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[coldriver10]

One of the things I love about sports is when you're surrounded by other people who are just as fanatical about a team as you are and you share stories...how you got to be a fan, how the team has helped shaped your experiences, and so forth. I thought after last night's amazing win it would be only fitting to share those stories with others on this board that has kept me informed and as enthusiastic as I've ever been about Duke basketball. (and side note, if there is already a thread like this, please let me know and I'll delete it).

I guess I'll start. I was a 9 year old tomboy sports fanatic growing up in Florida when I became a fan of the Duke Blue Devils. It was the '92 season so I can't help but admit I jumped on the bandwagon during that tournament (I was nine!). I became obsessed with Duke and I decided then that that's where I wanted to go to school. I made my first visit to Duke's campus at age 15, planning to go to an admissions talk and then a tour of the school. I never went on the tour, because it was during the admissions talk that I realized getting in this school would be HARD. So hard, that I didn't think I could do it...so I skipped the tour and instead cried on the bench outside Admissions for half an hour with my family. Yes, I'm a pessimist (though I prefer the term "pessimistic realist").

Well, somehow I did get in, and three years later I began my Duke career. This was 2001, a mere 4 months after they won the championship. I was a Cameron Crazie, I tented, and more than anything, I fell even more in love with the school, MY school, and the city of Durham. Nothing changed for me during my four years of undergraduate except for the feeling that I never wanted to leave this place. I stuck around for a year off then began medical school at Duke. I have been here for nine years now (eight as a student), and this experience has meant so much to me. I cried like a schoolgirl during the national anthem of the UNC game this year, my last game as a Crazie...afterward, while many of my friends went to the bonfire, I instead cried on the way to the car and drove home in a somber mood, happy with the way in which we won but sad that it was over. I would never be in the student section again. But what a way to go out.

In my time on campus, I have been through two UNC national championships and none from Duke...until this year, my 4th year of medical school. This has been a dream come true for me, not only to win it but to get to experience it with my friends and fellow Dukies in Cameron and on campus. This has been amazing. I will begin my residency (at Duke, of course) next year and hope the bleachers will be almost as great as the student section...if I can even get tickets, that is. :p Thank you, Duke, for giving me the opportunity to get an education, make friends, meet my husband, and become a part of the community with hands down the best school spirit in the country. And I hope it stays that way for a long, long time.

Who's next? :)

[Masticatee]

Mine is pretty straightforward. I moved to Winston-Salem from Portland, Oregon during the middle of my third grade year, right after Thanksgiving break (1998-99 I think). Anyway, as the new kid the first question I am asked is:

"Who do you like?"
"What?"
"Who do you like, Duke or Carolina?"
"What're those?"
"?!?! You don't know?"
"No..."

Then the kid who quickly became my best friend leaned over to me and whispered:

"Say Duke."
"Uh, Duke..."

Silence, quickly replaced by anger and vulgar insults.

And that's how I became a lifelong Duke fan.

[ReformedAggie]

I'm a late-comer to the Duke fanatical fan club. I was introduced to the team by an incredibly knowlegeable Duke grad who taught me, "it's not the outcome of a single game - but watching the players develop." Oh sure, I had won my share of office-pool bracket bets by choosing Duke, but I had also bought into the "Duke plays white guys first" myth, and the "oh God Duke again" crapola...but I had never taken the time to understand the game nor watch the growth of the young men who play it.

I started reading Coach K's books, listening to what he said, and (frankly) became an avid Coach K fan more than the team. His wisdom, his leadership, and his passion for both players and school changed everything. I started watching games from the point of view of seeing them learn what he taught. I began to care about these kids and admire their comportment on and off the court.

I guess I knew for sure I had turned the full corner when, last night, agonizing through that very close game I found myself shouting, "come on I want this so much for YOU." And I did. I wanted those guys who had worked so hard to have their ultimate college level reward.

There's no one more fervered than a convert...so today I bought my Duke wearables and can't wait til they get here. I'm going over to College Park and just see if they have the guts to light me on fire :). I can't wait for next year to watch the next group of "youngins" come to play and to watch them along with the double Plumlee's, Andre, and Nolan grow to become the very best they can be. GTHC.

[BlueDevilBaby]

As my moniker implies, I am the product of two Duke grads and basically had no choice but to root for Duke even though I was not so fortunate to attend Duke. My earliest memory is when I was 10 years old and starting to play hoops - loved the G-Man, his floppy hair and that hook shot. I have been lucky enough to have attended two games in CIS and even sit with the Crazies for one. So blessed to have witnessed four national championships and so many fine young men go through the program. This year's team might be my absolute favorite for achieving so much when so little was expected by so many.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Some may be tired of my story. I'm going to share it because you asked.

My grandparents didn't go to college, but as active members of their small Methodist church in what was then Hanes, NC, they helped raise money for the then new Duke University. My father, their oldest, enrolled at Duke in the fall of 1929. (If you've studied history or economics, you know that year.) The football stadium was completed during his freshman year and he was there. The Chapel was completed in time for his graduation in 1933.

My first four words were Momma, Dadda, Duke and "potitbook." I grew up hearing stories about the Italian stonemasons who worked at creating the Chapel on the hill behind it. Other stories were about Nurmi, Suitcase Simpson, Dean Baldwin, Mary Grace Wilson and other campus figures. I was a toddler when my grandfather took me up to the store on the corner to meet his cronies (State and Carolina fans). I knew the right answer when anyone asked me, "Who's going to win the game today?"

I was there when Tee Moorman made All America and Art Heyman did the same.

I can't remember a time when Duke was not a part of my life.

[Jackson]

My dad and uncle both went to Duke. My earliest memory of Duke basketball is 1978 at 7 years old crying because we lost to Kentucky in the finals. I have been hooked ever since. Duke basketball has been a constant in my life. I was at the Wagner loss in 1983 wondering if it could get any worse and I was at the Cal game this year in the tournament wondering if it could get any better. Nice thread. Go Duke!

[coldriver10]

Some may be tired of my story. I'm going to share it because you asked.

My grandparents didn't go to college, but as active members of their small Methodist church in what was then Hanes, NC, they helped raise money for the then new Duke University. My father, their oldest, enrolled at Duke in the fall of 1929. (If you've studied history or economics, you know that year.) The football stadium was completed during his freshman year and he was there. The Chapel was completed in time for his graduation in 1933.

My first four words were Momma, Dadda, Duke and "potitbook." I grew up hearing stories about the Italian stonemasons who worked at creating the Chapel on the hill behind it. Other stories were about Nurmi, Suitcase Simpson, Dean Baldwin, Mary Grace Wilson and other campus figures. I was a toddler when my grandfather took me up to the store on the corner to meet his cronies (State and Carolina fans). I knew the right answer when anyone asked me, "Who's going to win the game today?"

I was there when Tee Moorman made All America and Art Heyman did the same.

I can't remember a time when Duke was not a part of my life.
That's so cool! Good stuff.

[kmspeaks]

I turned 11 years old in December of 1997 and played organized basketball for the first time. One weekend I sat down and watched college basketball for the first time, trying to learn more about the game. One player in particular impressed me. Some little skinny dude was out there hustling all over the place, diving after balls, and just flat out playing HARD. About 10 minutes into the game I decided I want that guy's team to win.

That guy was Wojo, and his team was Duke. I have been hooked ever since. I threw a shoe at my door repeatedly first in frustration, then in excitement, and finally in jubilation during the miracle minute at Maryland in 2001. A few weeks later I begged and begged and begged (unsuccessfully) for my mom to buy me a National Championship t-shirt.

I hid in the bathroom at my Grandma's house in 2004 after the UConn loss so I wouldn't have to face the family haters. I walked out of my friend's apartment after LSU in 2006 so they wouldn't seeing me crying that JJ was done. I've been at school in West Virginia since January 2008 and worn a Duke shirt every single game day and I've listened to the crap every single day from the Mountaineer fans. (They can't talk any more!! :D) I bought my national championship t-shirt about 5 minutes after the game ended last night. I hope I get to buy a few more in the years to come!

[PSurprise]

I was born....to alumni-Trinity '72 and Nursing '73. 'Nuff said. :D

[Georgiadevil]

Im from Georgia with no ties to Duke at all.I was 14 in 1988 watching Duke vs Kansas in the final four with no rooting interest at all at the begining of the game.As the game gets going i begin rooting for a certain team that plays great D and has a togetherness that no team has ever shown.Billy Mccaffery and Danny Ferry became my favorite players on that day.Ever since that day in late March i have been a huge fan of DUKE.A friend asked me the other day why i liked DUKE?It was easy.Without hesitation i said ,i like what they stand for!Class and togetherness.

[NW Indiana Dukie]

Being from Indiana, I kind of stumbled onto Duke. I have relatives that live in Raleigh and we would vacation their every summer. When I was 8 in 1982, my mom was trying to come up with something different to do. She decided to spend a couple days visiting the college campuses since they are relatively close. The first one we visited was NC State, then Duke, then UNC, and finally Wake Forest. We spent a little time on each campus walking around and just sight seeing. I fell in love with Duke and have to say the clinching factor was the Chapel. It had a little 10 year old completely dumbfounded.

When we got back to my relatives house, they tried to talk me into being an NC State fan because they were and I would not change—my mind was made up. Once they were ok with my decision, they immediately began telling about the Duke vs. UNC rivalry.:D

[BleedsP287]

I grew up in Charlottesville, VA a hard core UVA fan and went to college there, but went to grad school at Duke.

My first year in grad school was 1990, and I was an immediate convert to Duke basketball. We lost to UNLV that year. In 1991 I camped out for season tickets (lucky grad students back then, camp out once for a season ticket book). I had season tickets every year of graduate school from 1991-1996. Most of those were awesome years. I danced around the bonfires in 1991 and 1992.

I still am a fan of the ACC in general, so while I bleed Duke blue I cheer for all the ACC teams out of conference. I don't buy the hate.

[Duke76]

but my Duke heritage started in 1898 when my great grandfather graduated from Trinity College. I have his diploma hanging in my son's bedroom, its written in Latin. My son will be attending Duke next year as a part of the Class of 2014. Pretty cool!

My father attended Duke undergrad for 2 years fought in WWII; came back and immediately went into Duke Medical School and met my mother who graduated from the Duke School of Nursing, a "Baker House Bunny". I can remember many Saturdays as a kid attending Duke football games with my Mom and Dad along with a few thousand fans in the stadium. I have a black and white picture of attending Duke basketball camp in the Vic Bubas years when there were maybe 50 kids at the camp; now they have thousands attend.
I made a scrapbook with the Duke basketball players of the 1960s. All black and white pictures except one of Art Heyman on the last page in color. I still have that old scrapbook, tattered though it is.

The 4 years I attended Duke went by in a flash as I am sure they will for my son. I never had one bad day on campus. Every Duke person I know I share a special bond with and it bothers me not at all that others dislike us or the School.

Part of me hopes I die in Duke Hospital.
Forever Duke

[CameronBornAndBred]

I was raised by 2 Duke alumni who then went on to work for Duke hospital, I was raised going to games in Cameron (hence my name). We even had the 73-74 team over for dinner one night. That's one of my earliest childhood memories that stands out. My dad took me to the '78 Final Four, and while I know I understood what was going on with Duke sports before then, that experience cemented it. I was 9 years old, on a great trip with my dad sharing an awesome experience. I've watched every game I could since with passionate interest. Luckily for me, my collegiate path took me to art school...we had no basketball team so I've been able to remain loyal to the Blue Devils since day 1. There is not much better in this life for me than being able to share my passions with like-minded fans.
Whether it's here on DBR or with my online family on crazietalk, sharing such rare occurances as what happend last night in real time with people all across the country is flat out awesome. I was up until 3am yesterday soaking in everything I could..because like that night years ago in 1974 when Terry Chili was dunking on this 5 year old kid's backyard hoop, I want to remember it for a very long time.

[gumbomoop]

I'm really happy to see this thread, as it allows me to make a dreadful confession: I lived in Kentucky some years back, and was a UK/UL fanatic.

Moved to ACC-country, attended Duke for a few years, saw the light, as well as quite a few games in CIS, no turning back.

Another confession: I think Dean Smith was a great coach, maybe the most creative X/O guy ever. I can't quite explain why he didn't win another NC or 2. Possibly he was an excellent, but not quite great, coach; but I'm sticking with great until persuaded otherwise.

K, however, is a much more fascinating and complicated package. I cringe when he gets chippy in pressers, preferring his subtle humor, which is both more appealing and more effective. K's impact on his players, other people, and the game is profound.

I think it's fair to mention Jon Scheyer in the same sentence, possibly the same breath, as Shane.

I find it's healthy to write or speak these words every so often: "You're right, I'm wrong." I am not averse to uttering the words, "I'm right, you're wrong," but this is best said face-to-face, and with a playful twinkle in the eye.

[Dr. Tina]

I have no connection to Duke in terms of being an alumni or having family that went there. I can't remember the first time I discovered Duke, but I think it was sometime during Duke's first 2 national championships. I was probably 13 or so. I vaguely decided to like them then, and while I wasn't really an avid follower yet, I remember very clearly where I was when Duke lost to Cal in the tournament.

Like one of the posters here, I think my jump from casual fan to "need to watch every game" fan started with the Great Alaska shootout that Collins and Wojo played in. I LOVED Wojo almost immediately and something just clicked in me. I chose my blue right there and then, and I haven't looked back since! I'll be a DUKE fanatic till the day I die....GO DUKE!!!!!!!!

[Eternal Outlaw]

I was 8 living in a Norwegian dominant town with a very Polish name. Most popular jokes told always were to make fun of the Polish. My dad was already grooming me as a sports fan and loved college basketball. Over time I noticed this guy coaching for a school who was highly thought of who also had a very Polish name. My thoughts basically were 'I bet people don't rip Polish people to his face.'

Obviously I took the jokes too hard being one of the very, very few Polish kids in town but I was 8 and kids being kids there were many times the jokes were meant to be hurtful and not for fun. This was during the 1986-87 season and Ferry was my first favorite player but the reason I became a Duke fan was Coach K and the admiration for a public sports figure with a Polish name.

[PaIronDuke]

As an "old grad"(1954), I have some great Duke memories:
---watching the Rose Bowl in the rain in 1942 with my dad and listening to him extolling Duke's 1939 undefeated, untied, and unscored on team
---later watching most Duke games in NC, including games at Wake and State in stadia that no longer exist
---watching us beat UNC TWICE during one of the war years
---seeing green grass spelling "DUKE" come up in the spring on the field at Kenan Stadium, courtesy of my classmates
---as a student, starting probably the first bonfires (wooden Coke crates-a shipping offense, if caught!); watching one of the greatest college athletes of all time play(Dick Groat-basketball and baseball);roaming around the Chapel Hill countryside all night, trying to swipe the Carolina ram, shave his
a-- and paint it blue; bowl games almost every year (!);watching Wallace Wade coach against Robert Neyland (Tennessee)-and beat him!; watching All-Americans play for Duke most every season, including two in one year, and HOF Sonny Jurgenson play back-up quarterback;on campus, BIG bands, "preppy" dress (better than you think!), Duke Chapel in the snow and fog at night; etc.
---All in all, great memories for a lifetime.......
-

[DevilHorns]

As an "old grad"(1954), I have some great Duke memories:
---watching the Rose Bowl in the rain in 1942 with my dad and listening to him extolling Duke's 1939 undefeated, untied, and unscored on team
---later watching most Duke games in NC, including games at Wake and State in stadia that no longer exist
---watching us beat UNC TWICE during one of the war years
---seeing green grass spelling "DUKE" come up in the spring on the field at Kenan Stadium, courtesy of my classmates
---as a student, starting probably the first bonfires (wooden Coke crates-a shipping offense, if caught!); watching one of the greatest college athletes of all time play(Dick Groat-basketball and baseball);roaming around the Chapel Hill countryside all night, trying to swipe the Carolina ram, shave his
a-- and paint it blue; bowl games almost every year (!);watching Wallace Wade coach against Robert Neyland (Tennessee)-and beat him!; watching All-Americans play for Duke most every season, including two in one year, and HOF Sonny Jurgenson play back-up quarterback;on campus, BIG bands, "preppy" dress (better than you think!), Duke Chapel in the snow and fog at night; etc.
---All in all, great memories for a lifetime.......
-

Dick Groat, the only college basketball player of the year to win a MLB MVP. You heard that right, quite an athlete. He has his basketball jersey in the rafters at Cameron.

[coldriver10]

I'm really happy to see this thread, as it allows me to make a dreadful confession: I lived in Kentucky some years back, and was a UK/UL fanatic.

Moved to ACC-country, attended Duke for a few years, saw the light, as well as quite a few games in CIS, no turning back.
It's cathartic to get it all out, isn't it? :p

My husband is sort of like this, only he grew up in the south an avid Carolina fan. He ended up going to Duke for undergrad, got hooked by the awesomeness, and never looked back. He's one only two Duke fans in his entire extended family (who all live in NC).

[ndkjr70]

Both of my parents graduated from Duke University in 86. I learned how to say "Duke" before I learned how to say "Mom". The greatest moment of my life was my dad telling me for my 8th grade graduation, I got to pick the location of our next family vacation. He didn't even finish the sentence before I beamed and blurted out "A trip to Cameron Indoors". 3 months later, I was forwarded a confirmation email. "Thank you for purchasing 2 tickets to the Georgetown @ Duke mens basketball game at Cameron Indoors). A freshman in highschool, I started crying. Openly weeping.

We drove to the airport on friday night for a saturday afternoon game. We were hit with the biggest thunderstorm in New Jersey that night. All flights were cancelled. They imagined that it would be the same the following day. I was crushed, I was almost positive that it was all for not. My dad, without skipping a beat and without hesitation, grabbed our luggage and headed to the car. Sulking my way to the car, I asked "so we're just going home?". He said "if we have to walk there, I'm getting you to that basketball game". We drove 14 hours to a hotel 15 minutes off campus, got 3 hours of sleep, and went to the Duke game.

Duke won because of a solid team effort, McRoberts and Nelson played particularly well. I sat 2nd row mid-court on the side across from the Crazies, and I had the best time of my life.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Duke won because of a solid team effort, McRoberts and Nelson played particularly well. I sat 2nd row mid-court on the side across from the Crazies, and I had the best time of my life.
That's awesome..your dad rocks!

[wallyman]

Would love to hear more of these.

I'm Duke '71 the apex of sex, protest, drugs and rock and roll (well, at least the protest, drugs and rock and roll), and nothing was less cool than school spirit and the rest, but it was impossible not to get into Duke basketball. Mike Lewis, Randy Denton, Dick Devenzio, Rick Katherman, Gary Melchionni -- Lee's dad. It was pre-Coach K, of course, pre-ESPN, pre-DBR, pre-everything. Not better, but purer with less of a media overlay on everything that happened. I hated Carolina only when they played Duke. Amazingly, I rooted for them as more or less one of us when they played someone outside the ACC, which back then was just another league. I followed Duke basketball casually during the long decline, barely noticing when they hired some coach with a name no one could spell, perking up when they got some guy named Dawkins and a bunch of other great recruits and, amazingly, were somehow great again. I'm much more of a fan now than I ever was. Think the modern media world puts this all on steroids, we know so much more -- maybe too much -- so the temperature is higher on everything. But it was a classy program back then, and it's only become classier over time. My son graduated in 2009 -- he came in oblivious to sports and came out bleeding blue and was at the bonfire Monday night. This year's team will always embody everything that's good about the program and the university. Onward and upward.

[geraldsneighbor]

I was 2 years old when I was being babysat when Laettner hit the shot. I'm told since that day I was a Blue Devil. It doesn't suck to be a Duke fan either!

[basket1544]

I'm not sure when or why I became a Duke fan. I know that Mom was a Duke fan in the late 70s so maybe I was just born to it. I come from an Indiana basketball crazed family and I filled out my first bracket when I was almost 5 years old in 1986. I'm told I picked Duke and was so excited when they got to the Final Four. My mom has framed a page from my kindergarten papers that says, "I love Tommy Amaker." Only I misspelled Amaker about 4 times before I gave up and wrote at the bottom, "I love Jay Bilas."
I was lucky enough to start loving Duke at just the right time and thought that Duke always got to the Final Four. In 1993, I cried for 3 days after the Duke Cal game (so glad to make up for that loss finally this year). I decided after that it was more important to pick the winning team than to follow one specific team (I refer to these as the lost years and remind you that I was still a pre-teen). I finally came back to Duke in 1997 after watching Wojo and Trajan during the ACC tournament. I haven't left since and will always jump with the crazies (from my living room mostly). One day, I may even be lucky enough to make a hadj to Cameron Indoor.

[roywhite]

Family friends in the Pittsburgh area were the Fergusons...Denny Ferguson was captain of Duke's team in 1965, and I started following Duke basketball, which then led to applying and eventually going to Duke.

Knew several of the players when I was in school; remember well the undefeated freshman team of 1969-70; there were some good Duke basketball moments in those days, and some bad ones.

In the 1970's, I never thought I'd see the day where the Blue Devils would win 4 national championships. Thank you, Mike Krzyzewski.

It's been a great ride following the Devils for over 40 years and it's a pleasure to know and interact with those who share this passion.

[VaDukie]

Great thread. My parents met at Duke (Div School 76) so I've had more baby pictures in Duke gear than I'd like to admit. The first team I really followed closely was 1999 (born in 1986) and when we lost to UConn that year I burst into tears. My Dad hugged me the entire time while watching Coach K do the same with William Avery. My Dad wrote a letter to Coach K about how much he admired what he had done. To put aside his own disappointment and frustration and solely focus on consoling one of his players was something that my Dad found incredibly touching (the Butler-Huggins of its day).

Within a week or two Coach K wrote him back. Between hip surgery, all the guys we lost, and the negative press he received that summer (the ESPN the Magazine article comes to mind) 1999 was not exactly an easy offseason for Coach K. The fact that he took time to write back some guy with a crying kid he'd never meet says it all to me. How can you not root for a team led by a guy like that?

When Coach K retires (and I think it's a lot closer than we think), this Duke team will be the crowning achievement for the best coaching career since Wooden. The journey of these seniors from 2007 to this year is only going to get more impressive with time. We'll be talking about this Duke team for decades to come.

Oh and by the way, 1999 was the first year my Dad took me to the ACC Tournament. We've been every year since. That's a 30-3 record for those of you keeping score at home :D

[Son of Jarhead]

I've posted this stuff before in past similar threads, but will again since it has been a few years & there are so many newer posters. To explain my story in regards to being a Duke fanatic, here is some family history:

-Jarhead- My Dad, Duke class of '53... Major, USMC (retired after 26 yrs). Many of you know this long time DBR poster. I'll let him post his own story if he wishes to. (Dad's brother Richard is also a Duke grad.)

-Czar of Housing- My Mom, Barbara Perkins Buschman, class of '46, worked at Duke for 47 years. She started in the VA office after WWII & then shifted to Student Affairs/Residential Life. For the last quarter century or so, up to her retirement in '93, she was the Director of Housing (Housing Coordinator) & often refered to as the Czar of Housing on campus. Mom saw her first game in Cameron, though it wasn't named that yet, in the Fall of '42... & she hasn't missed more than a handful of games since... she has even been present at every jersey retirement (men's & women's), even Groat's at a baseball game. Of note today, the proposed changes in the current housing to the "new Duke House model" mirror the model she set & followed years ago, & that the University went away from against her advice. (Mom's twin sister Janet is also a Duke grad.)

In addition to both parents (who are both charter Iron Duke members), as well as an Aunt & an Uncle as Duke grads, my sister Kathy ('78) & brother Bob ('82), along with a couple cousins (including former Duke Baseball pitcher Craig '72), also graduated from Duke. Alas, I was not so lucky... I went the far less expensive state-supported route to WCU.

I, like some others above, was born in Duke Hospital. I spent many a day running around campus, specifically Allen Bldg, as a little kid when visiting Mom's office. I still can remember those great "Dope Shop" milkshakes! I worked in the textbook store during summers & x-mas breaks through out HS & College in the 80's. My first Duke sports memories are of Randy Denton (basketball), Ernie Jackson (football), & hanging out in the dugout with my cousin Craig at Duke baseball games... & also being visited in the hospital as a kid by several Duke football players after a nasty-twisting-green stick-compound fracture of my left femur playing football (& which Dr. Bassett put back together perfectly). I still have the honor & the pleasure of attending football games with Dad ever since I could walk... & attending basketball games with Mom just as long. I am truly blessed.

Born into it, I will always be a Duke fan... & as it should be, so will my kids. The first call I got after the game Monday was from my 15-yr old who was away at the beach... the excitement in her voice gave me great pride.

[SCMatt33]

I grew up about 15 minutes from Philadelphia, and as most kids whose parents didn't go to a Big Five school (they both went to Delaware), I was raised almost exclusively on pro sports. My grandfather was an Eagles season ticket holder, and I remember going to occasional Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers games as well. College sports was barely a blip on my radar all the way through high-school. I would very casually root for Penn State football, and only started watching college basketball when my dad first let me fill out his NCAA office pool in 1998 at the age of eleven (BTW, I had Utah in the Final Four that year, though not the title game, but that still remains one of my best picks ever). On a side note, I really miss being able to fill out an NCAA bracket without any bias whatsoever. My dad took me to the Duke-USC elite 8 game in Philly in 01 when I was 14, but that still had no impact on me as a fan. The first time I actively cheered for a college basketball team during an entire season was when the entire city got swept up in St. Joe's run in '04.

That same year, I was starting to think about colleges, but knew very little about where I wanted to go to school. I knew that I would be applying to engineering schools, so MIT was naturally at the top of my list. My brother was attending music school in Boston at the time and was being paid to play with the MIT orchestra (they had a shortage of trumpets) and told me that he thought I would fit in terribly there. I've been thinking about this for several hours now and I can't remember why I decided that I wanted to visit Duke, but I did. Obviously, being a great school helped, but there were plenty of other great schools that I never gave a second thought two. On my visit, I absolutely fell in love with the campus. Even when I got in, I almost didn't go to Duke. I was considering Penn State honors, which would have cost much less, been closer to home, and still have a great sports environment (albeit football based). I had played in the marching band throughout high school and after I sent my deposit check, I immediately sent an email to the band director stating my intention to join D.U.M.B.

As I had said before, I grew up in the environment of Philadelphia professional sports, which gives me a much different take on things than most people here. At the time, I had never seen a championship run, and like most Philadelphians (whose reputation is often exaggerated, but that's a topic for a different time and place), I had a pretty pessimistic view on sports and believed that it was okay to boo your own team if there was a distinct lack of effort and poor play (especially for guys who are payed millions of dollars). I brought this attitude down to Durham, and was met with much hostility. I never actually booed Duke, but I would often yell and criticize play during the game. My freshman year was '05-'06, and for those who forget, while that was a very good team, they were TERRIBLE at rebounding. I can't tell you how many times I found myself yelling "get an f-ing rebound" during games that year (which quickly turned to just "get a rebound" after being constantly yelled at by Jeff, the band director).

My time in Durham helped mellow me out somewhat, though I will still openly express my frustration at games. For example, during the '09 ACC tournament game against Maryland, Duke was going through a stretch in the first half where we fell into the familiar trap of watching Gerald on offense. After a possession with absolutely no movement resulting in losing the ball out of bounds, I stood up and yelled "come on Devils, they're not just going to give it to you" at which point Maryland promptly inbounded the ball into Duke hands for an easy lay-up. Instead of just yelling at the team for sucking, I had come to start yelling more encouraging things at these times like "come on" and "lets go" as opposed to "what are you doing!?" and cursing.

I guess that my experiences were shaped more by my fellow fans more than the team. I think all of these experiences came full circle on Monday at the game, when there were these two kids from Butler sitting behind me who spent the entire game heckling and cursing me (me and not Duke in general). I didn't even turn around to look at them until after the game and all of the other Butler fans around me were very embarrassed for them. I find it ironic that the midwest kids were the ones doing the cursing and yelling while as a Philly guy, I engaged in none of it. BTW, they made it clear to me after the game that they were members of the Butler soccer team. I had taken a picture of them and confirmed this to be true. While I have tremendous respect for Butler fans in general (the only ones I know who simply root for their team and not against us), I now have zero respect for the Butler soccer team.

[mgtr]

What I will always remember about this years team is how the Seniors have grown in four year. Much was expected from Thomas and Zoubek, but they didn't deliver (until we reflect and see that they did). Zoubek is now the new hero, and Thomas is respected by the true aficionados. Scheyer? Well, Scheyer, who came as a great scoring machine, was willing to come off the bench. He was willng to learn a whole new position. He was willing to do whatever it took to win, and win we did. Thomas was rock on defense, and even developed a 15 foot shot which he made probably 75% or the time.
The point is, these guys bought into the program, and made it work. How ofter do you see that?

[UncleBill]

My eldest sister was a Duke freshman in 1978-79, and I was a seventh grader in the southern tip of SC playing Church League basketball. On Parent's Weekend I accompanied my mom and dad to Duke for that event. I was pretty impressed with the campus (pre Bryan Center, Dope Shop still there). My sister lived on East, and my family was at the main West Bus Stop waiting. A tall black guy in USA sweats was there waiting, too, some dude named Gene Banks. He stood there and talked to me, a skinny, geeky, pimply kid about his summer playing in Europe with one of the national teams, and how exciting that was. I know we passed on several buses as he was waiting for a bus to Central. That pretty much cemented it. I got a book bag from the Dope Shop/Book Store and when I got back to junior high I earned the nickname "Duke Boy". I knew the stats on each player of that era, and over the next few years went to several games on my sister's student ID (they didn't check really hard at the door) sitting in the student section with her friends. I went to more games than she did. When my senior year came along, I applied early admission and got in. Saved a bunch on application fees since Duke was the only school I applied to (to which I applied). I had met with Coach K at the Duke summer basketball camp in 1981, one of his first summers there, and he actually came to my dinky high school basketball camp in 1983. I got my acceptance letter from Duke and a letter from the basketball office the same day, with the basketball letter saying that it wasn't official, but welcome to Duke. It was postmarked the day before the acceptance letter (or maybe just dated the day before, I didn't save the envelopes). I was on an NROTC Scholarship, and when I checked in, the advisers thought I was going to walk on the team, since the basketball office had apparently called to see if I was on scholarship there. I wanted to be part of the team manager program, but the head manager, George Dorfman, wisely denied my application, saying NROTC took up enough time and I couldn't do both.

[SoCalDevil]

Great stories. I have been stranded in So. California my whole life. Normally not such a bad thing, except for a true blue Duke fanatic. I have been following Coach K and the kids since Johnny Dawkins was a freshman. I have been there for all the great years and the few down years. I have cried, broken numerous remotes and other items when they lost in close, incredible games. I have also screamed so loud when they won that the neighbors must have thought I was being attacked.

There have been so many amazing plays made by incredible players, as well as the lunchbox kids who may only get to play a few minutes a season. All those people who have such hatred for such a dedicated coach and a system where the entire purpose is to get the most out of each student athlete will never truly understand how special Duke basketball is.

One of these days I will be sitting inside Cameron Indoor Stadium and will be in awe from the moment I arrive until the time I am dragged away from the campus.

I am so proud for this year's team and the wonderful seniors who have achieved so much in their 4 year journey from mediocrity to national champs. Congratulations and bring it back home again next year!!!

[ZJDUBYA]

Wow this is a great first post. I am from Texas, I remember being 10 yrs old in 1986 and my grandpa and I were watching Duke play Navy in the elite 8. He told me I had some family in Durham and had an uncle that played tennis or something at Duke. I dont know why but I just started to like them. I remember the final in 86 was the first time I really rooted for Duke. After that I was hooked. I swear I was the only fan in my school, and I took hell. Especially after losing in 88, 89, and the beat down in 90. Then came 91 and the UNLV semifinal. This is still to this day my greatest hour as a DUKE fan. After that game and the Monday night game against Kansas I really felt like I had won. Anyway, I am a basketball coach myself now in West Texas and my students love to give me crap after a Duke loss. The last couple of days have been really special. Its nice to be back on top again. GO DUKIES.

[theAlaskanBear]

I get to blame my sporting affiliations on my father.

He moved to Asheville in 1980, and was an attorney. At that time, all the lawyers in town were Carolina grads, and he grew a deep and eminent loathing for those pompous, "gods-gift-to-the-world" bleeps, at least as far as basketball is concerned. So he began rooting for Duke just to needle those guys. Of course, the first few years were rough, but he got to watch their rise to prominence.

Also, since someone brought up Dick Groat: that is also part of his affiliation with Duke. He grew up in the shadow of St. Louis, and in the early 60s Groat was an irreplaceable part of those great Cardinal teams: Boyer, Brock, Gibson, etc.

It was a natural fit, and I am SOOOO thankful he did not try to fit in with that OTHER blue! I was coming of age (8th grade) in 2001, and 1999 and 2000 were my first years I really started to follow sports outside of my rec leagues. That 2001 season was magical for me, we listened to the championship game on the bus coming back from a band trip.

[toothmechanic72]

I grew up in south Georgia and never watched college basketball. The summer between my Junior and Senior years of high school, I attended the Duke PreCollege Program. I fell in love with the campus. I started watching Duke basketball my senior year in high school. I got my Duke acceptance letter in March of 1990. I watched Duke get crushed by UNLV in the championship on TV. One of my fondest memories during my first day at Duke was opening up a bank account at Wachovia in the Bryan Center sitting next to Grant Hill. Now it's four National Championships later, and I'm loving every minute of this ride!

[The1Bluedevil]

I was born and raised 15 minutes south of Lawrence, Kansas. So being a Duke fan in that part of the country was a little different to say the least. On a random March weekends in 1992 a 7-year-old overhead his dad yelling and screaming from the other room. Curiously the 7 year old wanted to see what his father was yelling about. Well come to find out my father like many others disliked Duke and was cheering for Kentucky that night. So to be different I cheered for the other blue team that night and have every day of life since.

Being a Duke has meant everything to me. Anyone that knows me affiliates me with being a Duke fan. Without being a Duke fan I would never have been as passionate about basketball, met life long friends and gained a collegiate basketball scholarship.
Now as an educator and coaching basketball I do my very best to model my team after Duke.

I converted my entire family into Duke growing up and have even managed to convert a few players as well. I view being a Duke fan as an honor in my life and one I cherish every day. Heck I enjoy the taunting and smack talk I get on a game-by-game basis from all my KU friends.

Example of growing up a Duke fan:

As a 1st grader coming back from spring break one of my best friends was asked what he did over the break. His response, “ I watched California beat Duke in the tournament”. Wondering why this was important the teacher asks why was this important? My friend responded with “ Because Lee likes Duke”.


Needless to say there aren’t many Duke fans in Kansas.


Go Duke!!

[coldriver10]

Wow, great stories, guys. Keep 'em comin!

[DukieInKansas]

I was born and raised 15 minutes south of Lawrence, Kansas. So being a Duke fan in that part of the country was a little different to say the least. On a random March weekends in 1992 a 7-year-old overhead his dad yelling and screaming from the other room. Curiously the 7 year old wanted to see what his father was yelling about. Well come to find out my father like many others disliked Duke and was cheering for Kentucky that night. So to be different I cheered for the other blue team that night and have every day of life since.

Being a Duke has meant everything to me. Anyone that knows me affiliates me with being a Duke fan. Without being a Duke fan I would never have been as passionate about basketball, met life long friends and gained a collegiate basketball scholarship.
Now as an educator and coaching basketball I do my very best to model my team after Duke.



I converted my entire family into Duke growing up and have even managed to convert a few players as well. I view being a Duke fan as an honor in my life and one I cherish every day. Heck I enjoy the taunting and smack talk I get on a game-by-game basis from all my KU friends.

Example of growing up a Duke fan:

As a 1st grader coming back from spring break one of my best friends was asked what he did over the break. His response, “ I watched California beat Duke in the tournament”. Wondering why this was important the teacher asks why was this important? My friend responded with “ Because Lee likes Duke”.


Needless to say there aren’t many Duke fans in Kansas.


Go Duke!!

You are not totally alone in Kansas.

[Merlindevildog91]

This is a great post. It's fun to read the stories here and get to know my fellow posters other a little better.

I grew up in Virginia watching ACC basketball and playing all the girls' sports at a school so small we didn't even have a gym until my senior year and ate lunch in the sanctuary of the affiliated church. I attended a small, liberal-arts college in Virginia (my parents told me I could have a car if I lived at home) and majored in political science. When I started casting about for things to do after college, I decided law school was the place for me, and thought if I did well enough on my LSAT's, I would apply at UVa. My advisor, a man I loved like a father, told me not to set my sights so low (sorry, Cav fans), that I should go to Duke. I laughed at him, told him Duke would never take me, but I went to visit, and he was right. I loved Duke. Loved the people, loved the campus, loved everything about the place. (Incidentally, my cousin was a freshman at UNC at the time, and when she found out I was visiting Duke, she refused to speak to me until after she dropped out.)

Somehow I was accepted to Duke, in the Class of 1991. So I was there for 3 trips to the Final Four, culminating in that glorious victory over Ol' Roy and his Kansas bunch just two days after what was billed then as the biggest upset in college basketball history, over UNLV.

I bleed Duke blue. I have a 3x5 photo I took at the party after the 1991 NC in a place of honor on my windowsill at the office. It shows Coach K at the podium, with Tony Lang, Christian Laettner and Grant Hill behind him. I have a 1991 NC Coke bottle, a 1991 NC Coke can, and a 1991 and 1992 True Blue and True Blue II soda cans in my office as well.

Most of my family are, unfortunately, the kind of people who can't spell "Duke" and think that "Dean" is the fourth person of the Trinity. I don't care. I am thrilled to be an alumna of Duke. Never more so than now, but always, always proud of Duke.

[amat1129]

My dad is a basketball coach and has gone to the final four for 27 years now. In 1994 when i was 6 years old he got me a final four shirt and i just thought the Duke logo was the coolest thing i had ever seen. Four years later when i was 10 chris burgess who played at the high school i eventually played at went to Duke and it was the first year i seriously started following every Duke game. That year when they blew the big lead to kentucky i remember going into my room and crying. The next year i cried again when they lost to uconn. Finally in 2000 my dad started taking me to the final four with him. I just my second year i got to see Duke cut down the nets in person and it was one of the greatest days of my life. I was flying high as a fan, since i started following the team they had gone to a sweet 16, and elite 8, 2 final fours and won a championship. In a word i was spoiled. Since then ive lived and died with every duke game started to realize how difficult it to sustain success how much as fans we have to appreciate success so much and not take it for granted. I definitely took Duke's success for granted and this year in my eleventh final four trip i truly got to see and fully appreciate Duke reaching the pinnacle and it certainly will stick with me as much more significant than the 2001 title both because of this being my favorite Duke team and the understanding of how truly special and unique it is to experience a championship.

[DukeMom]

I came to love Duke through marriage and children. My husband graduated in the early 70's and loves to tell the story that he thought he wanted to go to William and Mary but never made it to Virginia. As soon as he walked on the Duke campus, he told his Mom that they didn't need to go any farther or see any other schools; he was going to Duke. When he wanted to ask me to marry him, he decided to do it in the Duke Gardens, but it rained the entire weekend and he began to get desperate and decided to ask me
in what is now Alpine Bagel, the Great Hall. I remember being surrrounded by a bunch of drunk and muddy rugby players when I said YES! It was great. I fell in love with Duke right there, and after many visits over the years to hopefully motivate our children regarding their college choices, our first started in 1999, and that was the year I became a Duke basketball fan. I tuned into a preseason game and they showed the Cameron Crazies and there in the front row was my daughter and I was hooked. I have two children there now, and what is so cool is that all 3 have had the great fortune of experiencing a Nat'l. Championship while attending Duke: our first child in 2001 and now the second two in 2010. Boy, have we gotten our money's worth!!! All three children (very different in their interests) have absolutely loved Duke. It is a fantastic education. And if we get really lucky, our current Duke senior will decide to stay at Duke for med school and be a Double Dukie....Heaven!!

[coldriver10]

I came to love Duke through marriage and children. My husband graduated in the early 70's and loves to tell the story that he thought he wanted to go to William and Mary but never made it to Virginia. As soon as he walked on the Duke campus, he told his Mom that they didn't need to go any farther or see any other schools; he was going to Duke. When he wanted to ask me to marry him, he decided to do it in the Duke Gardens, but it rained the entire weekend and he began to get desperate and decided to ask me in what is now Alpine Bagel, the Great Hall. I remember being surrrounded by a bunch of drunk and muddy rugby players when I said YES! It was great. I fell in love with Duke right there, and after many visits over the years to hopefully motivate our children regarding their college choices, our first started in 1999, and that was the year I became a Duke basketball fan. I tuned into a preseason game and they showed the Cameron Crazies and there in the front row was my daughter and I was hooked. I have two children there now, and what is so cool is that all 3 have had the great fortune of experiencing a Nat'l. Championship while attending Duke: our first child in 2001 and now the second two in 2010. Boy, have we gotten our money's worth!!! All three children (very different in their interests) have absolutely loved Duke. It is a fantastic education. And if we get really lucky, our current Duke senior will decide to stay at Duke for med school and be a Double Dukie....Heaven!!
He/she should! It's a great place!

An Alpine Bagel engagement...that's awesome. We got engaged in a parking lot on central campus (there's a back story there, I promise) and married in the Gardens. Duke's been a part of many aspects of our lives as well :)

[dukepsy1963]

I am from Eastern N.C. and remember when the principal announced that my sister had won an Angier B. Duke. I was in the third grade and felt very proud needless to say. I began to pull for Duke around that time.
Later, I entered Duke myself in 1959; graduating in 1963. (My niece later went in the '80's.)
While I was there, I enjoyed the playing of guys like Verga, Mullins, Art Heyman, and a host of others. (I even remember the fight in Cameron between Heyman and Larry Brown...sad stuff.)

My gym coach during that period was Bucky Waters BTW. He was tough on us to say the least! He was a funny guy though.

A not so fun memory was standing "nude" along with a bunch of other NROTC guys on the concourse in Cameron. We were getting our yearly physical!
I liked Cameron much better as a place where basketball was played...:).

Well, I went to other colleges after Duke and even taught at UNC for awhile; but Duke will always be my first love. I am a true fanatic.

Go Duke always!!!!!!

[jdj4duke]

I was from a small NC town where of course all the talk and allegiance was for you know where. I never had a big feeling for Duke until senior year in high school, when I visited for an AB Duke scholarship program interview (I didn't quite make it). Nonetheless, as soon as I walked onto the campus and went to Perkins, that was it for me. It felt scholarly, inspiring, and liberating and I started as a freshman in 1968.

I ended up not only rooming with a basketball player for 2 1/2 years, but knew Melchionni, West, O'Connor, and some others pretty well. That led to lots of fun at Cameron even back then. Anyway, I went far away from NC for a number of years, and though never losing any affection for the University, my engagement as a basketball fan waned; no way to watch many games when out of range of the old Jefferson Pilot network!

It started back up in about 1984, when, living as an expat in Saudi Arabia, my father, who never went to college and absolutely loved Duke first and then K and the teams, started sending me tapes of some games. The packages always took about 3 months to get through the mail and Saudi customs, but I watched the one of Dawkins and the gang beat the Jordan and Perkins team in the ACC tournament about 20 times over that summer. I still have those old tapes somewhere.

I came back to the States just in time to watch that great '85-86 team and that was that. I was hooked deep and forever and proud that the qualities that brought me first to love the University remain brightly reflected in K and the players as well. My only disappointment was that dear old Dad, who got me back in the basketball fold by sending those old Beta tapes half-way around the world, died in '89 and never saw Duke win a championship while he was alive.

[Channing]

my parents are immigrants and didnt know the first thing about basketball when they moved to the states in 1978. In fact, they remember wondering why the rules to netball had been butchered. I was born in 1982, and somehow, am decked out in Duke gear for some of my baby pictures. There are pictures of me at 3 years old wearing Duke tshirts. To this day my parents can't figure out where that stuff came from. They didn't know what Duke was until I was old enough to follow the team whose clothes I had been wearing (which would have been around 1990). I have always been a fanatic, and, although I don't recall this episode, my parents told me that I refused to play little league basketball one year because I was put on the tar heels. My parents had to call and have me switched to a different team.

Our best guess is that one of my early babysitters went to Duke and got me some clothes. If thats the case, I owe her a big THANKS!

[hedevil]

I played basketball from the time I was 4 years old, through junior high, and highschool varsity, and still play street ball in the present when I have time, and enjoy teaching my children the game. My grandfather was a small time college basketball coach in his home state of Indiana. Due to the fact that we lived 1200 miles apart I only saw him a few times a year. He was my #1 fan and inspiration. He was always giving me pointers and tips on proper shooting form, using the screen, blocking out, etc. Well anyway, he was a big fan of all things Knight and K. He always used coach K and the Duke basketball program as a way to show/teach me everything right about college basketball and how programs should be run. My grandfather introduced me to Duke in the late 80's and I've been in love ever since.