When Did Your Fandom Start?

[Mike Gosnell]

With our return to College Station on the horizon, I wanted to bring this up to our OTF family.

Many of you were born into Texas fandom. Others went to the University of Texas and fell in love with the Longhorn logo. 

For me, that fandom started in my grandparents home in Western Pennsylvania in the late 1990s. 

Unlike many of the OTF family, I did not have the pleasure of being from Texas or attending the University. Rather, my upbringing is in a modest home in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Far closer to Pitt and Penn State than Austin, Texas. 

My grandpa didn't have a particular favorite team (aside from the Pittsburgh Steelers), but he would watch Penn State and Pitt when he could. And when my mom would work weekends, my grandparents would babysit me. Saturdays were for college football. 

My grandpa and I would watch Gameday on ESPN and then wait to see what games were on that day. We'd have to look in TV Guide or our newspaper (the good old days). On one day in particular we landed on a game where a team with orange uniforms were playing. Now me all of six years old was transfixed on the screen. I remember asking my grandpa who that team was? 

"Oh, that's Texas," he said. "They're the team in orange."

I've been a fan ever since. It's a simple story with no frills but for a six-year-old kid the burnt orange uniforms racing across the TV screen was enough for me. And for this now 31-year-old man, the love for the Texas Longhorns will never waver. Hook'em!

I wanted to ask my fellow OTF members when your fandom started as we gear up for the Lone Star Showdown this Saturday. Thanks for making this non-traditional Texas fan feel welcome!

[TexasMDcoach]

Nice story. I have been a fan since the 60's.  Grew up a Longhorn fan and graduated from the University as well.  I was also a Notre Dame fan (Dad was a ND fan) until they beat us in the Cotton Bowl and have hated them ever since.  Moved to Oklahoma and raised my family here and all my grown kids are Texas fans as well.

[cmk4pres]

My dad has had season tickets since '72. I was born in '78. So as early as I can remember 

[Waxahorn]

My older brother went to UT from 1963 to 1967. My first Longhorn game was vs. Arkansas in Austin. My main memories of that game were all the cowbells and the "Woooo Pig Sooie" calls. I really started following the games on the radio in 1968 when some backup named Street started creating magic with the Wishbone. By the end of 68 they were the best team in the nation.

[Aspann85]

May 9, 1985. Birthdate. Every generation since WWII of my family has gone to UT. Hook’em!!

[AJJ_Sports]

Mine is kind of an ironic story. I grew up in a USC and Ohio state households. I barely payed attention to college football because i was pretty little. But when usc was playing Texas in the national championship in 05 i wanted to be different from everyone in the house so i started pulling for Texas and the rest is history lol

[JMarquette]

Loved watching VY in '05, but my dad went to Florida, so I was a pretty big Florida fan. Went to UT in 2014 and the rest is history. 

[Matthew Allen]

My grandpa lived in Austin and went to UT, but it was Earl Campbell's senior season when I was 10 that made me a Longhorn. I came to UT in 1985 and was there for some grim games against the aggies through 1992.

[WG Carter]

Fan since 1955, my dad played at Texas but was called up to serve in Army once WW 2 broke out. My mom and siblings went to Texas and my brother played baseball for UT.

Crazy part ,my dad's business after War was in Bryan-College Station during the Bear Bryant years. Hard start...but then Coach Royal came.

 

My wife ask me how I get so worked up...the colors, the songs and traditions remind me of games cheering for our Longhorns with  family.

[Shane]

I was born in 79 but became a longhorn fan in the early 90’s.

[thatdude2]

1988, I was 6 years old and my brother was leaving to go to the University of Texas on a full academic scholarship, 🤘🏾

[Texas84]

I was an Air Force brat, born in Texas so really didn't grow up in Texas. My grandfather in Texas worked for the USDA in research and was a big aggy fan. Decided I wanted to go to engineering school in Texas and my choices were Texas or aggy. I didn't know anything about the rivalry. In high school there was this guy named Earl Campbell (you may have heard of him), and he was the reason I decided to go to Texas. Earl saved me from the cult. Thank you, Earl!

[dentonhorn]

Fan since I was kid watching the 1963 Texas Navy Cotton Bowl. Then our high school , and local legend, QB went to Texas and threw a pass in Fayetteville that went down in history in 1969. I went to Texas , grad in 1974. 

[ElCafetero]

In 2011 when we played our last game against aTm (until this Saturday) I was 6 was when I first watched the longhorns and Justin Tucker made me a fan forever 

Edited November 25 by ElCafetero

[jkates]

I became a fan when I decided to attend. I made that decision in late spring 1997.

Raised in Houston by LSU parents and was the first person in my family (grandparents, aunts, uncles) to NOT attend LSU. I still love LSU. Great people. And my parents moved to HTX after grad school and were immediately turned off by all the weirdo Aggies talking about "tradition" as if they were the only school in the world with traditions. My mom tells a story that one of her first weeks in Houston a lady in Sunday School bragged about standing up for the whole football game. My mom said something like "We do too. So do Ole Miss and Bama. We just don't act like that special." So I've been an Aggie-hater since birth in 1979.

[.45s]

Mid 60s as a very young boy.  I grew up in Houston and went to a lot of U of H games and a few Rice game with friends up through high school and a lot of Bluebonnet Bowls.  My dad was not a college fan (but big Dallas fan) so he had no interest in college games.  I watched the 1969 game against Arkansas at a friends house whose father was an Arky grad and they were both big fans.  Thank goodness we won.  In college I started going to UT games and even suffered through a game at Kyle Field once and made it to one OU game back then.  We won the first and lost the second.  Since then I have lived all over and have made it to a smattering of games.  I have also been a fan of the baseball team for about the same length and played with or against some of the UT players in high school and growing up.  I have been to a lot of the baseball games and have been to the College World Series three times, once when they were not even in it.  That is a must for college baseball fans.

[CaseMcCoyTruther]

Born into it. Great grandfather played for UT football… grandfather, father, brother, myself all attended and graduated… so did my girlfriend and her entire family.

[goattalk100]

As a kid growing up in NY & being in the northeast, the emphasis was basketball & baseball. I didn’t really watch football until I was about 5 or 6.

I still didn’t know a ton about football & as a sports fan my whole life, I’ve always gravitated towards players first & then stick with that team.

My first time truly watching Texas was that Rose Bowl game. Going into the game, I had become a huge Reggie Bush fan. But oddly enough, I was also a huge Michael Huff fan (my two favorite positions were RB & S).

With no real rooting interest, I was transfixed with the game & the talent on display. This was the best game I had ever seen. But I naturally found myself rooting for Texas. Vince Young was the easiest player to watch & go, he’s not like the rest of them.

After that victory, the rest is history. I also remember going to bed distraught a few years later when Colt got injured in that 09 championship. Now that we’ve made it through the dog days, I’m just enjoying the ride. Hoping to see another championship team this year!

[TTaylor2135]

Get made fun of a bunch because I'm the typical "t-shirt" fan from New Jersey who grew up in a professional sports state but always loved college sports more than the pros (Rutgers stinks!). Let's just say I wasn't the most hard working student so my grades didn't allow me into UT.. they probably actually laughed at my application. Anyway, basketball was always my #1 and being a PG, TJ Ford was always my favorite and while I was very young in his run to the Final Four, my brother's and I would always tune in and I became hooked right away. Fast forward almost 20 years and TJ Ford walked past my seat at this past Sugar Bowl, such a cool experience.

TJ's run was my introduction to UT and just basketball and then I decided to tune into Football. And boy did I pick the perfect time. The first game I remember watching was Vince Young versus Ohio State and then fast forward a few months and it's the national championship. TJ Ford and VY, what an introduction. I still live in Jersey currently (moving to NC soon) and tune into every basketball/football game that I can.. Now that I'm older and can afford to travel, I try to make it up for at least one home game a year and put some money aside for conference championships/playoffs (last year went to the Sugar Bowl and had the time of my life)

I end with my top 5 favorite longhorns:

TJ Ford

Jordan Whittington

Sam Ehlinger

Damion James

Aaron Ross (mainly because the Giants drafted him lol) -- alternative would be Collin Johnson

 

Hook em!

 

 

[TTaylor2135]

26 minutes ago, goattalk100 said:

As a kid growing up in NY & being in the northeast, the emphasis was basketball & baseball. I didn’t really watch football until I was about 5 or 6.

I still didn’t know a ton about football & as a sports fan my whole life, I’ve always gravitated towards players first & then stick with that team.

My first time truly watching Texas was that Rose Bowl game. Going into the game, I had become a huge Reggie Bush fan. But oddly enough, I was also a huge Michael Huff fan (my two favorite positions were RB & S).

With no real rooting interest, I was transfixed with the game & the talent on display. This was the best game I had ever seen. But I naturally found myself rooting for Texas. Vince Young was the easiest player to watch & go, he’s not like the rest of them.

After that victory, the rest is history. I also remember going to bed distraught a few years later when Colt got injured in that 09 championship. Now that we’ve made it through the dog days, I’m just enjoying the ride. Hoping to see another championship team this year!

Northeast represent! Pretty similiar story to myself. Rutgers didn't move the needle for us? LOL.

[MarkInAustin]

I was born in 1943 and grew up on a farm in NJ near Princeton.  I knew about Ivy League football on the radio.  I saw pro football on TV, but the only college game I can recall seeing before 1951 on TV was an Army-Navy game... in black and white, on a screen no bigger than a laptop computer screen today.

I entered Rice in 1960 and UT Law in 1964.  I came with friends to Austin in 1961 for the Rice - Texas game.  I loved Austin.  I came here for Law School and never looked back, and while I had known many Rice players I immediately became a Texas fan in the fall of 1964. 

Two of my kids are Exes and my twin granddaughters hope to be admitted in 2027 - they are carrying the GPAs and test scores they need, so far.

--------

Our University has become recognized as elite, nationally and internationally.  Athletics are an incredibly successful side hustle, that few other elite universities or even near elite ones have been able to accomplish.  I am a fan of all UT sports, but it is made sweeter for me knowing that it does not come with a sacrifice of academic standards of which I can be proud.  Now if only my granddaughters can keep up the good work!

[BurntOrangeCrush]

I was born a Longhorn, and attended UT in the 80's. My Dad played basketball and met my mother on campus. My Uncle played baseball at UT and met my aunt on campus. I grew up with Aggie joke books for gifts on my birthday, and have always hated A&M, OU and Arkansas. It's in my blood.

My first favorite player was QB Marty Akins, and I can remember me and Dad watching them play on our 13" black and white TV. Earl Campbell came along later, who is my favorite Horn of all time. My Dad let me start dipping Skoal when I was playing little league baseball when I was 12 because of the Earl commercials in the 70's. 

Proud to say I have never turned my back on UT sports regardless of the bad runs we have had over the years, the latest being 2010-2023. Hook 'em!

[bevocbs]

My dark secret is that a lot of my family members are aggies. I had a couple of great-uncles and several other cousins play football at a&m. When my dad was being recruited to play baseball, he was a rebel and decided not to go to a&m. He originally committed to Texas Tech. But thankfully, his high school team played against Cliff Gustafson's South San Antonio team during the playoffs in his junior and senior years. When Coach Gustafson was hired at UT in 1968, he convinced my dad to join him in Austin. I wake up every day thanking God for Coach Gus, otherwise I would have probably grown up a Tech fan [shivers!].

So I grew up with burnt orange blood and my brother and I both attended UT - it was the only college I applied to. My wife also went to UT. And now we have a son that will graduate from UT next year!

[Rule 76]

1998, I remember following Ricky Williams Heisman campaign and record breaking season with my Dad every Saturday on the couch. Fell in love with the Horns that year and never looked back.

 

Hookem’

[goattalk100]

1 hour ago, TTaylor2135 said:

Northeast represent! Pretty similiar story to myself. Rutgers didn't move the needle for us? LOL.

100% 😂 slim pickings up here lol