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How did you become a Vol?

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    tlepage99 ●

  • Rocklion2000 said...

    This is following up on the thread about where you attended college. I think it would be interesting to also see how some of the guys who attended different colleges ended up Vol fans. Or maybe you just grew up a Vol fan.

    I'm the latter. I grew up in Maryville, Tenn. a hop skip and a jump from UT. Can't remember exactly, but I saw my first game around four or five on the TV. It was against Kentucky and I remember looking at the uniforms thinking something along the lines of how weird the orange uniforms looked. It seems to me back then they were almost creamsicle orange. But just grew up amidst orange flags and Saturday being UT gameday. Either watching the game on TV with my mom and dad or listening to John Ward on the radio when I couldn't watch on TV. Then went to UTK.

    Awesome thread Rock +1

    bafletch

  • I grew a up Tennessee fan, however, I went to my first game against UNLV when Ainge and Schaffer were true freshman. I have been hooked since.

    Kevin751465

  • Fortunately, my parents raised me right! Other than a brief exile in Stone Mountain, Georgia when I was 4-5 years old, I have lived in East Tennessee all of my life - a small town north of Knoxville (Caryville) for the most part. When I was 6, Dewey "Swamprat" Warren was the keynote speaker for a meeting of the Caryville Optimist Club. I had my picture taken with him and later that Christmas, received a Big Orange football uniform from Santa! Been going to games as long as I can remember, seeing the first game under the lights and several other memorable games far too numerous to mention. GO BIG ORANGE!

    Edit: Forgot to attach pic.

    This post was edited by volviking on 3/1/2013 at 6:29 AM

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    "Old School"! A strong defense wins championships!

    volviking ●

  • I was literally brought home from the hospital in orange. My father had enrolled at UT to play football when he was drafted for military service, and never got the chance to continue his education, but once I was born we never lived more than 40 minutes from the James White Pkwy exit on I-40. Would've attended UT if I hadn't received offers to play football at smaller schools.

    JHSVol ●

  • Born and raised in Nashville by two VU grads, older brother went to AU and sister went to UA-bama....my dad started at QB for VU back in the mid 50's - he was never really anti UT but my Mother hated UT with a passion growing up....probably too many annoying UT fans growing up or when she was in School (we have our share just like most state schools) and something tells me VU wasn't as 'uppidy' in the 50's but I could be wrong. Regardless grew up going to VU f'ball and b'ball games but I don't remember being too into them (outside of some decent bball teams what was there to like?). I was a sophmore in HS and was watching TN play AU and saw this play (below) and I knew then and there I was all orange. Went to UT in 92 as a freshman screwed around and left to work in Nashville for a couple of years (despite having lots of freinds still in school and basically attending all the big Fball games I wanted to as a student) and went back and finished up from 96-99 f-ball seasons. I was pretty lucky to be there at the height of TENN football...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS13SzLfzWM

    This post was edited by dsmith1669 on 3/1/2013 at 2:46 PM

    dsmith1669

  • Dsmith, Vandy used to be a whole lot snottier than they are now.

    My daddy turned me on to the Vols. I have a battered old Sears Silvertone we used to listen to Ward and Anderson on. Today that radio has a place of honor in my office, and it is signed on the back by The Voice his ownself.

    This post was edited by Chartervol on 3/1/2013 at 8:46 PM

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    Chartervol

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    gp123111

  • I was born, raised and God willing will die in Tennessee. VFL!!

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    MIDTENNVOL ●

  • Chartervol said...

    Dsmith, Vandy used to be a whole lot snottier than they are now.

    My daddy turned me on to the Vols. I have a battered old Sears Silvertone we used to listen to Ward and Anderson on. Today that radio has a place of honor in my office, and it is signed on the back by The Voice his ownself.

    I guess my parents didn't come from money at all and weren't snotty so I just assumed it might have been different back then....All I know is I loathed their students when I was in college....gun very "what kind of car do you drive?" snotty

    dsmith1669

  • I was simply born into it, I was born on a Monday in September and that Saturday my dad put me on the couch to watch Tennessee play Auburn, since that time it has been all orange and going to games with my dad since I was six or seven first game I went to was with Peyton as quarterback and during the vol walk got within three or four feet of him, great memories with my dad. Now me and my fiance are always going to games.

    zrkh

  • I grew up in Antioch (suburb of Nashville) where my dad was the state representative for that district. One of the perks at the time was he could get tickets to any home game at Neyland stadium. He would take my mom and older brother to three or four games a year. My father was already a vols fan but by taking us we fell in love with the vols. Going to games up there were some of my fondest memories growing up. If I went to college that is where I always had dream of going. Unfortunately circumstances changed and I went into the service in 1998. The last game I saw was us beating Florida that year before I shipped out. My nickname in basic training was Tennessee because of my accent. My drill sergeant was a big Oklahoma fan. Every Sunday he would come in and des me the scores from the game the day before! Every week they kept winning!! I couldn't believe I was missing the greatest season of my young life!! I was then AIT during the national championship game but my DI there brought me updated the next day. I will forever be a Tennessee Vol whether we lose every game or win every game. This is our state and this is our team! Go Vols!!

    Jamesryan0203

  • When I was looking at moving to the states for college, this guy who worked with my dad had his kids go to UT.
    We had them over for dinner and they gave me a football program.
    They told me stories and then I toured Wright State, Purdue, Iowa and then went to UT...I left knowing that's where I wanted to be. Still checked out FSU and Georgia Tech but UT is where I wanted to be.
    Had to wait a year to come over because of Visas, international admissions and I was keeping up with Vol football via game tracker online from Brazil in 2000 lol

    GO VOLS! GO HEAT! GO PHINS! GO BRAVES! And for those who know soccer: GO BRAZIL! GO GRÊMIO!

    LazhilUT

  • My dad (an Ole Miss alum) worked for a high school here north of Atlanta whose colors were Orange and White, so the colors were familiar to me early. By the time I started paying attention to football, my attention was drawn straight to Tennessee, near the end of the Majors era. Heath Shuler and co. were the first UT players I grew up with and the Fulmer era galvanized me as a lifelong Vols fan. It was fun growing up one of a handful of antagonistic Tennessee fans, proudly sporting orange in the heart of Bulldog country.

    DougG_ATL

  • This has been a great thread and I have loved hearing all the stories but it sure hurts hearing all you guys say you were born in the late '70's early '80's because that makes me feel really old. That's when I was in college!! Surely I'm not the only one that feels this way?

    This post was edited by motownvol on 3/2/2013 at 11:59 AM

    motownvol

  • OrangeVol79 said...

    Laying in the floor with my father listening on the radio to John Ward and Bill Anderson.

    Yes!

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    "Playing no favorites and sparing none, Reggie White was a quarterback's worst nightmare." -John Ward

    Joe Roberts

  • Born a Tennessee fan.

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    Coach

    Bob_Vols

  • My parents tried raising me as a Kentucky fan, but my second grade teacher gave us rewards if we sang Rocky Top every Friday before a game. My parents realized defeat immediately

    Twitter: @nick11vols

    nick11vols

  • To steal Lady Gaga's line:

    BABY I WAS BORN THIS WAY!!!!!!

    I don't ever remember NOT being a Vol fan. All my family are Vol fans, and I have been hearing "Hell yeah! How 'bout them Vols, by God!" since I was filling diapers with green gravy...

    pepevol

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