When/Why did you become a TN fan?

[VolforFootball]

I wrote this in another thread, but it made me curious to hear all of your stories.

I was 9 when we won the NC and didn’t really watch football at the time as my family really only watched Baseball. The only reason I started to watch football was because my mom remarried to a man who is a Colts fan, which led to me becoming a Colts and Peyton fan during his rookie season. As a result of being a Peyton fan, I began watching TN since that’s where he went to college.

 

[Boca Vol]

I grew up in LC and the 1st game I remember going to was Utah in 1979.

My 1st real memory came a year later when UT played Southern Cal. My 2 brothers and I had little league games that day in Kingston and somehow we still made it in time to go to the game. I can still see the USC kicker hitting that FG at the end of the game. UT lost but I was hooked. Sitting in section W that night.

 

[NorCalVol67]

My Dad was a lifelong fan so I was born with Orange Blood. Growing up listening, watching and going to games with my Dad are special memories and highlights of my life.

 

[VolforFootball]

My Dad was a lifelong fan so I was born with Orange Blood. Growing up listening, watching and going to games with my Dad are special memories and highlights of my life.

That would have been an awesome experience. Love stories like these.

 

[Smokey1990]

I was born in Tennessee, but grew up in Virginia, near the TN border where I still live. This area is about half Vols fans, half VT fans. I've always pulled for Tennessee-based sports teams. I'm old enough to remember winning the Natty. I was 8 years old.

 

[VOLfrombama]

My Dad was a lifelong fan so I was born with Orange Blood. Growing up listening, watching and going to games with my Dad are special memories and highlights of my life.

This exactly.

My Dad grew up in Athens, TN. He got a job with TVA and move to Bama before I was born.

I tell every single person that asks that question the same exact thing....... my Dad raised me right.

 

[G8rh8r]

I grew up in the heart of Alabama but never really got into football. I’m a girl, after all.

Anyways, I was accepted to grad school at UT and Alabama. I decided to go to UT as I hated Tuscaloosa. As a grad student and assistant in the business department, I got to know many of the football players as they were in my accounting 101 courses. I was hooked. I went from not caring about football to buying season tickets after graduation. I had them for many years until we had two little kids and moved 6 hours away from Knoxville.

 

[LadyinOrange]

I can't remember not being a Vol fan. (Except for Saturday, but that episode didn't last long.)

 

[Voltopia]

Born into it. Family half Tennessee, half another SEC school. "Which other school?" you ask. Doesn't matter. Never was going to pick the other school.

 

[Snakebrown13]

Grew up in Bristol. 10 YRs old, My Dad took me to my first game in 1983, Vols beat LSU. Hooked ever since. Have traveled to see them play coast to coast, from UCLA to Miami... likely not this year, maybe not next, but the Power T will be proud again one day. They will always be my team.

 

[Proud Army Wife]

I don't remember when. I grew up in a UT household. I guess the why would revert back to my dad and our family tradition. Never missed watching a game on Saturday. My dad still wears his UT gear every Saturday. His voldom and infectious attitude rubbed off on me.

 

[orangerush]

I was the first born, it is my birth right.

 

[McDad]

When I was a kid, my neighbor up the street was a Vols fan. He was a little older than me and I looked up to him. I've lived in Tennessee most of my life but only "followed" the Vols through him. That all changed in 1985 with the Sugar Vols. That win stoked my fandom and I've been a fan ever since.

 

[quadlee21]

I was 8 years old when I first seen a UT game and I thought it was cool. I was 10 when I seen Heath Shuler play for the first time. He ruined me I was hooked immediately

 

[Zues1]

Bunch of youngsters up in here

 

[joevol33]

Kentucky basketball, that's what got me. I was born and raised in Kentucky, and everyone is a die hard cat fan. They lost a basketball game, and I remember everyone crying how they were cheated, and something inside just snapped. All of our local channels came out of Knoxville, and I started watching Tennessee, and fell in love. I'm branded a traitor, but don't care

 

[Proud Army Wife]

I think a lot of us were born into it or it was distilled into us from someone we looked up to. This is something that a lot of non college football people or fans of non sec teams just don't understand. We have a proud culture and is what makes it special.

 

[vollygirl]

I was born and my daddy said "She's a Tennessee Fan!!"

And that was that.

 

[FortPayneVol]

I wrote this in another thread, but it made me curious to hear all of your stories.

I was 9 when we won the NC and didn’t really watch football at the time as my family really only watched Baseball. The only reason I started to watch football was because my mom remarried to a man who is a Colts fan, which led to me becoming a Colts and Peyton fan during his rookie season. As a result of being a Peyton fan, I began watching TN since that’s where he went to college.

 

[MurphyVol]

Raised on Vols. Started really paying attention in the mid-80s. WIVK was only station my Dad could pick up in his younger days and they had a daily Vol update with Gus Manning way back in the day

 

[Proud Army Wife]

Bunch of youngsters up in here

I was 13 when we won the NC in 98. I'll never forget my dad and I jumping up and down for joy in our living room.

 

[screenthis]

I love these stories. Dating myself here but I used to play football with neighborhood friends and I'd play the role of Condredge Holloway for Tennessee. That's where it began. Then, of course, going to UT for undergrad and getting free tickets cemented my fandom. Even though I went on to the University of South Florida for Grad School, no school replaces Tennessee. They're burned in as my team no matter how bad things get. As an aside, neither of my parents went to Tennessee and neither watched sports.

 

[Ft.MyersVols]

My grandmother grew up in Mascot, TN and my first football memories were of watching Vol football with my grandparents while I grew up in Indiana. This was late-70's. All I wanted growing up was to go to UT, which I finally did. Now a proud (most of the time) alum.

 

[Volunteer2012]

Born in Tennessee. Being anything other than a Vol is treason.

 

[Sam I Am]

Since birth !

I remember hearing ol Rocky Top while's ins't my momma's womb. I knew we-in's wast at a UT game from all the up and a downin' momma did while a cheering. I remember the doctor telling her at check ups that he went to Vanderbilt.

Whens I was a born, and the ol doc wast about to smack my behind.....I reached up and grabbed that sum-a-na-bytch's arm, and said, "Not today Commodare.....Not today! Go Vols!"

Every bit of this here story is true that I just made up....