First Sports Games Ever Attended In Person...?

[billyjack]

I've been piecing this thread together for a while, waiting for the end of the season to post it...

Wondering if anyone can remember the first games in each sport their ever attended in person? I had asked my brother (6 years older) to try to pinpoint some games, and we didn't go to a ton of live games so had a pretty good idea of mine if i was confused. With me, i was usually pretty excited to go to each stadium or arena for the first time so i can remember stuff kinda clearly.

COLLEGE HOOPS:
For me, flipping thru PC game history at sports-reference, it was St John's in '76 the year i turned 8. I just remember a few things to be able to pinpoint the date: i never saw Marvin Barnes play, so had to be after 74... and it was a daytime game... and the opponent was in the red uniforms and was "Saint"-something (St Joe's played the previous year but on a weeknight). Anyway, that pegs the date as Saturday Feb 28th 1976, where PC beat the rival #14 Johnnies 67-53. I was pretty excited to go, cuz at that point i had only seen the Friars on TV. Plus back then they were easily the top most prominent program in New England by far.

BASEBALL:
Fenway in August 1974. Juan Marichal came in in relief vs the Orioles in a Red Sox win. The city of Boston and Fenway itself was pretty ragged back then, but at least the playing field was really green. Was shocked that i had to urinate in a freakin bathtub trough thing. Loved looking at the manual scoreboard. Totally always loved baseball and back then knew almost every player in both leagues.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
Mentioned this a while ago... Columbia at Brown when i was like 3 in 1971 where the fuckin Lion mascot kept scaring the shit out of me. I don't remember anything else except i probably wanted to go home and play with matchbox cars. Later went to one other game, 1980 or so, Bucknell at Brown... game was played in a steady cold drizzle and i was miserable.

COLLEGE HOCKEY:
College was PC vs Maine i think in like 1983 at Schneider Arena. My father's cousin was an assistant coach and old friend and teammate (goalie for Friars 1964 Frozen Four team) of Lou Lamoriello.

PRO HOCKEY:
Bruins games late 80's vs Quebec (not sure if the Statsny brothers were still there) and St Louis at the old Boston Garden with a couple of college friends (one was from St Louis). One game we were in the top row with obstructed seats where had to duck the entire time to see under some ductwork.

PRO FOOTBALL:
Froze my ass off in late 1976 in Foxboro at old Schaefer Stadium where the Pats beat Philadelphia. Seats were all aluminum benches, the concourse was open air so there was no relief from the cold. I couldn't see shit on the field half the time cuz drunk fans were standing a lot. I never realized how much huddling the teams do til i went in person. Later i was at the Fog Bowl in 96 playoffs vs Steelers.

NBA HOOPS:
Celtics again at the old Garden in around 1988. They beat Utah with Karl Malone. Bird had a big night. Blue Edwards had a big night for Utah. My brother was living in Cambridge at the time near the former Necco Wafer Company. Our seats were on the aisle but one in front of the other, and we were packed like sardines like with the Bruins.

PRO SOCCER:
Not til like 2005 or something, we went to Rentschler in Hartford for a summer weeknight exhibition game between Liverpool and Celtic. Liverpool won. Nice night, small stadium but comfortable. Not rowdy at all.

TENNIS:
Never saw live pro tennis, but the HOF in Newport is great for tennis fans.

[Edrick]

This is the first game I ever went to...

https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2011/ ... ue-history

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

This is the first game I ever went to...


…………………………………………… Crosley Field …………………………………………

July 26, 1957: Cincinnati Redlegs 6, Brooklyn Dodgers 5

[billyjack]

This is the first game I ever went to...

https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2011/ ... ue-history

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/198 ... HA1984.htm

White Sox 7, Brewers 6, in 25 innings!
HOF Harold Baines homered in the bottom of the 25th for the win, giving reliever HOF Tom Seaver the victory. HOF Fisk caught all 25 innings. HOF Yount and HOF Simmons, and HOF Sutton were all in the Milwaukee lineup. Game played at old Comiskey Park.

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/195 ... IN1957.htm

Reds 6, Dodgers 5, in 11 innings!
A young and erratic Sandy Koufax gave up 2 homers in the 5th and got yanked... Rhode Islander Clem Labine pitched great in relief... Frank Robinson had 3 hits... game winning single in 11th by Johnny Temple. Campanella and Snider in the Brooklyn lineup. Great stadium at Crosley, with the embankment at the LF wall.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Great stadium at Crosley, with the embankment at the LF wall.

Thanks, billyjack. The Reds had a lot of home run hitters back in those days, and the mechanical scoreboard took a real battering. Crosley Field also gave up more doubles and triples than most ballparks, as the ball would sometimes get trapped between the 382 FT. marker and the scoreboard, or worse yet, the ball would hit the front-left corner of the scoreboard and careen a hundred feet or more from the unlucky outfielder who was chasing it.

[Savannah Jay]

I've been piecing this thread together for a while, waiting for the end of the season to post it...

Wondering if anyone can remember the first games in each sport their ever attended in person? I had asked my brother (6 years older) to try to pinpoint some games, and we didn't go to a ton of live games so had a pretty good idea of mine if i was confused. With me, i was usually pretty excited to go to each stadium or arena for the first time so i can remember stuff kinda clearly.

COLLEGE HOOPS:
For me, flipping thru PC game history at sports-reference, it was St John's in '76 the year i turned 8. I just remember a few things to be able to pinpoint the date: i never saw Marvin Barnes play, so had to be after 74... and it was a daytime game... and the opponent was in the red uniforms and was "Saint"-something (St Joe's played the previous year but on a weeknight). Anyway, that pegs the date as Saturday Feb 28th 1976, where PC beat the rival #14 Johnnies 67-53. I was pretty excited to go, cuz at that point i had only seen the Friars on TV. Plus back then they were easily the top most prominent program in New England by far.

BASEBALL:
Fenway in August 1974. Juan Marichal came in in relief vs the Orioles in a Red Sox win. The city of Boston and Fenway itself was pretty ragged back then, but at least the playing field was really green. Was shocked that i had to urinate in a freakin bathtub trough thing. Loved looking at the manual scoreboard. Totally always loved baseball and back then knew almost every player in both leagues.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
Mentioned this a while ago... Columbia at Brown when i was like 3 in 1971 where the fuckin Lion mascot kept scaring the shit out of me. I don't remember anything else except i probably wanted to go home and play with matchbox cars. Later went to one other game, 1980 or so, Bucknell at Brown... game was played in a steady cold drizzle and i was miserable.

COLLEGE HOCKEY:
College was PC vs Maine i think in like 1983 at Schneider Arena. My father's cousin was an assistant coach and old friend and teammate (goalie for Friars 1964 Frozen Four team) of Lou Lamoriello.

PRO HOCKEY:
Bruins games late 80's vs Quebec (not sure if the Statsny brothers were still there) and St Louis at the old Boston Garden with a couple of college friends (one was from St Louis). One game we were in the top row with obstructed seats where had to duck the entire time to see under some ductwork.

PRO FOOTBALL:
Froze my ass off in late 1976 in Foxboro at old Schaefer Stadium where the Pats beat Philadelphia. Seats were all aluminum benches, the concourse was open air so there was no relief from the cold. I couldn't see shit on the field half the time cuz drunk fans were standing a lot. I never realized how much huddling the teams do til i went in person. Later i was at the Fog Bowl in 96 playoffs vs Steelers.

NBA HOOPS:
Celtics again at the old Garden in around 1988. They beat Utah with Karl Malone. Bird had a big night. Blue Edwards had a big night for Utah. My brother was living in Cambridge at the time near the former Necco Wafer Company. Our seats were on the aisle but one in front of the other, and we were packed like sardines like with the Bruins.

PRO SOCCER:
Not til like 2005 or something, we went to Rentschler in Hartford for a summer weeknight exhibition game between Liverpool and Celtic. Liverpool won. Nice night, small stadium but comfortable. Not rowdy at all.

TENNIS:
Never saw live pro tennis, but the HOF in Newport is great for tennis fans.

I'll play:
COLLEGE HOOPS:
When I was in grade school (late 70s), the father of a good friend was the basketball coach and AD at a small Catholic school (Loras College) in my home town, so I went to a lot of games in the 1975-1980 time frame. They were an NAIA school at that time and games were played in an old-school "fieldhouse." Good times. My friend's dad eventually went on to become the AD at Lasalle, for you Philly people. AT CU, I went to every home game for 4 years, excepting those over Christmas break.

BASEBALL:
Wrigley FIeld, summer of 1972, Braves (and Hammerin' Hank) vs. the Cubs. Braves won but I was hooked on watching baseball in person (especially Wrigley) and have now been to 23 of the 30 stadiums currently in use in MLB (and a number of retired stadiums, too).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
My junior high football team took a bus trip to Iowa City to see Hawkeyes play in 1977. Before Hayden Fry, Iowa was atrocious (no winning seasons in the 60s or 70s) so they always tried to schedule our bus trip to see someone they "might" be able to beat, which this particular year was Northwestern. Iowa did win that game.

COLLEGE HOCKEY:
I've not been to a college hockey game.

PRO HOCKEY:
Atlanta Thrashers in 2003...Kovalchuk was their young stud/franchise savior ; )

PRO FOOTBALL:
Bears at Tampa Bay, 1986. Sweetness doing Sweetness things. 20 carries for 140 yards or so in Bears romp (though he didn't score). I was living in Orlando at the time and i went back to the Bears Bucs game the following year, as well.

NBA HOOPS:
Rockets at San Antonio, December 1977. Rockets were not very good that year (even though they had Moses Malone, John Lucas, and Rudy T, among others) and the Spurs had "Iceman" Gervin and Larry Kenon. Spurs, who were pretty good that year, won a fairly close game (tho I don't remember the score).

PRO SOCCER:
I've not been to a pro soccer game.

TENNIS:
I've not been to a pro soccer game.

GOLF:
You didn't mention golf but I've been to a lot of golf tournaments. First was the Bellsouth Classic in ATL in 1998, I think. Matt Kuchar was reigning US Amateur (and local, having played at Georgia Tech). Also went to my first Players about this same time.

I've kept ticket stubs to many of the sporting events I've attended over the years so i have a small mountain of stubs.

[MUBoxer]

GAA: Mayo vs Dublin All Ireland 2016

Pro Soccer: West Ham vs Roma Friendly 2006

College Basketball: Marquette vs Syracuse Senior Day 2009

NBA: There's a bit of debate here but I maintain it was 98 Bulls but my dads convinced it was the 99 Bulls. I'm happier believing my version lol.

NHL: Don't know wouldn't have appreciated it till the 2009 year when the Blackhawks made the conference finals

MLB: White Sox 90s Frank Thomas and Maglio era.

Boxing: A fighter that didn't go anywhere and none of you have likely ever heard of lol.

[Edrick]

Professional Soccer -- Chicago Sting at Rosemount Arena circa 86
College Basketball - University of Illinois (maybe like 92 - Deon Thomas was playing)
NBA - Bulls vs Knicks at Stadium in 1991
MLB (White Sox vs Brewers May 83 - longest game in MLB history)

[billyjack]

Thanks guys, these are great

[Husky_U]

First pro game was the Hartford Whalers. First college game was UCONN WBB. Both in the early 90s.