I watched my first Husker basketball game ...

[Norm Peterson]

... in the old Coliseum. Joe Cipriano was the coach. Jerry Fort lost a contact lens and they stopped play for probably 5 minutes while people spread out on the floor looking for it. Never forget it.

 

Guys, I feel like I've paid some dues and earned this.

[HB]

Mine was at the Coliseum also, but Jerry Fort was still in Junior High.   57 years ago in December.   Still remember it.  Tom Scantelbury was my hero.  

[cornfed24-7]

In person it was at the BDSC against Colorado. Want to say the 1988 season. I was eight. I remember walking in and being in aw of the amount of people. Never seen that many people before in one place. My other memory is walking up the stairs to our seats and being mildly concerned if I fell I would fall all the way down to the court .

Don't remember a damn thing about the game. 

Edited March 18, 2024 by cornfed24-7

[brfrad]

Mine was 1991 against K-State in BDSC when I was 12.  It was a birthday present.

[AuroranHusker]

2 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

... in the old Coliseum. Joe Cipriano was the coach. Jerry Fort lost a contact lens and they stopped play for probably 5 minutes while people spread out on the floor looking for it. Never forget it.

 

Guys, I feel like I've paid some dues and earned this.

 

AWESOME, NORMY. 

 

Thanks for sharing. I love it. We all deserve that first dub, but it's the NU team that needs to earn it vs Ags on Fri. GBR Always.

[AuroranHusker]

My first memories were of Andre Smith first, Jack Moore 2nd ("Mr. FT"), & then the 'big guy' I rooted for was Dave Hoppen. Our farm fam maybe made it to 1 game each year, too busy to go to any more! Now, I literally don't miss any home games with my 16 year old son. It's an awesome experience to keep going, even when the chips have been *down* to see this day on the CBS NCAA Selection Show pop up #8 Nebraska.... against.... #9 Texas A&M (really? lol). I was hootin' and hollerin', then chuckled at the scenario. After being dashed of Omaha hosting Big Red, this was a pretty sweet consolation. GBR Always.

 

Edited March 18, 2024 by AuroranHusker
*down* -- sheesh

[Bugeaters1]

If this is in person, It was 86-87 Nit game against Washington. I took my dad how had never been to any big time college games. Whether it was basketball or football, sadly my dad passed away in 89 from cancer. It was so great to be able to spend that time with him.

[AuroranHusker]

4 minutes ago, Bugeaters1 said:

If this is in person, It was 86-87 Nit game against Washington. I took my dad how had never been to any big time college games. Whether it was basketball or football, sadly my dad passed away in 89 from cancer. It was so great to be able to spend that time with him.

 

Those are the best memories a guy can have, doing stuff alongside their father. 

 

[Huskerpapa]

Sort of sad...my first game as a fan was in the Coliseum.  But I don't remember much of it.  I was pretty young and attended with my dad and my Godfather.  I don't really count it because I was only a youngster.  

I then attended sporadic games until the final year of the Coliseum, which was my freshman year. It was an awesome experience.  Larry Cox, who was generously listed at 6'6" lived a few doors down in Abel Hall.  We also had Rene' Anderson, Curtis Craig, Kelly Saalfeld and Dodie Donnell living on our floor.  I remember going through physicals prior to the start of the year with all the other incoming athletes.  We were paraded room to room in our tidy whities.  Very uncomfortable, to say the least.  Anywho...the finsl year at the Coliseum was cool, I was usually a bit inebriated and would always sit on the first two rows of the bleachers.  We were a tad rowdy.

[UnicamMan]

My Grandparents were big Husker Basketball fans.  I remember going with them when I was young; my favorite part then was going to Denny's afterwards for a malt with the tin cup.  My earliest memories of Nebraska Basketball are Rich King and Eric Piatkowski when I was in middle school.  I remember driving down with my Dad to the games as we lived in Omaha. 

 

My kids are now the age I was then but they don't care about basketball sadly.  Got my wife into it though (even though she started with the Collier years) we will be going to the Omaha regional games and watching the Huskers here in Lincoln on TV.

[AuroranHusker]

*A bit off topic, but topical to NE & BB** Husker fans in Omaha should meet up between the early & late sessions, at say, Let It Fly, to break down the Ags in person!!

[KZRider]

So much about my 1st game I DON'T remember. I do know I was not 10 yet so it should have been 67-68. It was a game late in the season vs Kansas at the Coliseum. I DO remember it was with my Dad so that automatically made it special. I remember we won and how excited Dad was to beat Kansas. And I remember being told what a good player we had in Stu Lantz.

Edited March 18, 2024 by KZRider

[KZRider]

10 hours ago, KZRider said:

So much about my 1st game I DON'T remember. I do know I was not 10 yet so it should have been 67-68. It was a game late in the season vs Kansas at the Coliseum. I DO remember it was with my Dad so that automatically made it special. I remember we won and how excited Dad was to beat Kansas. And I remember being told what a good player we had in Stu Lantz.

I hope this doesn't hijack this thread because I will feel bad if it does. I lost my Dad to cancer in 2002. A big part of his influence on me was his love of Husker athletics. This song by Bread is about losing a father and captures how I feel about my Dad very well. What a great example I had. It makes my heart ache for so, so many young people who have no father active in the lives. If you want to read a powerful book on the topic I recommend "Fatherless America" by David Blankenhorn.

 

 

Edited March 18, 2024 by KZRider

[jimmykc]

Wonderful memories, guys. That's what makes sports important. Not being a native Nebraskan, I'll have to use the first game I saw at Allen Fieldhouse as my contribution. I went with my Dad to the NCAA regional, March 14,1959 when Oscar Robertson's Cincinnati Bearcats played Bob Boozer's Kansas State Wildcats. (K-State won in overtime after Oscar missed a free throw that would have won the game).

Edited March 18, 2024 by jimmykc

[jayschool]

I watched my first on Dec. 18, 1970, in the Coliseum, versus Miami (Fla.) in a tournament, probably called the Cornhusker Classic.

 

The Huskers, behind 20 points from Marvelous Marvin Stewart and 12 rebounds by Leapin' Leroy Chalk, defeated the Hurricanes 85-58.

 

Ironically, I covered the Huskers for The DN in the early '80s, and I covered the Hurricanes in 1987-88. 

 

That 1970-71 season was Miami's last until the university revived the program in 1985.

[jayschool]

10 hours ago, KZRider said:

So much about my 1st game I DON'T remember. I do know I was not 10 yet so it should have been 67-68. It was a game late in the season vs Kansas at the Coliseum. I DO remember it was with my Dad so that automatically made it special. I remember we won and how excited Dad was to beat Kansas. And I remember being told what a good player we had in Stu Lantz.

Sports Reference says we beat Kansas 76-69 on Feb. 27, 1968 in the Coliseum.

 

Winner!

[KZRider]

2 minutes ago, jayschool said:

Sports Reference says we beat Kansas 76-69 on Feb. 27, 1968 in the Coliseum.

 

Winner!

Thanks for looking that up. That sounds right!

[Five]

The Coliseum sometime during the Jerry Fort era. From my faded memory, the court was lit up, but the stands seemed almost pitch black. I remember squeezing through the columns out front to get inside.

[AuroranHusker]

14 hours ago, HB said:

Mine was at the Coliseum also, but Jerry Fort was still in Junior High.   57 years ago in December.   Still remember it.  Tom Scantelbury was my hero.  

 

You da man, @HB!!!

 

[AuroranHusker]

14 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

... in the old Coliseum. Joe Cipriano was the coach. Jerry Fort lost a contact lens and they stopped play for probably 5 minutes while people spread out on the floor looking for it. Never forget it.

 

Guys, I feel like I've paid some dues and earned this.

 

Great idea, Normy. Let's get some more memories, whether older or newer. I love reading everyone's unique Nebrasketball story on HHC. LET'S GO, BIG RED!!!

 

[Silverbacked1]

Don’t really remember the first game. Was maybe 4-5 years old in 1964/1965.

 

Do remember standing in line at the Coliseum to get tickets, the bright court and dark stands. An opposing coach said it was like playing in a bowling alley. The popcorn machine in the one corner.  The concession where under the bleachers and they put plastic wrap with a rubber band over your drink cup so noting fell into your drink. 
 

Then having the Bob open and it was WOW. We got something here. Sitting on the plank seats and getting my first season tickets in 1988. Enjoying the 90’s taking my sons. 
 

Then they opened the Taj Mahal with the Vault.  Now having 6 season tickets. And still taking middle son to every game. 
 

Have gone to at least 1 home game a year since 1964. Only have missed maybe 5-8 home games since 1988.  
 

it is just what I do and my sons do. 🩷

Edited March 18, 2024 by Silverbacked1

[hhcmatt]

Don't recall when I went or who we played or really anything other than going in likely the late 80s with my father and a relative who had tickets.

I shall ask him on the trip to Memphis if he recalls.

[Norm Peterson]

2 hours ago, KZRider said:

I hope this doesn't hijack this thread because I will feel bad if it does. I lost my Dad to cancer in 2002. A big part of his influence on me was his love of Husker athletics. This song by Bread is about losing a father and captures how I feel about my Dad very well. What a great example I had. It makes my heart ache for so, so many young people who have no father active in the lives. If you want to read a powerful book on the topic I recommend "Fatherless America" by David Blankenhorn.

 

 

 

OMG same here. Same here. I wish he could have seen this season.

[HuskerBB]

Was too young at the time to remember my exact first game - but would have been in the late 60's in the Colisseum.  Parent had season tickets.   Remember watching Leroy Chalk, Tom Scantlebury and Bob Grattop in those days.   Al Nissen too who is still in Lincoln I believe.

[KZRider]

1 hour ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

OMG same here. Same here. I wish he could have seen this season.

Are you sure we are not brothers?