Real UT fans?

#26
#26
We moved to Knoxville when I was 5. My dad worked for The University. I learned to swim at the Aquatic Center. Played on the track and raquet ball courts as a kid.

I graduated in 86 (BS) and in 88 MBA. In some way or another I was associated with The University for 30 years. :good:
 
#27
#27
Both parents and sister went to UTK, I stayed at home and went to the University of Memphis (what can i say, school cost money). Parents knew i was destined to be a football fan. When i get my tonsils take out when i was like 1 or 2, they rolled out a basket with toys and told me i could choose one, and i went right for the football my folks said. And growing up in a UT house hold just added fuel to the fire. Now i live in Florida (Wilma better keep going east) and i am as strong as ever. I do get to go to rocky top for the Memphis game...can't wait to smell the Tennessee river again (anyone who as ever been to knoxvegas knows that smell)!
 
#28
#28
Born in Birmingham, but thank God my parents moved to Tennessee. I never attended any college. My brother-in-law graduated from UTK in 1975. I went to games on student tickets in the early 70's that i got from him. I have been a fan since then, through all the ups and downs. It's great to be a VOL fan.

GO VOLS roll over the tide.
 
#29
#29
I grew up in Jackson and then moved to Smyrna, my family has always rooted for the VOLS. I have one uncle that attended UTK. Heres my view on the whole fan thing. The vast majority of VOLS fans are from the Volunteer State. I havent lived in Tennessee for 13 years now, not by choice. I have even meet folks in Germany that were VOLS fans and Im not talking about GIs either. I was downtown Frankfurt one day, with a Big Orange hat on of course, pre 9-11, and a local came up to me and yelled GO VOLS, with his German accent. He went on to tell me he had a neice that was attending UTK and that he loved the VOLS. Also quite a few Germans would see my UT clothes and immediatly give me a thubs up and say "Jack Daniels is uber gute".

I can always assume that if I see someone with a UT shirt or hat that he is from Tennessee. Thats not always true for most other colleges. You can always find some punk wearing some usc, miami or flordia state junk and ask him where hes from and he will say new york or something. I guess its the whole band wagon thing, or some kind of fasion statement.

See I consider myself a true Tennessee fan, not just because I love the VOLS, but also because I am from the Great State of Tennessee.

P.S. Im not saying any of you are not real UT fans.

GO VOLS BEAT BAMA

B)
 
#30
#30
Born in West Tennessee, raised in East Tennesse, with family in Middle Tennessee. So I just tell people I'm from the entire state. Lived in Knoxville since Summer 1985, and I graduated from the University of Tennessee.

But I was never a stronger fan, until I was forced to live in Kentucky for three years. That is what made me a Real Vol Fan.
 
#31
#31
Was playing junior high school football in the mid 60's in Memphis. My older cousin's boyfriend (later became husband and father of their 2 boys) was an all state blocking back at Southside High School and I admired him a lot. The Vols were still running the single wing under coach Wyatt and he received a football scholarship to Tennessee. Have been a Volunteer fan ever since!!
 
#32
#32
Well, it's really hard for me to explain. I was born and raised in Mississippi, have lived here all my life, and I come from an Ole Miss family, but I have always loved the Big Orange. I don't even know what got me started, but I have always been a big fan as long as I can remember.
 
#33
#33
Born in East Tennessee and moved back here when I was 10. I have 2 Majors and a Doctorate, each of the three with "The University of Tennessee" at the top of the diploma. I have endured the Bama streak that ended in the 90's and survived the Swamp. I have an orange-and-white boat, orange felt on my pool table, an orange watch, and an orange toothbrush. My office staff wears orange scrubs on gameday Fridays. My cell phone rings "Rocky Top." My front yard is currently checkered with orange and white flowers.

I can go on, but is that enough?
 
#34
#34
Originally posted by kiddiedoc@Oct 22, 2005 11:24 AM
My front yard is currently checkered with orange and white flowers.

I can go on, but is that enough?
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:thumbsup:
 
#35
#35
Originally posted by kiddiedoc@Oct 22, 2005 10:24 AM
Born in East Tennessee and moved back here when I was 10.  I have 2 Majors and a Doctorate, each of the three with "The University of Tennessee" at the top of the diploma.  I have endured the Bama streak that ended in the 90's and survived the Swamp.  I  have an orange-and-white boat, orange felt on my pool table, an orange watch, and an orange toothbrush.  My office staff wears orange scrubs on gameday Fridays.  My cell phone rings "Rocky Top."  My front yard is currently checkered with orange and white flowers.

I can go on, but is that enough?
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Do you have the Orange Power T set as your phone wallpaper? :good:
 
#36
#36
Originally posted by kiddiedoc@Oct 22, 2005 11:24 AM
Born in East Tennessee and moved back here when I was 10.  I have 2 Majors and a Doctorate, each of the three with "The University of Tennessee" at the top of the diploma.  I have endured the Bama streak that ended in the 90's and survived the Swamp.  I  have an orange-and-white boat, orange felt on my pool table, an orange watch, and an orange toothbrush.  My office staff wears orange scrubs on gameday Fridays.  My cell phone rings "Rocky Top."  My front yard is currently checkered with orange and white flowers.

I can go on, but is that enough?
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:bow:
 
#37
#37
Originally posted by volunteer/engineer@Oct 22, 2005 12:19 AM

I can always assume that if I see someone with a UT shirt or hat that he is from Tennessee.  Thats not always true for most other colleges.  You can always find some punk wearing some usc, miami or flordia state junk and ask him where hes from and he will say new york or something.  I guess its the whole band wagon thing, or some kind of fasion statement.

See I consider myself a true Tennessee fan, not just because I love the VOLS, but also because I am from the Great State of Tennessee. 

P.S. Im not saying any of you are not real UT fans.

B)
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I've been trying to decide if your post bothers me or not and I'm afaid it does. First of all, I am NOT from the great state of Tennessee and I don't feel any less fortunate because of it. I didn't attend UT, and I hate Jack Daniels and any other brand of Tennessee sour mash whiskey. The stuff tastes like burnt coffee to me. I prefer Canadian whiskey but I'm sure that doesn't qualify me as a fan of the Edmonton Eskimoes.
I have joked about how I became a Vol fan in previous posts but here's the real story if anyone cares to hear it. I have been a football addict since I was a little boy. I began to follow the Vols about the time color TV came around and Vol games began to be televised into my area more frequently. I liked the orange uniforms, the wide open style of play, and the excitement that the stadium generates on game day. John Ward's radio broadcasts were one of my favorite things about UT football. I always turned off the sound and turned the radio on when the Vols were on.
Tennessee actively recruits in the area where I live (Shawn Bryson, Heath Shuler, Carl Pickens, Leonard Little) so that's another reason to follow them and root for their success. Time and more exposure has made me a bigger fan until now there is no other team I follow so closely, celebrate with over the victories and agonize with over the defeats harder. It really hurts me when the Vols lose.
I joined this board to read what everybody was saying and to learn a little more inside stuff than the desire to post my comments. I admittedly don't plow into the details of recruiting or game strategies. I don't have the time or the know-how to know what I was looking at. That's why I look to you folks, to provide me with the answers to my questions. Although I post some bitching every now and then, I accept what "my" team puts on the field on Saturday and go with it, win or lose. I personally have no right to criticize any coach because if I were qualified to second guess them, by God, I'd be doing something else for a living besides Industrial Engineering. If this attitude of mine upsets anybody, so be it.
I am not a bandwagon fan. You'd never believe how many longtime supporters the Vols have who got to be fans the same way I did. I don't contribute money but I sopend enough on tickets and memorabilia to make up for a donation. The Tennessee natives and UT alumni should be tickled to death that the UT atheletic programs have such a diverse following. You'd never believe the fans Pat Summit and the Lady Vols have here where I live. Her name is a household word with the women over here.
So if being a Tennessee native or a UT alumnus is a prerequisite for being a true Vol fan, I guess I'll have to stop referring to myself as one, stop coming to the games, stop buying UT jackets, hats, flags, car decorations, furniture, mailbox covers, Rocky Top CD's, John Ward DVD's, etc. I'll also have to stop pi$$ing off two of my neighbors, one who's a Gator Fan and one who's a LSU grad. I'll have to change mine and my wife's Karaoke intro music from the Pride of the Southland's version of "Rocky Top" to USC's "Salute to Troy"." I'll just keep watching the Vols on TV and quietly root for my adopted team. Although I may not be allowed to publicly say so, I will always love the Tennessee Volunteers.
If this makes me an intruder into a select circle or a party crasher, I sincerely apologize for tarnishing the image of the "true" UT fan.
So there! AMEN.
By the way, please beat Bama today, guys.
 
#39
#39
Originally posted by volunteer/engineer@Oct 22, 2005 1:16 PM
I will say it again.  I was not trying to imply that any of you guys and gals are not true UT fans.  By the way, thanks for your love of the VOLS.
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:yes: Ah, hell, your just saying that 'cause you just found out I'm an engineer, too. I also have a very big soapbox, as you just discovered. Anyway, ALLl Vol fans are "men and women of the cloth" and that's a fact, Jack!
 
#40
#40
Born and raised in Knoxville Tennessee, went to Cedar Bluff and then Farragut high. Attended and graduated from the University of Tennessee, and I hold a CPA license in Tennessee. Move to Texas but just the word Tennessee makes my heart ache. Family and friends still live in Tennessee, and to anyone who asks Tennessee may not be my current residence but its my home. Speaking of, my house is made with Smokey Mountain bricks. I also met my wife while at the University of Tennessee and we're still happily married 6 years later.

I take Tennessee football personally, especially now that I'm not in Knoxville. An insult to the VOLS is like an insult to my family. Distance only makes the heart grow fonder in this case. I'll be loyal to the VOLS until I die, thus my username - and I plan to be buried in Knoxville.

 
#43
#43
Live in Illinois... born in Chattanooga. ONLY Vol fan at my high school. Wore my Vol hat everyday of the year for 6 years until I was unable to wear it. Then I framed it and mounted it on my wall.

Door to my room is painted orange and white checkered.

White Jeep has a Power T on the hood! Orange seats also.

Computer's start-up music is Rocky Top... played by me on the guitar.

Of course... none of this is comparable to some of you guys, but it's good stuff nonetheless. Did I mention I live in Illinois and it's almost impossible to find Vol stuff in a store?
 
#44
#44
Boys, I'm here to tell you that I've been a Volunteer from about the age of eight onward. I can recall watching the UT-GA on TV in 1967 when Kenny DeLong caught a TD pass to tie the game.

I attended my first game in person in 1969 vs Chattanooga.

In the course of the years I've probably attended something close to 200 games in person and watched hundreds more on TV.

I have home and away jerseys with my old high school # on them.

I once wore the same pair of shoes while either at games or listening/watching to away games for a year and half just to keep some perceived "mojo" going.

I have been known to walk through the tunnel to my section in Neyland Stadium and boom a hearty "Honey! I'm HOME!"

I've bled orange.

I've lived and died with the Vols.

I never really considered going to college anywhere else. I graduated in 1981.

My sons have been going to games since they were literally in the womb! THEIR passion is GONE. They have seen so much bad football in Neyland Stadium, they are tired of the whole mess. For every thrilling game (i.e. Florida last year) there have been multiple torture sessions like Rutgers '02 (95 yards rushing) and the '03 Georgia and Duke games.

Both of them play football and they know poor performance when they it.

Last year, my (then) eleven-year-old once stood up as Corey Larkins once again ignored an open return lane on a kickoff to fall into a pile of Vol blockers and opposing coverage players, raised his hand in supplication, and asked just what he was thinking. Now he just shakes his head and switches the channel.

Neither of my boys are even CONSIDERING the University of Tennessee.

The elder will to go to either LSU or one of the service academies, the younger is determined to go to Notre Dame.

Translation: their lack of interest in UT is DIRECTLY traceable to the product on the field.

I can't say I blame them.

My current mind-set recalls a battle-scarred veteran of the Army of the Potomac near the end of the Civil War. He was bitching and griping about heading off to yet another battle with Marse Robert and the Boys. A civilian listening in asked plaintively, "But don't you love your country?" To which the trooper replied scathingly, "Of course I love this country. But I'll be damned if I'll ever love another'n."

I'll hang up listen to your comments.
 
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