What year did you start following OU basketball?

[BigTime]

And what year did you attend your first game?

As most of you know, I am still pretty young in the tooth. I was only 4 when we played for our last national championship, so I can really remember that game. I became a big fan during the '93 season, and attended my first game then. I remember being a big fan of Calvin Curry. I have been hooked on OU basketball ever since.

How about yourself?

 

[BanjoCharley]

A long time ago (Alvin's career.)

 

[okcsooner83]

Tubbs' last season was the first year I went to an OU basketball game and have been going to games every year since then.

 

[Sam]

My first game I can remember (might have been to some when I was even younger) was the 1996 All College loss to TU. I do not remember a whole lot as I was only 6 years old but I remember Nate Erdman was my favorite player for OU and Shea Seals was very good for TU. Even though I remember going to the game I think first real season I started following OU hoops was 1997-98 as I have vivid memories of Corey Brewer dominating.

 

[MsProudSooner]

The first games I attended were when I was in school - late 60's. We were woeful.

During Alvan Adams career, I had small children and the most I could do to follow was keep up in the newspaper and watch the few games that were on TV. I didn't begin to follow really closely until Billy arrived. My parents got season tickets soon after and i used their tickets occasionally.

 

[AdaSooner]

As strange as it may seem, I was an OU football fan before I developed an interest in the basketball team. I saw the Sooners upset the Buckeyes in Columbus in 1977 and I was hooked after that. I lived in another state back then, but moved to Oklahoma the following year.

I didn't really follow OU basketball until Tubbs came on board in the early 80s. Bliss didn't impress me that much. I watched every game I could on television after Tubbs arrived. But the first game I saw in person was in 1985 when Wayman and Carl Malone squared off in the All-College tourney.

 

[Sooner79]

Spring 1976 for both.

 

[Malcolm X]

I became a fan of Oklahoma basketball after a win over Syracuse in the 2009 NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

 

[NMSooner'80]

I started keeping up when I was in the sixth grade, circa 1970. OU played Pete Maravich and LSU in the NIT and lost a great game.

But, because my parents went to OU when they were terrible in men's basketball, they had no interest in going to Norman for any games. So during my senior year, I finally decided I wanted to go up to Norman (from Ardmore, when we lived there) and see OU take on OSU in January of 1976.

That game drew OU's biggest-ever basketball crowd of around 7,000 people. Of course, most of the hubbub was over the presentation of the '75 football trophies for the two wire-service national titles at halftime. But, that night also saw the first-ever LNC win, 57-42 over OSU.

That was a really strange season overall, but it got fun in a hurry. OU barely played any home games early in that season, which was Dave Bliss' first as a college head coach. They lost their only two non-conference home games (ORU and Texas), and I believe dropped one to KSU to start league play. And, Bliss' inherited roster was really low on height and overall quality - so by league play they were starting two freshmen (John McCullough at 6-4 and Cary Carrabine at 6-3), a 5-10 guard (Eddie Fields), another 6-4 forward (Billy Graham) and a 6-7 "center" named Rick McNeil.

Not long after the OSU win, the smallish Sooners knocked off Nebraska, which was heavily favored, and even beat two-time Big 8 champ Kansas in Lawrence, 64-63. I can't remember if it was before or after that KU game, but the Sooners hosted a Top 10 Mizzou team on a Saturday night. They ran the motion offense to perfection that night, led wire-to-wire, and beat the Tigers by 12. That was my second "live" college basketball game, and my high school buddy (and future OU freshman-year roommate) and I were just giddy over being newly minted basketball fans.

The team only won 9 games, but after something like a 2-10 start, that wasn't bad. McCullough, Fields and Carrabine led the '76-77 team to an 18-10 season, unbeaten home record, and some of the wildest home crowds that OU had ever seen. And some kid from then-basketball-poor Ardmore was hooked on the sport.

 

[pasoonerfan87]

87

 

[Oscar Uniform]

I attended my first OU basketball game in the early 80s. My parents took me to the Myriad to see the Sooners play in the All-College Tournament. Wayman scored 61 points. The rest, as they say, is history.

This reminds me of one of my parents' favorite stories. They took me to a benefit in OKC honoring all Oklahomans who participated in the 84 Olympics. Afterwards there were photo and autograph opportunities with all the local celebs. When we were almost at the end of the line, some old guy approached me and asked if I wanted my picture taken with him. I was confused. I said, "No. Wayman Tisdale is over there." The old guy was Governor George Nigh.

 

[OUPadofski]

1963

 

[afaSooner]

1988

My obsession started in 1993.

 

[sanguinetti]

the Big 8 championship season in the late 70's is the first one i really remember. i listened to a lot of those games on the radio. had the Norman Transcript sprots page cover pic of the scoreboard after the W's against KSU and MU on the wall in my room. dad started taking me to football games in 75 (which i don't remember; but i do remember the Orange Bowl against Michigan) and then full-time to games in 76. i was 5.

he got his current season tickets/seats in LE4 in 1979, i think. he walked on at OU in hoops in the 60's but then decided it was better to focus on school/get into law school.

i was at the L to D-II/III Polar Bears of Ohio Northern in Billy's first year. I remember that for sure. my dad claims he took me to a few games at the Fieldhouse, but i don't remember it at all.

 

[thebigabd]

1995... That was the year I really started following basketball, and I was in 5th grade. I thought Ryan Minor was the best basketball player on earth...

 

[Edmond_Sooner]

The first i can remember was in the mid 80's, maybe more like 86 or 87...for some reason i can remember listening on the radio and always hearing about the "helicopter"....

 

[Krugerfan52]

I started following OU basketball when these guys played....

Terry Evans
Angelo Hamilton
Ryan Minor
Jeff Webster
Bryan Sallier

but I started attending games regularly when these guys played......

Corey Brewer
Tim Heskett
Eduardo Najera
Ryan Humphrey
Hootie Wiley

But I haven't missed a game (in Norman) during the careers of these guys....

Willie Warren
Tony Crocker
Nate Carter
Taylor Griffin
Blake Griffin

 

[tomkar98]

Born in Oct of 1987, so I was only a few months old when the NC game was played. The first time I can remember going to an OU game was an All-College Classic game. I don't remember which one exactly b/c I can't remember the opponent, however, I can remember it being in the Myriad (Or it was known as such, back then.).

The first game in the LNC is much the same.... don't remember much except for being there. My first EXTREMELY vivid memory of a being at a game was the time we took on the No. 2 Maryland team and beat them. Also, the year they (Maryland) won the National Title and the year we went to the FF. I can't tell you how awesome of a memory it is, when Ebi Ere hit that three to take the lead from 10 to 13 and the crowd just went nuts because it felt like that was the proverbial "nail in the coffin" basket. Such a great game! (We have had just as many awesome games while Capel has been OUr head coach!)

I have been a fan since I can remember, but mostly around the time that Evan "Hootie" Wiley played and, of course, before him was Edaurdo Najera. Those were my first two favorite players.

 

[Darwin]

I was born a OU football fan and saw my 1st game in 65. In 80/81 I went to my 1st BB game, several more Tubbs games the next season and I was hooked, then it was WT and football moved to 2nd place. OU hoops has been #1 for about 25yrs.

 

[tksooner09]

1973