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

#128
#128
Lucked into it, I guess.
Joined Army reserve from NY for college money. Got to Ft Benning and a bunch of the other guys were talking how their state national guard would pay state school tuition. After getting home from basic/AIT, started looking at states that offered that benefit. Tennessee was one. Visited and never looked back. Graduated 1994, and spent the next several years in ET. Enjoyed the football glory days, but as a basketball fan I was sorely disappointed.
Back in NY now, but my oldest hopes to be transferring from community college here to UT in the fall. He would be a “born into it” for sure.
 
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#130
#130
Mom grew up in Knoxville after moving there in 1st grade, family converted to football fans at that moment. Grandma showed up at hospital in Atlanta with an orange UT onesie when I was born in 92. My UT fandom obviously goes back to birth, Peyton Manning was my hero, but I can only really vividly remember as far back as casey clausen years when my understanding of the game and our history really developed. Basically, my noggin got larger and balls dropped and then we started sucking. Brutal timing on that one. Needless to say, got into it with my uga friends quite a few times in middle school. Not much changed there. To this day I love my Vols and at the ripe age of 29 I have the heart of a 50 year old and the mere mention of uf or alabama makes me want to commit a hate crime without remorse. Go Vols!
 
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#131
#131
I guess a bit of both? I am from Chattanooga But none of my family were big Vols fans. When I first started really following college football We had Jeff Francis as out QB then came Andy Kelly and Heath Shuler. The rest is history
 
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#135
#135
Born into it.. in my family we have a combined six degrees from UTK.. also Tennesseean family several generations back, both sides.. I never considered supporting another team 😂 Knoxville is also apparently where we go to meet our husbands, too (i mistyped ho, but that works too).. first football game in Neyland with my Daddy at 4 years old
 
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#138
#138
Born into it. Born and raised in Knoxville. Graduated from UT in 1970. My dad ushered at UT games and would get me into the stadium. Held season ticket for years prior to moving to Destin, but back in Tennessee now. Just got back from Pittsburgh.
 
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#139
#139
I honestly considered myself a UGA fan(Sorry). Not quite sure of the year but a good friend was die hard Auburn fan they were playing UT in the pigskin classic which ended up being a tie ball game. Ive been hooked since and have never missed a televised game, although I’ve only been to 2 games SEC Championship VS Miss state and the Chic Fila kick off against NC STATE. I love my VOLS and live right in the middle of bulldawg territory and absolutely despise UGA!
 
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#140
#140
I choose to be a VFL. I was born and raised in TN. My Dad wasn't a big TN fan. He watched them when we could but it was not a priority. Mom says when I was about 3, we were at a football party with some of Dad's friends. When the game came on, I just sat and stared at the TV. She said it was like I was watching cartoons. On the way home, she said I kept yelling GO VOLS! She said that was when this VFL sickness started. GO VOLS!!!!!!!!
 
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#141
#141
I was born in Missouri and moved to Ridgetop Tennessee in 1979. My parents weren’t big into sports so I didn’t have a lot of exposure to it but when the Volunteers won the ‘86 Sugar Bowl that’s all anyone talked about in the community, there was even a song that I remember on the radio a lot around that time. (I found it on YouTube but can’t figure out how to attach it) There was a little store at “the bottom of the hill” on highway 31 going to Ridgetop called Bakers Market and I remember seeing these special Coke bottles commemorating the ‘85 season and I thought they must be the baddest team in the land to have their own coke bottles! Anyway long story about my first memories of becoming a Vol fan and have been one ever since. Now representing in Texas letting them know who the real UT is ;-) ….. and I still have that old Coca Cola bottle as I’m sure many of you do. Go Vols!
 
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#142
#142
I chose it after a visit with my dad. I wanted to go to a big sports school being a PE major. When we saw the facilities, we were blown away by all the tennis courts, aquatic center, saw a spring fb practice at Neyland, etc. Just so happened the weekend we visited, was a doubleheader baseball game w/Florida. My father, being a high school football coach said, well, what’d ya think? I said, dad-this is it! My other choice-Alabama! We never made it there after visiting UT. All Vol ever since!🧡
 
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#143
#143
Born and raised here in West Tennessee. My dad wasn’t a big sports fan but I have been since a boy. I didn’t go to college. I’ve never been anything but a Tennessee fan through the good and the bad.That’s been well over 50 years now.
 
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#145
#145
In the late 50s i remember my dad listing to the games on the radio so i guess i was born into it. They did win the NC the year i was born, 1951. I guess it was my destiny to be a Vol.
 
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#147
#147
Shared before, but born and raised in Kentucky. All of our channels except one came out 9f Knoxville, so always saw Tennessee stuff. I was around 8 maybe, ky lost a basketball game, and everyone, as usual 👀🤣, was crying about cheating. As a kid, it just annoyed me, but I started liking them losing, and started watching Tennessee any time I could. Games, news for sporting news, and fell in love.
 
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#148
#148
TennEddie said:
Grew up in Nashville. Early 50s. Worked in a paint store every
weekend since I was 10. They had an old radio
that was tuned to UT football games. George Mooney on the call.
Caught the Big Orange fever and never got rid of it.
Click to expand...
That is just plain cool!!
 
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