Were you born into this or did you just decide to pick Tennessee

#301
#301
I was born in Knoxville but my parents weren’t big UT fans, so I didn’t really get into it until around middle school; my first season following the team was 1996. I went to a game or two as a young kid, but I can’t remember much. My first game that I can remember was my first year as a student at UT.
 
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#303
#303
Lucked into it. My dad moved our growing family from Norfolk to Knoxville via Denver when I was 6. My paper route in South Knoxville led to selling line-ups outside Neyland on Saturdays in the mid-60s then selling cokes inside the next couple of years then studying chemical engineering which led to exile in Baton Rouge in 1976 and now Houston.
 
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#304
#304
Born in Knoxville, been here since. My brother got invited/went, not sure how it worked, to a recruiting day before the 1997 season. He was going to be a high school senior and I was going to be a sophomore. Was super cool getting to meet players and coaches, tour the locker room and facilities.

We didn’t get to go to many games when I was young, did see the Kentucky game in person when they had Tim Couch. We always had TN football parties though and watched the games with all our family, like 20 of us. Was always a blast.
 
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#306
#306
NO SIR EEE said:
I am sure somewhere along the way there has been a thread like this one. I'm just curious and figured it would make for some good stories while we wait on Saturday. Were you born into being a Tennessee fan or just decided one day that you liked Tennessee.

My story: My dad grew up in Cleveland, TN. He is obviously a lifelong Tennessee fan. I was born into it and never thought for a second to like any other team.
Click to expand...
Does it matter? Fan is a fan
 
#307
#307
I have absolutely no statistics to back this up, but I can’t
help but think that as much as the state has grown, and
many of them from the West coast, so has Vol Nation.
All it takes is just one trip to a game at Neyland stadium
and they would be hooked for life.
 
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#308
#308
Born this way.

Sadly have lived in Charlotte for 30 years because i married a girl here. Before streaming, i would call my Pappaw in Seymour and he would give me play by play.

The whole game. Happy to do so.
God rest the soul of the best man I ever met.
Msgt. Kenneth Webb 26 years USAF and 85 years a VOL when he passed 2 years ago.
 
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#309
#309
Dad was an alum, I grew up loving TN. Looked into some schools because I knew I wanted to study anthropology. Guess which school has the best anthropology program? Family thought my dad forced me to pick TN, the irony being they forced THEIR kids to go to LSU.
End of the day, I graduated with honors from UT while my cousins all transferred to different schools than LSU
 
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#310
#310
Born and raised 30 mins north of Nashville, home on Johnny Darden. My dad and uncles are Vol fans. I remember starting in the Andy Kelly days. Dad had 2 season tix in Y9 from like 92-98. Bought them through a guy he worked with.
 
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#312
#312
Born into it.

I was born in Athens, TN.

My parents met by being seated alphabetically next to each other in freshman chemistry class at UTK. My father played center for the Vols. He had broken his facemark in practice the day before; had two black eyes and no front teeth. She was smitten, haha.

Every aunt and uncle on both sides has a degree from Knoxville.

My grandfather on mother's side--though a Miss St. grad--was commander of the Army base in Knoxville for years and became a huge Vols fan. He sent all three of his daughters to UTK.

Family has had Vols season tickets continuously since 1964 and a G-10 parking pass since it was built. Same seats always.
 
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#314
#314
Picked em

It was the 70’s, my family didn’t watch college football; however I loved everything football from as far back as I can remember.

I lived in Tennessee, so I got to watch more Tennessee games. I was really too young to know much (about football and what or why to like)……..it was mostly the orange and white…….it just drew me in.

Most sports team uniforms seemed to be a few similar colors and styles…….but Tennessee……there was nothing else like it I had ever seen.

So maybe I got drawn in for some illogical reason (hey I was a kid)…….but I’ve been a fan ever since.
 
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#315
#315
DeepSpringsVol said:
My dad sold popcorn to get in games as kid at old alumni gym which predated Stokely if that tells you anything. Plus later as young adult he was climbing over fences to get in the football games before the stadium looks like it does now. During that period he found out through marriage like his second cousin was married to Head Coach Bowden Wyatt. I was raised practically in Stokely and Thompson Boling Arena and most Saturdays in Neyland. There was no escaping my attachment to UT.

Another fun fact. My dad married my mom who was from Detroit in 1956 well he moved up there for a couple years after they married 9 to 10 years later because my moms parents health so circa 1965 ,1966 but then became homesick for Vols home games and Knoxville in general. Well he attended Pistons games in Detroit and they had some injury issues and needed a forward. The security wasn't what it is today. So my dad being a Vols fan had a friend he knew that played at Tennessee walked into the main office for the Detroit Pistons and introduced himself and told him he knew a physical forward that played at the University of Tennessee named Bobby Hogsett. Long story shortened the man said well we definitely looking for a player to help out as we are shorthanded. He wanted Mr Hogsetts contact information. He at this time was a teacher at school and couldn't believe he got a call from Detroit to try basketball professionally and accepted the tryout. He told my dad "Charlie thus has to be a joke, I can't believe this Thank you so much!" He made the team in 1966, didn’t play much but he is in history books for pro basketball. Sadly later he took a job as a bank manager and some man came in to argue a bad debt and shot him dead i want to say he was in his 40s when he died. View attachment 489920
Click to expand...
You get the award for the most interesting story in this thread.
 
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#318
#318
Married into it. I am from Georgia, all my family is from Georgia as far back as I can account for. My mom's side of the family were GT fans and that is where I fell. But my dad's side all were rabid Georgie fans. I went to many games in Athens as a kid with my dad before I choose sides, just never really thought the bulldogs were so great. Tech won the natty in 1990 when I was a kid and I was a firm Tech fan. That said as a kid my favorite color was orange and I loved watching the Vols beat uga every year for what seemed like forever. Always loved Peyton too. My wife and I met in HS in Georgia but she was from Tennessee and hated uga too. Match made in heaven lol! We moved to Tennessee 20 years ago and adopted the Vols. Still love GT but just not sure they aren't going to follow the path of Suwanee as football becomes more separated from "college" and more like the NFL...
 
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#319
#319
Volador said:
FYI, from 1975-1979, out of state tuition (including room and board) was......................................$2,700. A year!! My parents would have spent more allowing me to live in the basement.
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Yup. Same years as me. $900 a quarter for everything and it didn’t change a dime the entire four years. The actual tuition part was $450 a quarter. In state tuition was $150 a quarter. I had no student loans to pay off after I graduated. Summer jobs and referring intramurals paid nearly the whole bill.
 
#320
#320
My brother came to UT to study architecture. We were from West Virginia. It was my first exposure to the SEC. I attended UT Law School and started bleeding orange with Heath Shuler. The monsoon game against the Gators was The most fun I ever had at a football game.
 
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#321
#321
I grew up in Kingsport and my dad was very active in coaching and sports and I grew up watching DB and UT football. I also graduated from UT in 2001 with a degree in chemical engineering.
 
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#325
#325
Born into it. Married to a Bama girl. My two sons are both Vol fans. My daughter is a Bammer. Funny story, my oldest son was born in 1999 and has some memories of Tennessee being relevant. My youngest boy was born in 2007. He asked me a fews years back why he was a Vol fan :rolleyes:
 
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