OT Your hometown and fandom origins
I've not seen a thread like this and I thought it would be interesting and build a greater sense of community if we all shared a few things:
1. Where you were born/hometown
2. How you became a UM fan
3. (optional) high school you attended
I'll start. Born in Battle Creek (Mich, for those who aren't from mich) and went to Athens (just south of B.C.) until high school when my family moved to Omaha, NE. (On a side, the timing of the move couldn't have been better as it was in '97 when UM and Nebraska shared the NC; needless to say there was much smack talking that occurred that year)
Became a UM fan in about 4th grade because all my friends who had older siblings liked UM and hated State and OSU (in other words, it was cool to like UM and not cool to like State). Plus I was into comic books and thought it was pretty awesome that a team was named the wolverines since Wolverine was my favorite comic book hero.
What about you guys?
August 15th, 2009 at 10:14 PM ^
Born in Lansing, quickly moved to East lansing, went to East Lansing HS. Luckily, my parents met at U of M in grad school and raised me right. Dad worked for Gov. Blanchard when I was born and a boss from his office sent a stuffed wolverine with a music box in its stomach to the hospital (it still plays The Victors, though a little slow and warbly now). With a big fuzzy music-playing block M-wearing wolverine in your crib from day 1, how could you stray? 18 years later we were off to Ann Arbor. Snuck him into the Big House for the 2003 OSU game and Breaston rubbed his belly after we rushed the field.
August 15th, 2009 at 10:15 PM ^
1. Born in Lapeer, MI..My Parents are from North Branch, and Clifford.....I was raised in the Public Schools of Flint. I guess I was born on the commute between my parents hometowns and their home in Flint. Hence, Lapeer.
2. My Mom, My Dad, My Aunt, My Uncle, all were UM Graduates. I was raised in Maize n Blue Diapers. My Father worked at my high school, so I was fortunate to know many of my High Schools great Football players under Coach Dar Christensen. Rick Leach, Gene Johnson, Brian Carpenter, Gary Lee, Rodney Feaster all played at my High School. The Leach family has always been great family friends. My Parents had my older sister, myself, and my brother all enrolled at UM. Greatest time of my life, Thanks Mom and Dad.
3. Flint Southwestern 1986........The Colts....School later closed and became Flint Southwestern Academy.....(MSU Charlie Bell)
August 15th, 2009 at 10:30 PM ^
Novi
life-long fan ever since I began watching games as a kid with my dad
August 15th, 2009 at 11:39 PM ^
#1/3> b. chapel hill nc, hometown valpo IN (vhs)
#2> b. 64 -- liked the vikings and fran the man/bud grant by age 6 and by about 10 I honed in on MI as favorite college team. The helmets and colors and rivalry with OSU were the deal back then. THough we were stealthy lutherans, my Dad in one of his most outstanding moves took me to S. Bend to see TD tony play (beat?) the Irish in the 70s (and eventually take the Heisman?).
-- not a huge M fan until I tranferred to um in early/mid eighties (morris harbaugh days) and not over the edge obsessed until a) 97, b) bo's passing and c) lloyd's farewell saga.
--(echoing other post) I picked UM to win the 89 NCAAs the only time I won a sizable bracket pool and I went all howard dean and shit.
Apparently, there is no hope for me now other than the promise of fall and the bottom of a glass.
August 15th, 2009 at 11:54 PM ^
Are you Cam Cameron?
August 16th, 2009 at 12:07 AM ^
Brodie, that is?
August 16th, 2009 at 12:09 AM ^
Yes. I may have gone to Stanford, but I always dreamed of playing for Bennie Oosterbaan.
August 15th, 2009 at 11:59 PM ^
1. Born and raised in Washington, DC.
2. Son of two Michigan graduates + Mom's post-graduate M degree in education. Now I'm a rising senior at Michigan.
3. St. Albans
August 16th, 2009 at 12:00 AM ^
1) Born in Flint (in the 70's)
2) Dad is UM alumn and current proffesor at UM-Flint. I grew up going to Michigan games and am still addicted to it. I went to college in Wisconsin for two years and then transferred to UM so I could finish my degree there. Currently living in Wisconsin.
3) Went to Michigan Lutheran Seminary (Saginaw) for high school.
August 16th, 2009 at 12:52 AM ^
1. Jakarta, Indonesia. Grew up all over the place, but mostly Sydney, Australia (I reside here now).
2. Dad went to UM Med School for PhD during Desmond years (and a little after), attended all home games while I was in AA. Have been a fan ever since and i still wake up at 3 in the morning just to watch M football games from the internet every week during the season.
3. Some high school in Jakarta. (Attended Northside ES and Clague MS while I was in AA.)
August 16th, 2009 at 2:14 PM ^
You deserve more than +1 for getting up in the middle of the night to watch us play (on the other side of the world, no less). THAT is a sign of being a true Michigan Man.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:03 AM ^
Did you by chance go to JIS? I went high school at Singapore American School and played basketball, volleyball and softball against JIS.
August 16th, 2009 at 2:40 AM ^
Parents both from Michigan, Dad moved us to Colorado about 3 years before I was born so that he could write for the Rocky and then Cheiftain (side note, he was a sports writer for the Detroit News (?) in the early 70's). They decided to take a road trip back to Michigan when my mom was 8.5 months pregnant with me, and I was born in Detroit on said road trip! Seriously, who takes a road trip when they are that pregnant?!?
Lived in Colorado (More or less) ever since!
My dad took me to a Michigan game when I was 5 with his "Press Pass" (they used to let anybody in with a Press Pass), and I have been hooked ever since!
Side note, because of his Press Pass, I was able to witness the highest scoring game in history Pistons vs Nuggets (1983)with the good guys winning, as well as the all-star game held in Denver in (1984). Too bad they have the strips on their passes now a days! Back then, those passes could get anybody in!
Haven't been to a Michigan game in 10+ years, wife and kid happened, but hoping to get out hopefully next year!
Rye High School, Colorado
August 16th, 2009 at 2:41 AM ^
1) Long Island, NY
2) Older sister and future brother-in-law were Music and LSA '71 respectively, so I was a UM fan since '68 and remember the '69 UM-OSU game.
3) East Islip HS (most famous football alumnus- Boomer Esiason was a year behind me)
August 16th, 2009 at 3:37 AM ^
1. Born in Somerset, KY, raised in London, KY...yeah, you probably have no idea where that is. I lived in Oakwood (Dayton), OH from the time I was 10 til I was 14.
2. I was first ensnared by "The Michigan Difference", when I first started getting into football, around the age of 9. I knew that they had the most wins, a bunch of national championships and were always good. A long while after, looking into more of the history of the school and football team, the town's and school's political ideals, the level of education the school provides, I became a die-hard fan of not only the team but the school. The 2008 season only strengthened my love for the program more.
3. North Laurel '08.
August 16th, 2009 at 3:50 AM ^
1. Belleville,MI (birthplace of techno. Ask somebody)
2. No choice (not that it would have been difficult). In my blood. A.C., Harbaugh, Bo, etc., etc.
3. Belleville High School.
4. Been repping bklyn since '00.
5. Also repped Paris for a while. 75009.
August 16th, 2009 at 4:34 AM ^
Deerfield, IL (Chicagoish); my dad went to ND and I thought it was fun to annoy him when I was younger... took it to the next level when touring campuses and fell in love with Ann Arbor and never looked back since...
August 16th, 2009 at 5:51 AM ^
My Grandma started betting a quarter with me on every UM OSU game since I was about six (1990). She was from Ohio so naturally she picked Ohio St. Have been a Michigan fan ever since (I won a lot of quarters those days, she died before I had to start paying up this decade). My great uncle was one of the founders and original dean of the RC at UM. I remember hearing Keith Jackson refer to Biakabatuka as "Touchdown Tim." Only been to one game and not even at Michigan Stadium...someday...
August 16th, 2009 at 3:59 PM ^
Nice. Do you still live in SB? I went to college there (Westmont) and knew a few people at SBCC and UCSB.
August 16th, 2009 at 7:20 AM ^
which for all of you office fans is 20 minutes south of Scranton.
I became a fan mostly because my aunt went to UofM and my earliest memory of Michigan was going to a PSU/ Michigan game where Michigan stopped PSU 4 times on the goal line and I was hooked on football.
I live in West Palm Beach, Florida now and it is great to see all of the Florida kids from my area on Michigan.I will add living in Gator country and the U that most of these fans respect Michigan down here and it is nice to talk smack to Gator fans over the bowl win.
August 16th, 2009 at 9:21 AM ^
showing all the hometowns and/or current residence locations. Truly an international fan base.
August 16th, 2009 at 9:59 AM ^
everywhere and if someone did it for Ohio St you would see the whole state of Ohio covered and South Carolina and maybe 10 dots scattered throughout the country.lol
August 16th, 2009 at 12:57 PM ^
That is not true at all. OSU is one of the most national-wide fan bases there is(but not as much as Michigan)
August 16th, 2009 at 3:12 PM ^
While this is true, most of the people I have met outside of the midwest that are OSU fans are not OSU alumni. I can only think of one person off the top of my head. I have met quite a few UM alumni all over. Hell I was at a grocery store in San Diego wearing my Michigan Hoodie and a guy all the way at the other end of the aisle yelled, "Go!" and pointed at me, to which I replied,"Blue," of course. We started talking and it turns out he flies to Ann Arbor for every home football game and sits in his season seats that he has had for more than two decades.
August 16th, 2009 at 10:47 AM ^
1) Born in Ft. Stewart, GA; raised in Cherry Hill, NJ
2) Was a fan of UM before I attended (Denis Franklin, Rick Leach years). But hey, I was also a fan of Notre Dame and Michigan State as well. What did I know, I was a kid back then.
3) Cherry Hill (NJ) High School East
August 16th, 2009 at 11:05 AM ^
Born in Evansville, IN, but moved a lot growing up (Japan, Philippines, Singapore). Inherited my UM fanhood from my dad who is an alum.
First became emotionally invested during the Fab Five days when I was 6 or 7 years old. During the 1993 NCAA Final against UNC I was too young to stay up and watch the game against UNC (the timeout game) so my parents left a note by my brothers' and my alarm clock that said UNC won and I woke up devastated.
At age 7 moved to Japan and a few years after that in 1997 while living in the Philippines my dad decided to order VHS tapes of all the Michigan football games from a service called Pontel which would tape NCAA football and NFL games for people living overseas. My brothers and I would avoid finding out the results of the games (not hard to do living in Manila in 1997) until the tapes came about a week late. It was great to watch that magical season while being able to fast forward through commercials (before TiVO!). I distinctly remember sitting in my humid family room in Manila watching that Woodson INT vs MSU.
By the time I was in high school I lived in Singapore and the internet was prevalent, so I would wake up at midnight (for noon games) or 3:30 am (for afternoon games) on Saturday night/Sunday morning to listen to the online radio stream live.
I was glad to be able to watch the games on TV live when I returned to the US for college in 2004. Now living in China though, so I'm back to waking up in the middle of the night for games.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:39 AM ^
So, how is the English in Singapore? I've heard it's good, but some people have also told me that most of the common people are pretty Engrish-y.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:07 AM ^
English in Singapore is very good, though there is a distinct Singapore accent. The locals do speak Singlish, an English/Mandarin hybrid, amongst friends. but just about everyone you meet can turn the Singlish off when they speak to foreigners.
August 16th, 2009 at 2:32 PM ^
In my case fandom didn't trickle down from my family but UP. My enthusiasm for the game really peaked my moms interest and now she wont miss a game, just don't ask her to explain the spread offense or any of the penalties.
This brings me to a very serious concern. If I ever have kids I need to introduce them to Michigan slowly and without pressure so that they don't become buckeyes just to spite me. That would kill me.
August 16th, 2009 at 1:17 PM ^
1. Wyoming, MI (just outside of Grand Rapids)
2. My parents have had season tickets since before I was born
3. Lee High School
August 16th, 2009 at 3:21 PM ^
I was born in Monroe, MI.
A friend in elementary school invited me to go to a Michigan game with his family in the late '80s. At the time, I don't even think I knew MSU existed. Michigan was the only college that mattered. It was the only college I applied to and, luckily, I got in.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:38 AM ^
Did you go to Monroe High?
August 16th, 2009 at 4:39 PM ^
1. Born in and still reside in Springfield, IL.
2. Never really followed a team when I was little. Dad not big into sports but went to U of I... 1st memory of college sports is the Fab 5 and I have been hooked ever since.
3. Sacred Heart- Griffin High School. Springfield, IL. Graduated from Illinois State University a few years back... hence the username.
August 16th, 2009 at 5:24 PM ^
1. Born in Battle Creek and grew up in that area.
2. In 5th grade, for a reading assignment I read "Rose Bowl All American" and I've been a Michigan fan since then.
3. Went to High School in Union City. Moved South in 1986 and lived in Florida for a few years before landing in South Carolina.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:10 AM ^
Born in Farmington Hills, MI born and raised in Wyandotte, MI except for my mistake of a freshman year of college....
My Uncle Mike is my closest non-immediate family member and he is a rabid M fan. I remember watching and imitating Tyrone Wheatley, Mercury Hayes, Elvis Grbac, and all the legends that played after. Favorite Michigan player ever was Tyrone Wheatley..somehow I remember that Rose Bowl against Washington where he FUCKD.SHIT.UP. even though I was only 7 and don't recall much else about my life from that time... After going to MTU for my freshman year (I never applied to M out of HS because I didn't think I could afford it...) transferred into M and graduated in December with a BA with distinction..
Theodore Roosevelt High School.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:27 AM ^
1. Born in Wilmington, NC, grew up in a little hole (that's as nice as I can be about it) called Laurinburg.
2. Moved to A2 to attend UM for grad school in 1986. Undergrad at East Carolina U, at a time when 3-9 would've been a welcome improvement (we went 2-9 two consecutive years that I was there). I'm ashamed to say I didn't know much about Michigan football (NC is a basketball state!) before moving to A2, but I was instantly hooked, not to mention thrilled that I had a team to root for that was gonna have a winning season every year. (Damn, why did I have to go and think that all those years ago.... ugh...2008.... siiiigh.) Anyway... been bleeding maize and blue for 23 years now. I pretty much schedule my fall life around the home games and the big away games. As I like to tell people, I don't pay these big bucks for my season tickets to NOT go to the games. :)
3. Scotland High School (Scotland County, NC)
August 17th, 2009 at 2:09 AM ^
Yes, I still live in Santa Barbara, what years where you at Westmont? Any other Californians? I run into a ton of Ohio St. people here...it sucks...
August 17th, 2009 at 11:28 AM ^
1.) I was born in Jackson, MI raised in Grand Rapids and I now live in Charlotte, NC.
2.)I have been a Michigan fan as long as I can remember. My Grandfather is a Michigan fan and would bring me to games when I was a kid. He took me to Fan Day one August when I was 10 but had the date wrong so we just walked around the sports complex. It was truly amazing walking into the stadium when it was completely empty. There was hardly anyone there so the staff let my Grandfather and I tour the locker room. I have a picture of me sitting in Elvis Grbac's locker and we met Derek Alexander on our way out. Ever since then my fandom only grew stronger. My Aunt has season tickets so before I moved I would go to at least three games year.
August 17th, 2009 at 6:47 PM ^
I grew up in Harrison Michigan and have always been a
Michigan fan. I am stuck living in Canton,Ohio with all
of these dreaded Ohio State Buckeye fans. I always wear
my Michigan hat and shirts when I'm not working. My
office is all full of Michigan Wolverines stuff. I always
tell them how great it is to be a Michigan fan. I can,t
wait until we start beating them again so I can shut them
up about their Buckeyes and their stupid mascot. I do get
to watch the Massillon football team (high school) play on
Friday nights thats kind of cool. Massillon is where Chris Speilman, Shawn Crable and incoming Justin Turner played
high school football. I am going to the Western game and the Ohio State game this year so I hope we win them both.
ITS GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE FAN !!!!!! Go Blue !!!!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:48 AM ^
1)born in Killeen TX, moved all around FL until i was 9, then moved to Dexter MI. Consider Panama City FL and Ann Arbor to be co-hometowns.(Dexter is useless)
2)my mom's family are all blue, so i got it from a young age. even wore a UM football uni halloween costume in Tallahassee one year. after we moved to MI and had the whole family around it was inevitable.
3)Dexter HS
August 21st, 2009 at 5:32 PM ^
i went to dhs, too. when did you graduate? (i graduated in 2000)
August 19th, 2009 at 1:16 PM ^
1. Sanford, MI (right by midland)
2. Watching the GLI at the Joe with my dad when i was 5 or 6 ... the game was btw umich and tech and i didnt know either ... mich hockey scored like 12 goals and ive been obsessed ever since ... also didnt hurt that state played lssu (who i was cheering for) so i hated them immediatly
3. Meridian Mustang Class of '08 ... played football, basketball, and baseball
August 19th, 2009 at 1:52 PM ^
Born in East Grand Rapids (Blodgett, what!)
My mom was a HUGE Domer fan, she was Irish, Catholic, grew up in South Bend, had family who went there. For whatever reason I cheered for Michigan which pissed off everyone on that side of the family. Then I went to Michigan and my mom totally turned and talks shit to her relatives. It's interesting at Christmas.
Forest Hills Northern HS, '02.
August 19th, 2009 at 1:55 PM ^
haha..Blodgett..
back in my G-Raps days I referred to it as "Blood Gate"
August 19th, 2009 at 2:23 PM ^
1. Bloomfield Hills, MI
2. My grandfather became a huge Michigan fan when he came to America; his kids (including my mother) all went to Michigan. My dad also became a fan when he came to America. I didn't really have a choice in the matter. I just graduated with my BSE in Mechanical Engineering and I'm coming back for my MSE. I also did a 4-year stint in the Michigan Marching Band (clarinet).
3. Andover High School
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:36 PM ^
1. Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI.
2. However, I had the good luck to be the daughter of a U-M alum, and so instead of growing up a Sconnie fan like everyone around me, I got to spend Saturdays watching Michigan. (In the old days, before ESPN 2 and the BTN, sometimes the only way my dad could catch games was on AM radio. I remember him spending a lot of fall Saturdays out in the garage, "working.")
I went to school out East (I know, should have gone to A2 instead), but since my school didn't have any football team, I just stuck with Michigan. It is perhaps a pathetic commentary on the kind of fan I am that I once went - by myself - to see them play in the NIT championship at MSG. I did get to sit courtside, so that was kind of cool.
Now I live in SEC country. At least we get the BTN here.
3. Unless you're from MKE, you wouldn't know it.