts out as fast as possible.

I've been a fan ever since.

My mom went on a mission trip to Africa about 10-15 years ago and has pictures with some of the kids there wearing 97 title shirts

 

[AGEE11]

When did I become a Cats fan? The day I was born. 1979, first onsie I wore was a UK one

 

[JoeBeeHall]

I was captured by a group of Hungarian Barbarians in the rain forests of Borneo who were living there because they were captured by a group of time travelling Morlocks. While they were capturing a village of people in the rainforests of Borneo I found a National Championship T-shirt of the 1997 Kentucky Wildcats. I later came to find that's what they do with the losing T-shirts they print up for both teams so they can get the shirts out as fast as possible.

I've been a fan ever since.

I went there last Thursday and they had all put on 2013 ul national champion shirts.

 

[Deli owl]

As a child I remember my Dad …he was pretty chill …loved to laugh, tell jokes …I am 60 now …we had like a big record player, radio stereo in the house …when the game was on it was like nothing else mattered do not disturb me …I was like what is he doing, listening too that has his attention like that and is so important ??? …He was so focused and serious on listening to at that time’s radio personality Cawood Ledford lol…TV was not a big thing

We moved to Florida when I was 12 …the reception to listen to WHAS in Louisville was not that great in our house …Every stinking game he would get in his car and drive it around our neighborhood until he could find a spot where the reception worked and he would park his car …I know the neighbors thought he was crazy lol …I still remember periodically going to find him …he always welcomed me to listen to the games with him …Those Al Purnell Old Folks Country sausage commercials still ring in my head and mind 😊

Lastly, he did not like it when UK lost …his demeanor would change if you know what I mean lol …He would not physically tear the house up but there was one time he kicked the stereo …I think it was in 1966 against Texas Western …pretty sure you guys know that story …when they lost he would be in a bad mood …sometimes it would take a day or two for him to come out of his doldrums …kind of like this board lol …He loved talking UK basketball …Even when we butted heads the love of the team always got us back in a good relationship.

Anyway, growing up in the Ashland, Boyd County area …when your Dad behaves like that it certainly has a way of molding and or effecting your personality and life .

Your turn …

I turned my parents console stereo into a bar. It raises and lowers.