Evolution of a College Football Fan (Pt. 1)

(Part 1 of 3 to be published)

As the last of my summer vacation is wrapping up, it is now time to get really excited for my favorite time of the year – fall. This time of year doesn’t only bring bright, brilliant colors to the trees, or cool, crisp air in the morning, but it also means the return of my favorite game, college football. Of course, the addition of Halloween Ale from Gritty’s of Freeport, Maine doesn’t hurt – which only enhances the season.

Mind you, it wasn’t always this way. The end of summer used to be a time of mourning, as it brought about the return of school. And my first love was the NFL. I couldn’t wait to get home from Sunday school, and turn on the television to see Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier on “This Week in Pro Football.” Then it was the customary Patriot or Giant (my dad grew up in Connecticut) game, followed by the late game of the week which usually contained one of the following: the Cowboys, Vikings, Rams, Dolphins, Raiders, or my favorite team – the Steelers.

Things started to change for me though in 1974 as my first recollection of college football was watching two of the finest rivalries: USC vs. Notre Dame and Ohio State vs. Michigan. Not much sticks in my mind regarding my first Buckeye-Wolverine matchup, except the screaming coach in spectacles, Woody Hayes, and a future Heisman trophy winner, Archie Griffin. Oh – and there were those great Michigan uniforms, the old Maize and Blue! But if you saw the other game, you would never forget it. Down 24-0 late in the first half, USC scored 55 points in 17 minutes, led by Anthony Davis’ 4 TDs, against the IRISH! Like the Wolverines, the Trojans had great uniforms and a great fight song, but they also had Traveler – the white horse, and the Song Girls. USC quickly became my new favorite team.

In the next couple of years, more rivalries were added: Oklahoma-Nebraska, USC-UCLA, Texas-Texas A&M, and Pitt-Penn State. And of course New Year’s Day Bowls, primarily the Rose Bowl. But it was in the fall of 1977 that I got a taste of something different - I attended my first college football game at Dartmouth College and was privy to tailgating! I believe that this was the first time that I horrified my mother regarding game days. I don’t think she was very proud of her 13-year old son when he insisted on wearing a t-shirt that stated “Keep Dartmouth Beautiful – Swallow your Beer Cans”. Looking back at it through pictures, I must admit that I looked like a dork wearing a short sleeve t-shirt over a long sleeve plaid t-neck shirt, but who cares – it was the 70s.

The weather did its best to temper my excitement because on more than one occasion I had to eat wet pizza and sit on large Glad garbage bags in hopes of staying somewhat dry – especially the Yale game of 1978. But I would have none of it. Over the next four years, I saw each Ivy League team visit Memorial Field, so named in honor of Dartmouth’s World War I veterans. In addition, I saw Dave Shula (Don Shula’s son) catch passes from Buddy Teevens (current Dartmouth Head Coach) and Jeff Kemp (future NFL QB and son of Jack Kemp).