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How did you become a Hurricanes fan?

I’ve told my story several times but ya’ll are just going to have to bite the bullet and read it again.

My father was the Orange Bowl Stadium Manager from 1960 to 1979. At 10 years old in 1967, I decided I wanted to play football. I was on the inaugural team for Pembroke Pines Optimist.

My mother thought it would be cool if I could go watch a Canes practice. She asked my father and he told her he’d check with Head Coach Charlie Tate if it would be OK. Coach Tate said it was OK but I had to stay in stands so I didn’t get hurt.

I was mesmerized by the practice and after it was over several players came over and slapped my hand. Been a Cane ever since.
 
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My Papaw played baseball at Miami in the 50s under Jimme Foxx. Foxx was a teammate of my Papaw's godfather in the MLB (Fred Archer) and he connected him to transfer to Miami after he played for The Citadel and then took a year off. His brother, my great uncle, signed and enrolled at Miami to play baseball but ended up going to Vietnam. My uncle went to UM in the late 70s/early 80s and tried to walk-on to play baseball but never made the team under Fraser. Ended up graduating and transferring to LSU and played 2 years as a walk on under Skip Bertman, who was my Papaw's teammate at UM and was the pitching coach while he was at the tryouts. Then, my Dad was committed to Miami but didn't have the grades and flunked out of HS. Probably would have been a Safety on the football team and a CF on the baseball team.

Started as a Canes Baseball fan before football as early as I can remember... at like 2-3 years old probably going to the Light. My papaw took us down to watch ETSU at Miami at the OB in 1998 when my cousin was at WR at ETSU and that was it. Been die hard football and baseball since then at 5 years old.

Canes Hoops fandom started much later.... watching Jack McClinton. Was never a basketball fan until then.
 
I knew nothing about college football but went to UM to study marine science in the fall of 85. My sports loving roommates dragged me to the first game of the season where we lost to the Gator. Miami won 2 national championships and should have won a 3rd during my time at Miami. Been a fan since that first game in 85. That's also the day my hatred of the Gator started.
 
MsBankyEdwards said:
I shared a truncated version of this in the "How Did You Find CIS?" thread:

My older brother (@RickDerris) was a lifetime Hurricanes baseball and football fan. He even had a full ride to play baseball (along with one to another "UM" - University of Michigan), but ultimately opted to take a different path.

At the end of 2022 when his health deteriorated and he needed full-time care, I moved him in with me so I could be his care giver.

I did my best to be sure he had access to the things he loved (because no one likes being stuck living with, or being taken care of by, his kid sister) and that included having whatever channels he needed so he could watch CFB.

We spent the 2023 season watching Hurricane football games together. He taught me about the sport (usually while looking at me as though he wondered if our parents were first cousins because my questions probably sounded retarded), the culture, the era of greatness, and the team he loved, etc. He was no fair-weathered fan and had been fully loyal for the previous 36 years.

That last season (for him) wasn't that great (thanks, TVD), but he had high hopes for the 2024 season with a new QB, Cam Ward.
We had planned to go to the opener at UF, but he passed away in May of that year before he got to see the change in the tide to where we are today.

I watched the '24 season by myself and fell in love with the very same team he had, and even more so with the sport of college football itself.

The next season (2025), I bought season tickets. As soon as I got back to my hotel after the ND game, I booked a room for January for the weekend of the National Championship because I knew that's where we'd end the season. I attended every home game, including that National Championship game, and I watched an average of 8 to 10 college football games each week (gotta keep tabs on the competition!).

I wish he could be here to experience where we're headed or to even just watch games with again, but I think of him each game (I still text his old number a picture from my seat before kick-off) and I know he'd be tickled to know that he passed on a fan legacy, and now a love for the sport itself, on to me.

And also I may or may not have sprinkled some of his ashes under seat 22 in row 6 of section 241 at the ND game so he could always be there. Allegedly.
Click to expand...
I love this so much. Brought tears to my eyes. You’re such a wonderful sister, and your brother was very lucky to have you in his life. ❤️
 
MsBankyEdwards said:
I shared a truncated version of this in the "How Did You Find CIS?" thread:

My older brother (@RickDerris) was a lifetime Hurricanes baseball and football fan. He even had a full ride to play baseball (along with one to another "UM" - University of Michigan), but ultimately opted to take a different path.

At the end of 2022 when his health deteriorated and he needed full-time care, I moved him in with me so I could be his care giver.

I did my best to be sure he had access to the things he loved (because no one likes being stuck living with, or being taken care of by, his kid sister) and that included having whatever channels he needed so he could watch CFB.

We spent the 2023 season watching Hurricane football games together. He taught me about the sport (usually while looking at me as though he wondered if our parents were first cousins because my questions probably sounded retarded), the culture, the era of greatness, and the team he loved, etc. He was no fair-weathered fan and had been fully loyal for the previous 36 years.

That last season (for him) wasn't that great (thanks, TVD), but he had high hopes for the 2024 season with a new QB, Cam Ward.
We had planned to go to the opener at UF, but he passed away in May of that year before he got to see the change in the tide to where we are today.

I watched the '24 season by myself and fell in love with the very same team he had, and even more so with the sport of college football itself.

The next season (2025), I bought season tickets. As soon as I got back to my hotel after the ND game, I booked a room for January for the weekend of the National Championship because I knew that's where we'd end the season. I attended every home game, including that National Championship game, and I watched an average of 8 to 10 college football games each week (gotta keep tabs on the competition!).

I wish he could be here to experience where we're headed or to even just watch games with again, but I think of him each game (I still text his old number a picture from my seat before kick-off) and I know he'd be tickled to know that he passed on a fan legacy, and now a love for the sport itself, on to me.

And also I may or may not have sprinkled some of his ashes under seat 22 in row 6 of section 241 at the ND game so he could always be there. Allegedly.
Click to expand...

This is absolutely beautiful. Genuinely, without question, one of the very best posts I have ever read on this site. What an incredible sister and human being you are. Your brother, as unlucky as he was to have gotten such a short time on Earth, struck gold with you as a sister. God Bless you and your family, this is such an incredible story.
 
I watched Santana Moss score a td then take off his helmet and get flagged. Thought that was the coolest **** I ever seen. lmao
 
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Growing up in New England 80s, we didn’t have big-time college football. Still don’t. I was and am a counter culture person by nature and enjoyed college football. Miami was the epicenter of college counter culture football. One of my friend’s cousins played baseball for Miami. Really nice regular kid. I thought, “I can handle Miami if he can.” So, I applied and got several scholarships. That was required for me to go. I think it was much easier back then to get full support. Just showed up at Mahoney Residential and moved in. I was surrounded by a lot of other northeast kids. And many other places! Best decision of my life. Great place to learn and grow. I later went to Boston University School of Law. But I always tell people my school is and always will be Miami. I am who I am because of that place. Years later I was happy as can be that my niece also chose Miami. Go Canes.
 
Born into the madness. Grew up with season tickets for both UM football and baseball. Sat on the fence at the top of the A or N of the West End Zone. My dad had an entire crew of buddies who all had season tickets since the early 90’s. Parked at the same house my entire childhood to tailgate.
Used to squeeze between the grown dudes as a kid (pause) behind the green mesh fencing behind home plate at UM or play stickball deep down the right field line by the parking garage entrance. Grew up chasing and racing the foul ball guy Mr. Gonzalez too, he was awesome and would usually give me a ball if he collected a ton that game.
 
I already liked Miami as a young kid solely because all the other kids I was around liked FSU and I’ve always been an against the grain type of person…

But the fandom started when I meet and be around Horace Copeland when I was in elementary school (he was in high school) through mutual family friends. He talked about and wore Canes gear all the time.

Was the first person I knew who was on tv and got to watch him win a Natty so it made it that much easier to be fan.
 
My parents moved my brothers and I to Florida from Athens Ohio in 1978, in the aftermath of the famous blizzard, when I was just starting middle school. We started following the Canes on their rise to the first title and all three of us are still fans. I had season tickets in the OB for years and used to stop by for some of the grassy parking lot crown shots.

I must admit, I was very bitter when the OB was torn down - not to get off-track, but that was ******* shenanigan's. Voters pass an OB restoration bond and that money just vanishes and goes to the Marlins somehow? Anyhow, to make a long story short, my daughter is a student at UM and my wife and I have had season tickets for the past few years again. Go Canes!
 
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