First Spartan athlete you remember following/watching

by MattyFresh 2018-02-07, 16:52

I just had a little dialogue with Little John Flowers, I was about 12-13 at the time and our family has had season tickets since about the 40-50's and I was that age where I recognized names and followed the players and what not. I got a #23 reebok jersey for my bday that year since I would always ask my dad if we put Little John in lol. So who was your first Spartan player you followed or watched with earnest?

by Da Mayor 2018-02-07, 16:53

I used to go watch Tanny's tennis matches in person.

by **Watch Out Pylon!** 2018-02-07, 16:54

Lorenzo White. Years later I was seated a few seats over from him for the Rocket game. A little too far to get a high five after they announced the touchdown. :(

by MattyFresh 2018-02-07, 16:55

Da Mayor wrote:I used to go watch Tanny's tennis matches in person.

you must be old as dirt

by MattyFresh 2018-02-07, 16:57

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:Lorenzo White. Years later I was seated a few seats over from him for the Rocket game. A little too far to get a high five after they announced the touchdown. :(

I met Lorenzo in Tampa at an alumni thing a few years back with my Uncle. Got a photo with and I got to rock his rose bowl ring. Brool Cory Sto

by **Robert J Sakimano** 2018-02-07, 17:11

Nedgo

by Guest 2018-02-07, 17:21

1st basketball teams were the great Terry Furlow/Lindsay Hairston/Mike Robinson teams of the early-mid 70s. Same era with the Charlie Baggett, Levi Jackson football teams and the great win over tOSU. Watching all those guys made me a Spartan for life.

I was a little too young to really care about the mid to late 60s Duffy teams.

PS - Forgot to mention - fandom sealed by following the greatest Spartan of them - Frank Finn.

by SawGreen 2018-02-07, 17:28

I started in earnest around the Magic Johnson / Kirk Gibson era. I'd watch football at midnight due to the TV ban.

by **Rocinante** 2018-02-07, 17:30

The whole 1988 football team. It's pretty much when I started liking football.

by **Cameron** 2018-02-07, 17:30

My first memory of watching MSU football was seeing Scott Greene running against PSU. No idea what year, or why I remember him and not anyone else on the team. Hoops, I don't remember anything before the Flinstones.

by **tGreenWay** 2018-02-07, 17:41

LooseGoose wrote:1st basketball teams were the great Terry Furlow/Lindsay Hairston/Mike Robinson teams of the early-mid 70s. Same era with the Charlie Baggett, Levi Jackson football teams and the great win over tOSU. Watching all those guys made me a Spartan for life.

I was a little too young to really care about the mid to late 60s Duffy teams.

PS - Forgot to mention - fandom sealed by following the greatest Spartan of them - Frank Finn.

Right there with you on both football and basketball, although I probably zeroed in on Billy Joe DuPree first, then Levi Jackson and Ty Willingham. Gotta toss Dan Bass and BVP in there, too.

by **tGreenWay** 2018-02-07, 18:00

gHost Spartan wrote:Shawn Respect and Eric Snow

Do you have the Fire and Ice poster?

by **duffy munn** 2018-02-07, 19:10

Gibby. Both on the diamond and the football field.

by Guest 2018-02-07, 19:13

duffy munn wrote:Gibby. Both on the diamond and the football field.

Had 3-4 guys from those BB teams on my floor. Magsig, Kruse, Campion.....think I'm forgetting one.

by **Dendrobates** 2018-02-07, 19:14

When I was a teenager, I watched sports (mostly followed the Red Wings), but I didn’t follow sports. I was in a bunch of sports throughout my childhood. And of course, no one in my family went to college (except mom) , and were Walmart wolverines. So I “watched UM.”

When I got to MSU my freshman year, I bought student football tickets. I wanted to be a part of the action. So my first Spartan I followed/watched was Drew Stanton. Loved him and secretly wished I could date him.

by **Robert J Sakimano** 2018-02-07, 19:55

True story: My high school girlfriend's parents met at MSU. Now, remember, I grew up in the fairly rural mountains of North Carolina where a lot of people didn't graduate from high school, much less college and even more rare, a Big Ten university in Michigan.

Anyway, I remember being over at their house on New Years Day in '88 (right?) when MSU was in the Rose Bowl. Her mom was running around playing the fight song on some little Christmas ornament type thing.

Pretty funny now looking back on it that I eventually went to MSU and have lived in East Lansing for 23 years.

Not overly pertinent to the topic, but I thought it was kind of a cool story.

by **Nordic** 2018-02-07, 19:59

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:Lorenzo White. Years later I was seated a few seats over from him for the Rocket game. A little too far to get a high five after they announced the touchdown. :(

Dave Yarema in football and Scott Skiles in hoops. Yarema obv morphed into Lo White.

Insert my "Lo White should be in our Ring of Fame" rant here.

by **Tim Wakefield** 2018-02-07, 20:17

Little John Flowers was my football one too actually. Idk how old I was at the time. Born in 94

AJ Granger in basketball

by **duffy munn** 2018-02-07, 20:33

LooseGoose wrote:
duffy munn wrote:Gibby. Both on the diamond and the football field.

Had 3-4 guys from those BB teams on my floor. Magsig, Kruse, Campion.....think I'm forgetting one.

Lenny Lewandowski? Magsig is still coaching baseball at Okemos.

by **duffy munn** 2018-02-07, 20:37

Nordic wrote:
Watch Out Pylon! wrote:Lorenzo White. Years later I was seated a few seats over from him for the Rocket game. A little too far to get a high five after they announced the touchdown. :(

Dave Yarema in football and Scott Skiles in hoops. Yarema obv morphed into Lo White.

Insert my "Lo White should be in our Ring of Fame" rant here.

I went to high school with Yarema and we remain friends today. Partied and played pick up ball with Skiles in college. Scott played everyday outside in the summer. Mostly at Valley court.

Thinking the partying stories might best be saved for another day.

by **DWags** 2018-02-07, 20:39

Before Gibby and Mark Bramer and Eddy Smith, it was Mark Nieson. Manistee Catholic Central HS grad. DB/QB MSU. Last time I saw Mark he was getting kidney dialysis with my dad up in Manistee. I went to pick my dad up and they were laying there talking football First Spartan athlete you remember following/watching 502811600

First Spartan athlete you remember following/watching 502811600

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** 2018-02-07, 20:43

duffy munn wrote:
Nordic wrote:

Dave Yarema in football and Scott Skiles in hoops. Yarema obv morphed into Lo White.

Insert my "Lo White should be in our Ring of Fame" rant here.

I went to high school with Yarema and we remain friends today. Partied and played pick up ball with Skiles in college. Scott played everyday outside in the summer. Mostly at Valley court.

Thinking the partying stories might best be saved for another day.

His dad Jim is one of my FIL's besties.

by **duffy munn** 2018-02-07, 20:49

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:
duffy munn wrote:

I went to high school with Yarema and we remain friends today. Partied and played pick up ball with Skiles in college. Scott played everyday outside in the summer. Mostly at Valley court.

Thinking the partying stories might best be saved for another day.

His dad Jim is one of my FIL's besties.

Die and engineering biz is still thriving in Troy. Dave is now running the show.

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** 2018-02-07, 21:00

Yes indeed, right down the street from here.

by **tGreenWay** 2018-02-07, 21:03

DWags wrote:Before Gibby and Mark Bramer and Eddy Smith, it was Mark Nieson. Manistee Catholic Central HS grad. DB/QB MSU. Last time I saw Mark he was getting kidney dialysis with my dad up in Manistee. I went to pick my dad up and they were laying there talking football

Man, Mark Brammer was a badass. Decent career in Buffalo, too.

by **steveschneider** 2018-02-07, 21:12

magic Johnson was the first athlete I was aware of. Lorenzo White was the first where I started watching on weekends and keeping up with MSU.

by **I.B. Fine** 2018-02-07, 21:49

Grew up in Ohio and didn't know jack about State until a friend took me up to Lansing to visit family. His father was from the area and was also an alumn. He took us to a football game against Notre Dame, I believe it was 1972, and one name stuck with me, Brad van Pelt.

by **MiamiSpartan** 2018-02-07, 21:58

I vaguely remember Magic and 1979, but more remember it happening than watching.

Actually watching, it's probably Kevin Willis and Scott Skiles for Bball and Dave Yarema for football.

by MattyFresh 2018-02-07, 22:11

Tim Wakefield wrote:Little John Flowers was my football one too actually. Idk how old I was at the time. Born in 94

AJ Granger in basketball

man thats a good childhood memory, you had to be like 6-7 years old

by **tTy** 2018-02-07, 22:11

Mandarich, "Tony" Ante Josip..... Don't fucking ask me, dude had a weird name.

by MattyFresh 2018-02-07, 22:14

Forgot to add hockey, Mike York for sure, I wore 61 for many years.

by **tTy** 2018-02-07, 22:15

Anson Carter.

by MattyFresh 2018-02-07, 22:20

tTy wrote:Anson Carter.

hell yeah, I remember a game where he scored a goal and then got cross checked into the crossbar and his neck looked like it broke. I think any sane person would of called the guy for game misconduct and a multiple game suspension and the guy from Western Michigan I think, didn't even get a penalty. I was one livid 9 year old at the time.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2018-02-07, 22:56

Going to age myself with this one. J rich? C Rogers?

by **tGreenWay** 2018-02-08, 02:04

MattyFresh wrote:Forgot to add hockey, Mike York for sure, I wore 61 for many years.

Forgot to add hockey, too. Tom Ross is my earliest memory, but I tried to follow Ron Scott’s career after college. Not that easy pre-internet, when all you could hope to find were small print box scores in the paper.

by **Watch Out Pylon!** 2018-02-08, 08:11

Basketball was Steve Smith. That fucking tournament game vs. Georgia Tech still pisses me off.

Chick's hair back then....

by MattyFresh 2018-02-08, 09:34

tGreenWay wrote:
MattyFresh wrote:Forgot to add hockey, Mike York for sure, I wore 61 for many years.

Forgot to add hockey, too. Tom Ross is my earliest memory, but I tried to follow Ron Scott’s career after college. Not that easy pre-internet, when all you could hope to find were small print box scores in the paper.

Man thats wild, I couldn't even imagine trying to follow some guys in the pros back in the day. Even in my early years I remember having to check the NHL standings in the morning and how pissed I would be when the red wings would be on a west coast swing and I'd see the "(n)" next to no score, ruined my day.

by **MiamiSpartan** 2018-02-08, 10:07

MattyFresh wrote:
tTy wrote:Anson Carter.

hell yeah, I remember a game where he scored a goal and then got cross checked into the crossbar and his neck looked like it broke. I think any sane person would of called the guy for game misconduct and a multiple game suspension and the guy from Western Michigan I think, didn't even get a penalty. I was one livid 9 year old at the time.

I enjoyed those early-mid 90s teams. Had half-season tickets for like 3 years as a student. This was back in the day when you had to camp out overnight for hockey tickets, not basketball.

Anson Carter, Rem Murray, Steve Suk, Mike Buzak, Guolla, Ferranti, and lots more I'm forgetting. Never reached quite the heights of the NC teams, of course, but still some good memories.

by Bill Cain 2018-02-08, 10:33

Little John Flowers, TJ Duckett, Plaxico Burriss, Ryan Van Dyke

by **tGreenWay** 2018-02-08, 11:10

MattyFresh wrote:
tGreenWay wrote:

Forgot to add hockey, too. Tom Ross is my earliest memory, but I tried to follow Ron Scott’s career after college. Not that easy pre-internet, when all you could hope to find were small print box scores in the paper.

Man thats wild, I couldn't even imagine trying to follow some guys in the pros back in the day. Even in my early years I remember having to check the NHL standings in the morning and how pissed I would be when the red wings would be on a west coast swing and I'd see the "(n)" next to no score, ruined my day.

Just the way it was, but yeah, it was a pain. I mentioned earlier I followed BJ DuPree throughout college and into the pros, and one of the big reasons was because the Cowboys were always on tv. I’m sure I would’ve followed BVP’s career closer but the Giants weren’t on nearly as often, at least not around here.

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