My 1'st Ever College Game I Saw Involved Rice U...

PlummMeanGreen · September 6, 2010

Brief Memories of a 10 Year Old Kid

It would be Jess Neely's Rice Owls versus John Bridger's Baylor Bears at Rice Stadium. It was navy & white versus the green and gold.

I was 10 years old and my eyes were wide open walking inside Rice Stadium on what I remember was a beautiful, Fall day in Houston off South Main. I was a guest of 2 of my pals whose dad was Superintendent of the Danbury (Tx) ISD--my school from the 1'st grade thru the 12'th. My friend's dad had some great tickets provided to him by a local Humble (Get A Tiger In Your Tank) Oil & Refinery employee. Humble Oil Refinery (later Exxon) was the main sponsor of Southwest Conference football back in that era and would be years later. My school's superintendent and my dad were good friends, fellow deacons at the local church and his 2 sons (as stated above) were 2 of my best friends.

THAT SPECIAL AROMA YOU CANNOT FORGET: Can you recall that special aroma that you smelled at college football stadiums, especially underneath in the concessions area? I can still smell it; you know, the cigar smoke (when you could smoke at a stadium), the aroma of cotton candy, popcorn popping at each vendor station, roasted peanuts, etc, etc, etc. It was a smell I would even detect at our venerable Fouts Field, Denton, Texas, America.

THE FAN'S PRE-GAME WALK THROUGH: I remember watching old men (35 years old & above when you're a 10 old) walking under the stadium along with their sons with binoculars wrapped around their necks, ie, Mr. Joe College Football Fan. Many of the gents of that day were still even wearing suits, for hat wear they wore fedoras or stetsons and that depending on if you were a businesman or a rancher (or both). I believe Texas and SWC broadcasting legend Kern Tips may have even been in the huge Rice Stadium press box calling this SWC classic. (I would find out later that all SWC football games were considered classics).

I can still close my eyes and see vendors underneath that cavernous stadium who were trying to rent out to fan heading to their seats those old almost worn out stadium seats which went for .75 each as I recall. At Rice Stadium you almost needed those for protection against those weather worn splintered wooden bleacher seats which we had even at our 30 yard line seats. (Because I was on a kid's budget allowance from my parents, I didn't rent one of those stadium seats and I paid dearly with a nice splinter in my derrier--just another one of my memories that took place at my first college football game and at the Home of the Fighting Owls).

Duly Impressed Was I: Continuing the pre-game walk through under the stadium I was impressed with how host Rice U were being good SWC neighbors to their Waco guests by allowing a kiost of Baylor gear being made available for their Baptist friends. This would be a nice assortment of Baylor Bear pennnants, green/gold pom-poms, baseball caps with BU in giant letters with a grizzle-looking bear on the front, too. I didnt' realize that visiting team's gear kiosts was a tradition at all college stadiums across the USA but again.......it was my first college football game.

The End of the Innocense? 1961 was a most innocent time in America for all of us Baby Boomers who lacked for nothing, but we as "boomers" were smart enough not to ask for much, either. Most of our dads (my own at Dow Chemical/Freeport) had good paying jobs but were seldom considered rich although most of us kids thought they were. Our moms were mostly all stay-home moms, too, raising their kids while our dads brought home the bacon. John Kennedy was President--Lyndon Baines Johnson, Vice President--Price Daniel I believe was our Governor; and some guy up in Austin with the initials DKR was well on his way of building a real Lone Star "Giant" (but one that wouldn't have Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Rock Hudson in its cast).

DKR's school even changed their colors from halloween orange to a most unique shade of orange you might see in a nicely laid (yet quite smelly) pile in the pastures of any Texas ranch. (I Don't Know Why I even brought this UT thing up in the first place other than the fact that that was my dad's favorite SWC school and so--I honor you, Dad & like most all of us Baby Boomers at this juncture of our life experience... you are sorely missed).

Yet here it was, Game Day & Kick-Off time at the stadium home of Rice University--Texas' own Ivy League'esque "Harvard on the Bayou" which Houston sportscasting legend Morris Frank would call it many times on his Saturday radio football roundup show which I believe was on KPRC radio.

Rites of Passage: College football game watching for those of us country kids who got lucky in 1961 would become important to yet another generation of young boys all across the great state of Texas. Once as a grown-up, you can ignore it or even avoid it for awhile due to life's circumstances or a Saturday work schedule, but you can never completely shake it once you've truly been exposed. At age 10, I caught my own personal fever for college football in Houston, Texas, America @......Rice Stadium--Home of the Fighting Owls and the Marching Owl Band, ie, the MOB.

GMG!

Edited September 7, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

ColoradoEagle · September 6, 2010

The first I ever attended was Baylor @ North Texas in '03. I remember thinking at the time, "Wow, we need a newer, bigger stadium. I never knew NT football was so popular!" :lol:

shaft · September 6, 2010

UNT @ UT 1991

eulesseagle · September 6, 2010

Austin College vs. whoever they were playing in Sherman in '63 or '64 followed by SMU at TCU. I was hooked on college football after that.

drex · September 6, 2010

In 1950 or so, it was Oklahoma A&M versus TCU in Stillwater. I was about four at the time...still remember being impressed with the uniform colors.

bstnsportsfan3 · September 6, 2010

My first one was my first year on campus...FAU @ UNT here at Fouts in 2007....we lost in the 4th quarter in the home debut of "dodge ball"

NTerock · September 6, 2010

TCU vs UTEP in 1999. (I was a huge TCU fan until about my Junior or Senior year of high school when I decided to come to UNT) LT had 400 rushing yards that game and TCU won by like 20.

Mean Green 93-98 · September 6, 2010

? @ Penn State, 1971. I was an infant, so my memory of the game is a little hazy.

MGFFL · September 6, 2010

Indiana St vs Purdue in West Lafayette 1986. It rained my dad bought me a shirt and a poncho it was great!

Stix · September 6, 2010

Sept 1st, 1979 - NT crushed UTEP 35 - 0 at Fouts. I could have sworn that the score was 49-3, but every site on the web I can find says I have a bad memory...

ParksAndRecRick · September 6, 2010

Baylor in the Cotton Bowl....when I was a wee lad. Don't remember who they played....but my neighbor was a Baylor grad and since his girls didn't like sports, I got to go to the Cotton Bowl and Cowboy games with him. One of my fondest memories: Hot Dr Pepper on cold days at the Cotton Bowl. Where has that gone?

Eagle-96 · September 6, 2010

My first college game was the 1980 Cotton Bowl last second win by Houston over Nebraska. It was strange as my dad had never been what I would consider a football fan. He took me(7 years old) and my brother(10) to our fist college game. We had no connection to either school but he knew that my brother and I were football fanatics even at such a young age. It was bitterly cold but I was in awe to be in such a large stadium that was packed to the hilt with fans. The finish was amazing as the Cougars won on a last second touchdown pass into what seemed like quintuple coverage. Even with the last second heroics, the thing that I remember for some strange reason is the chant I kept hearing over and over again. Eat 'em up beat 'em up Rah Rah Rah. For some reason I thought that was the coolest thing ever.

My first Mean Green game was 1994 vs Montana. I can still see Mitch on the field as time expired. He just needed one more play. We were this close to beating a team that was ranked either 1 or 2 in the country at the time. I was hooked instantly. I can say that I will actually miss Fouts as I have had some of the best times in my life there. See ya later McNeese, last second win over Oregon State, shootout over Utah State, storming the field after NMSU, smoking Baylor like cheap cigar. Realizing that my future wife(an Aggie) was the "one" when she went to see a game at Fouts on her birthday while we were dating and wore Mean Green Gear and cheered for UNT with everything she had. Damn I'll miss that place.

NM Green · September 6, 2010

First college football game was in Jones Stadium in Lubbock in the late 70's, think it was 78. I loved college football from that point on. First NTSU game was whoever we opened against in 1986 - I am feeling Abilene Christian or someone like that without looking it up. I always liked the way ACU brougth a good contingent of purple to Fouts. Wow, last home opener in the temple this Saturday. Kind of stirring if you ask me. The future is bright but crazy how 24 years of Mean Green fandom has passed in a flash!

GMG I want revenge on Rice! GMG!!!

THOR · September 6, 2010

first college game was against kansas in 95 but i think that was a texas stadium.

first game at fouts was the following game against oregon state. north texas actually won!

Mean Green Matt · September 6, 2010

First college football game was the UNT home opener in 1989. I don't remember who we played, I was only 8 months old...

Edited September 6, 2010 by Mean Green Matt

CMJ · September 6, 2010

I went to a handful when I was really young, but the first one I remember well was in 1994 and we lost in the waning seconds. Mitch Maher had a shot to win the game at the end of the 4th quarter but we couldn't complete the TD pass. It might have been the Montana game mentioned earlier?

I recall I had gone up to Fouts that afternoon after taking the SAT in the morning, sat in the newly installed aluminum bleachers. Made conversation with acouple of older college kids around me who must've wondered how I knew so much about the team(or thought I was a TAMSter).

UNTcrazy727 · September 6, 2010

My first college game was the A&M-UT bonfire game in '99. Kinda hard to top that one...

NT03 · September 6, 2010

1993 Cotton Bowl

Notre Dame 28

Texas a&m 3

UNT Five&Dime · September 6, 2010

1986 Penn State @ Alabama

Went with my father (Penn State ex) from Atlanta. Was 8 at the time. Quite a first game.

SilverEagle · September 6, 2010

1963, North Texas homecoming. The opponent was either Wichita State or Cincinnati.* I was in the High School band and we (along with many other HS bands) were part of the homecoming show. I guess the most impressive thing for me at the time was how big and quick ALL of the players were out on the field. I had been watching 2-A (now 3-A)football and you usually saw around three or four big & quick players on either side of the ball during a game....but never 22 of them. After that, it was 1965 and I saw TCU play Florida St, and A$M. By that time, I had seen NT play three times (homecoming games) and I wasn't very impressed with TCU's version of SWC football.....or A$M's for that matter.

* after checking the college football date warehouse.... http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia_team_index.php

it was Wichita St...and we won 7-3.

Edited September 6, 2010 by SilverEagle

untjim1995 · September 6, 2010

UT vs TCU at Amon Carter Stadium in FW in November of 1981. Texas was awesome and TCU was just terrible. Of course, in the old SWC, I believe that Texas won the conference most of the time and that TCU battled Rice for last most of the time. I grew up in FW and never head about UNT until 1988. That season, they got some coverage down in the Metroplex. I had no idea that North Texas wasn't ever allowed to join and that I-AA was the choice of the school to go down to that level. I still am amazed that we let ourselves drop to that level for so long.

The thing about the old SWC, though, that was just great was that the champ got to go to the Cotton Bowl every year. There was just something so cool about the idea of getting to Dallas on New Years Day. In my lifetime, I saw Baylor, SMU, Houston, Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and finally in 1994, Texas Tech, make it to Dallas as the SWC representative. TCU and Rice were the only schools I never saw in a Cotton Bowl. There was just so much pride as a Texan that you had in those teams being the conference's rep in the Cotton Bowl (except for Arky). Of course, as you grew older and then found out that SMU paid their players, that Texas had a huge unfair advantage on almost everybody else before scholarhsip limits were put in place, that almost all of those teams managed to get on probation for cheating (A&M was high on this list), that pride just evaporated, which is why the SWC just went extinct. Arkansas, Texas, and A&M just got to the point where everyone else couldn't carry their weight and were basically being subsidized. Politics in this region helped Tech become a have, along with Baylor getting to cash in also, but TCU really soared after that league fell apart and they recruited and competed against similar schools and their budgets. In my opinion, since the SWC broke up, in football, Texas, Tech, and TCU have really benefitted greatly, but it has been really hard on Baylor and A&M, and SMU, UH, and Rice basically have recognized what its like to become irrelevant in the college football landscape as non-BCS teams that get little to no media attention for not being in an AQ league. But, with all that said, I still fondly remember the SWC and its greatness.

Edited September 6, 2010 by untjim1995

LongJim · September 6, 2010

SMU/Baylor, 1979, Cotton Bowl.

island eagle · September 6, 2010

SMU/Baylor, 1979, Cotton Bowl.

University of Texas versus Tulane in 1954. Watched from the "knot-hole" section of Memorial Stadium (cheap end zone seats for local school kids). I was to see every UT home game from that section for eight years, except for the last couple of years when my friends and I found we could sneak into the student section and watch the game from the 40 yard line.

AstroMike · September 6, 2010

I vaguely remember a few Mean Green games as a kid, but the first one I really remember was visiting a friend of mine at tu in 1988 our Freshman year. He lived in the athletic dorms, we got to go to Friday night walk throughs with the horns and I remember it being no big deal. I thought that must be the way it is everywhere for all students. The horns went on that Saturday to get destroyed by the Houston Cougars something like 66 to 10. Andre Ware, James Dixon, and Chuck Witherspoon and the Run and Shoot offense was in full force that day. I remember laughing all the way back to Denton. Until the Cowboys and then starting QB Kevin Sweeney took the field. I quit laughing after that game as the Cowboys went on to a 3 and 13 season.