Do you remember when you became a Tech fan?

GT_05

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,370
I grew up a mutt fan. Why? Because my entire family is made up of mutts. Nearly twenty years ago, on October 17, 1998, I became a Tech fan and I never looked back. I watched GT come back from 21 down to beat #7 UVA at a very rowdy BDS. I became a fan that day because they never gave up in that game and that’s what I’ve loved about Tech teams over the years...we leave it all on the field. The last 20 years have brought the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Even though we are down now, we will be back. Believe it. Go Jackets!




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2,034
I was born a Tech fan, February 15, 1962. My Grandfather went to Tech and my family were always Tech fans. I attended my first game in 1969. I attended the University of Georgia and have a double major from there, 1980-1984. When UGA beat Florida in 1980 I was at Grant Field watching Notre Dame tie Tech. In 1983 in Atlanta I openly cheered for Tech. Was in the stands in Athens in 1984 when we beat them. Lived in Florida for three years 1992-1994, came home for every Tech home game. For the away games with no TV, I had my Grandmother put the phone next to the radio and listened to the game on the phone. In 1994 when she died, the tickets were hers, started buying my own. 4 in section 107. Moved to Colorado in 1998 and still make it back for 1 if not 2 games a year. I never miss a game on TV. I will be there for Duke.

When I was a youth coach for my son's football team for 3 years I installed the Flex bone. CPJ had his coaches send me emails with information about techniques and such. Met him at a private party in 2008. I have 38 replica jerseys, I have the autographed football that won the 1991 Aloha bowl............I am the biggest Tech fan in the world.
 

GT_05

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,370
I was born a Tech fan, February 15, 1962. My Grandfather went to Tech and my family were always Tech fans. I attended my first game in 1969. I attended the University of Georgia and have a double major from there, 1980-1984. When UGA beat Florida in 1980 I was at Grant Field watching Notre Dame tie Tech. In 1983 in Atlanta I openly cheered for Tech. Was in the stands in Athens in 1984 when we beat them. Lived in Florida for three years 1992-1994, came home for every Tech home game. For the away games with no TV, I had my Grandmother put the phone next to the radio and listened to the game on the phone. In 1994 when she died, the tickets were hers, started buying my own. 4 in section 107. Moved to Colorado in 1998 and still make it back for 1 if not 2 games a year. I never miss a game on TV. I will be there for Duke.

When I was a youth coach for my son's football team for 3 years I installed the Flex bone. CPJ had his coaches send me emails with information about techniques and such. Met him at a private party in 2008. I have 38 replica jerseys, I have the autographed football that won the 1991 Aloha bowl............I am the biggest Tech fan in the world.

Now THAT is an awesome story!


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684Bee

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,599
I was born a Tech fan, February 15, 1962. My Grandfather went to Tech and my family were always Tech fans. I attended my first game in 1969. I attended the University of Georgia and have a double major from there, 1980-1984. When UGA beat Florida in 1980 I was at Grant Field watching Notre Dame tie Tech. In 1983 in Atlanta I openly cheered for Tech. Was in the stands in Athens in 1984 when we beat them. Lived in Florida for three years 1992-1994, came home for every Tech home game. For the away games with no TV, I had my Grandmother put the phone next to the radio and listened to the game on the phone. In 1994 when she died, the tickets were hers, started buying my own. 4 in section 107. Moved to Colorado in 1998 and still make it back for 1 if not 2 games a year. I never miss a game on TV. I will be there for Duke.

When I was a youth coach for my son's football team for 3 years I installed the Flex bone. CPJ had his coaches send me emails with information about techniques and such. Met him at a private party in 2008. I have 38 replica jerseys, I have the autographed football that won the 1991 Aloha bowl............I am the biggest Tech fan in the world.

Two good stories. Glad y’all are GT fans.
 

GTFLETCH

Banned
Messages
2,639
1985..I was nine years old, My grandfather graduated Georgia Tech and I watched the few games that aired on TV with him... great times... 1985 had four or five on national TV.... Tech went 9-2-1 and beat Mich State in a bowl game!!!! CBS aired Auburn vs Georgia Tech a 17-14 loss the next week ESPN Aired Georgia Tech at Tenn that ended in a tie. TBS aired Clean Old Fashion Hate and the Bowl game.... My favorite play from that year is Gary Lee's Kickoof return in COFH... Go Jackets!

Link
 

GT_05

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,370
1985..I was nine years old, My grandfather graduated Georgia Tech and I watched the few games that aireed on TV... 1985 had for or five on national TV.... Tech went 9-2-1 and beat Mich State in a bowl game!!!! CBS aired Auburn vs Georgia Tech a 17-14 loss the next week ESPN Aired Georgia Tech at Tenn that ended in a tie. TBS aired Clean Old Fashion Hate and teh Bowl game.... My favorite play from that year is Gary Lee's Kickoof return in COFH... Go Jackets!

Link


Man, that guy was covering some ground!


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ibeattetris

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,545
I grew up as a military brat. I only knew of GT because I had a great aunt who worked there and had given me a t-shirt as a kid. In high school when looking at schools with good chemical engineering departments (I later ended up computer science and never looked back) GT became top of my list. I have some other family connections and in 2005 I was able to get to see a GT football game in a luxury box as part of a visit to the campus. I fell in love with the school immediately, but I knew I was going to GT at the end of the third quarter of the football game when the band started playing a neat jingle, and all I could see was a sea of fans bobbing up down to the music. I got chills the first time I heard the fans scream (I didn't know at the time they were saying "When you say Budweiser" lol!), and I still get chills every time I hear it now.
 
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13,443
Location
Augusta, GA
The earliest I remember was when I was 11 years old in 1955, and my 20 year old sister was dating a Tech student from Augusta whom I just thought the world of. He, plus the number of Augusta guys on the team back then, made me a lifelong Tech fan. I can remember being devastated when the mutts finally beat the Jackets in 1957. Unfortunately, my sister broke my heart when she broke up with that guy and ended up dating and later marrying a UGA student. BUT that UGA student, as well as his entire family (4 brothers), were BIG Tech fans, and going to school in the cesspool didn't change him. So in a continuous string from 1955 till today, including of course my years at Tech, I have been a Tech fan and have had a solid Tech family. My sister and her husband had three kids, all of whom are to this day Tech fans, with my nephew even having gone to Tech and "got out". I have a Solid Gold family !!!
 

DirtyDingusMagee

Georgia Tech Fan
Messages
35
I've been a fan my whole life. Dad went to Tech. I've got baby pictures where I have GT stuff on. I didn't go to Tech because I grew up in FL and got to go to college there for free...I got into Tech but it's hard to argue with free. Still, that's one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. I've gone to at least one game each year I've been alive (41). Had season tix in Tallahassee when I lived there and drove up for all of them...now live in ATL and I'm there for every home game and the occasional road game (11 years total with season tix). I even converted the wife, who was a Miami fan.

I've been there for the good and bad...some of which come to mind are Furman '83, Maryland '89 (the Neil ODonnell game), NC St '90, Nebraska 1/1/91, Navy '96 (where I first learned who PJ was), UVA '98, UGA '99, Clemson '01 (Woody Dantzler just ran past me in my living room), FSU '08/'15, VT '09, and many more I'm not recalling right now. Oh, and I'll be there Saturday.

THWG.
 

bobongo

Helluva Engineer
Messages
7,043
1965 Gator Bowl is the first Tech game I can remember watching, on an RCA black and white "portable" TV (weighed about 50 pounds). Knocked off #10 Texas Tech. I was 11. That's when I became a fan, but mostly listened to the Jackets growing up on the radio broadcast by the incomparable, irreplaceable Al Ciraldo. Didn't actually see them play in person until 1972 in Sanford Stadium, when I was a freshman at UGA. Pulled for the Jim Stevens led Jackets, watching from the bridge. Graduated from UGA, but have remained a stalwart Tech fan since December 31, 1965.
 

THWG

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,999
I was born into being a Tech fan. My uncle worked in Atlanta for a while and started following Tech. He really followed football and basketball at first and then he passed the love onto my dad. My uncle and dad got into baseball when Varitek, Garciaparra, and Payton came along. My dad passed it onto me and I realized how obsessed I was with the emergence of Calvin in the Clemson game when he made "the catch". For basketball, it was the 2004 season and baseball was the 2005 season.
 
Messages
2,034
1965 Gator Bowl is the first Tech game I can remember watching, on an RCA black and white "portable" TV (weighed about 50 pounds). Knocked off #10 Texas Tech. I was 11. That's when I became a fan, but mostly listened to the Jackets growing up on the radio broadcast by the incomparable, irreplaceable Al Ciraldo. Didn't actually see them play in person until 1972 in Sanford Stadium, when I was a freshman at UGA. Pulled for the Jim Stevens led Jackets, watching from the bridge. Graduated from UGA, but have remained a stalwart Tech fan since December 31, 1965.
I was at that game as well in Athens. The Dog fans were mean and nasty. Then we went to the Liberty Bowl and beat Iowa State. Watched it on TV.
 

jacket_fan

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
756
Location
Milton, Georgia
I grew up in Atlanta in the 70s and was agnostic between Tech and Georgia. After high school I tried to play college ball at another school. After a few injuries and getting dumped by a girlfriend, I came home to Tech to study Aerospace Engineering. After the first game in flash cards, I was in but in, and a loyal fan ever since. Coming to Tech was the best decision I made as a teenager.

I recall the same exciting games each of you mentioned.

For others that sat in flash cards back in the day, remembering the second half of the game was usually a challenge. I do recall the Notre Dame game with whisky bottle being winged from the East Upper Deck. Amazing runs by Eddie Lee Ivory. And cussing Pepper.

GT_05, I tell my friends that I helped win that UVa game. I was in the East Upper Deck and from the railing and in a hoarse loud voice I yelled at the head lineman "Call holding both ways" and he looked up at me. That was right before halftime. Go back and look at the holding calls against UVa in the second half.

For those UGa graduates that are Tech fans, I tip my hat to you. It is hard being a Tech fan.
 

Jacketman1

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
601
Kinda grew up into it, my dad being a GT fan. If I had to pick one moment, it would be 2008 FSU. That whole 2008 season had a huge influence on 7 year old me. That was when I started going to every home game, and my interest in GT spiked. My would buy those yearly media guides that they used to make for every season..must've read each one 1,000 times. Still can tell you where pretty much all of the 2008-2012 Jackets went to high school, hometown, etc.
 
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