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Post by flushingjet on Dec 12, 2014 9:44:43 GMT -5
I was born and resided in Flushing. My dad and older brother were Giants fans,my 1st sports idol at a very young age was Y. A. Tittle. (The others were Jay Hook and Ken McKenzie!) However due to a # of reasons - proximity of Shea, (1.5 miles) excitement of AFL, Namath, 1st games attended were for Jets-next door neighbor had tickets for Giants and Jets, ascendance of Jets) became a Jets fan. I was much more into baseball as a kid but was a Mets, Jets, Knicks, Rangers and also Nets fan via the ABA. I felt then, the Mets and Jets were not just my teams but my neighborhood team-something a bit more special. Due to the originally separate leagues some fans really do still like the Giants and Jets as well as Knicks and Nets but the vast majority of cocky 80s Giants fans (and beyond) disabused me of any lingering sympathies I had. The greatest part is that I was able to really enjoy the SB win, fully aware of it and I still do every day. My memory of it is that 1) I thought the game was somewhat dull from a Jets O scoring pov but I didn't know the extent of Jets injuries on O; 2) When Unitas came in I was very worried about a comeback like the Heidi game and he almost did it; 3) Randy Beverly had the game of his life-think the Jets' version of David Tyree-and should have had his #42 retired, bronzed-never to be sullied by future infamy. Re the Heidi game I was one of the people who called up the TV station for the final score-I dialed over and over with a rotary phone, lel-a voice already tired of delivering the news flatly stated, "The Jets lost 43-32" Went to games intermittently as I hated, hated, hated Shea for football and even though I loved the Mets hated how they treated the Jets. Attended school in NE where I saw some Schaefer/Sullivan road games when NE Pats was truly the local #4 sport. Returned to Queens (N. suburban now) after the move in 84 have attended most games since 1985 with a friend who got on the waiting list (which ballooned after the jets returned to the playoffs) with 20K seats opening up in GS he took some in the UD where we remain with a similar view of the field in NM. Save for a 6 year interval I cut back (employer had group set of lower level seats you could attend 1x-2x a year ) He has gone 30 yrs continuously and only missed his 1st this year b/c his daughter went to college. Have seen many road games in BUF, BAL, CAR, NE including the 06 playoff loss where someone threw 2 beers at me and my friend near the end and hit Pats fans instead... I have been going with an above average set of accoutrements, nothing others couldn't amass over time except for a custom made set of hunter green canvas tent curtains and my compact HD satellite dish hack. As an aside I do have an odd assortment of giveaways, schedules, cards, cups, ticket stubs and other things (e.g. an ancient piece of fun size candy and a N scale box car in the 70s logo) I'm looking to unload-I sold off my GameDay programs from the 70s/80s on ebay long ago but if anyones looking for something maybe we should have a forum or sub-forum to buy/sell.
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Post by greengeek on Dec 13, 2014 15:26:56 GMT -5
I was born in Baltimore Md and was initially a Colts fan. As I was leaving to grad school, Robert Irsay broke agreements with Baltimore's mayor and Md's Governor, and moved the team out secretly in the middle of the night. While in grad school (U Rochester, physics), I didn't follow any sports. After a postdoc (Yale), I got a professorship at Stony Brook University. When my son was Middle School age, he took after my father (played center in college) and became a starting center and defensive end. Apparently talent in sports skips a generation in my family. I decided to follow a team (no history with the new Baltimore team) and noticed that the Jets had just hired Parcells. So I started to follow the Jets at that point. I read about the team avidly and eventually saw a link on the team's web site for JI. Today, the Jets remain a centerpiece of my relationship with my son. We watch all games together, text the latest news, and share the heartache of this team. This Christmas, one of my gifts to him will be a Jets-green hat knitted by our own VTN. I feel the same way. My son married and moved to Iowa this year, so we don't get to watch the games together anymore, but we are constantly talking Jets throughout the season and offseason and texting during games. We do at least one road trip to see the Jets every year and those trips have really become special -- they are something I never want to give up. Great story. My son and I also attend one game in person. This year it was (thankfully) pre-season.
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Post by razorjet on Dec 13, 2014 17:46:19 GMT -5
I was playing hooky from school because we had just got cable and I caught an old Jets game with Lou Holtz as coach. At that time, Lou was coaching the Razorbacks, so he was kinda like a hero to me at 11... yadda yadda yadda the Jets won, coach Holtz made playing hooky great that day... boom, Jets fan
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Post by southparkcpa on Dec 13, 2014 18:04:59 GMT -5
When my (step) father married my mom when I was 4 he watched a lot of football, big Giants fan. I was a few months from 5 and it was towards the end of the season when they married and he moved in. Once he moved in I watched with him every game he watched and being towards the end of the season the Jets won their only SB, the Jets where the highlight in New York. I sat with him and watched the Jets win the SB and I was semi hooked. My father, from then on would would bring me Jets memorabelie including signed pictures of the players from the SB team, yes even Namith. My father, yes he is my Father, my bioligical dad was just that, bio-dad, but agin, my father died this past Sunday of that fucking cancer, I said my final goodby's to him yesterday. Selfless man, perfect example, he Marie's this lady with three young kids and raises them his own, big Giants fan and supports 100% me being a Jets fan, even taking me to Jets games while the Giants where playing. I know I should be cursing him but he was doing what I wanted. thats my story and I'm sticking to it. GREAT story. I have a friend, 40 and he is single and wants a young woman to have kids. I told him..TONS of young boys need a great dad and mentor. Told him its a mistake to discount a woman with 2 or 3 kids. I LOVE your story. I had one similar. Im gonna copy your post and Email it to him, Merry XMAS and very sorry for your loss but sounds like he did his job and then some. My Mom NEVER remarried (hippie gen) but had a significant other who was very influential on my ambition etc.
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Post by porgyman on Dec 13, 2014 23:49:46 GMT -5
Back in the 1970's, Shell gas station had a nice promotion. With every fill up, you would get a Jets or Giants glass. My Dad would go there and soon enough we had a bunch of the glasses. My brothers were all Giants fans. Something about the Jets insignia intrigued me. I still have some of those glasses, in my mind they are priceless.
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Post by soberphobia on Dec 14, 2014 0:51:57 GMT -5
Back in the 1970's, Shell gas station had a nice promotion. With every fill up, you would get a Jets or Giants glass. My Dad would go there and soon enough we had a bunch of the glasses. My brothers were all Giants fans. Something about the Jets insignia intrigued me. I still have some of those glasses, in my mind they are priceless. I'm a Jets fan because of the logo as well - became a fan of American football when the (Australian) government TV station used to broadcast a couple hours of highlights every week out here on a Tuesday night, it was hosted by an expatriate American and his enthusiasm for the game and insight into it was a big reason why I was hooked (not to mention the games' inherent watchability). This was in the late 80's/early 1990s. Anyway, the team In Australian football (Essendon) I've always folllowed since I was a kid also had an aeroplane logo, so hence I latched onto the Jets. Essendon is a suburb of the city of Melbourne; it has an airport and they got their name from the planes that used to fly out from there during World War Two. While I've been alive the Essendon Bombers have won 4 titles and have been a powerhouse of the competition at various stages - the Jets have won zero and frankly now look as far away from one as they ever have. You can decide for yourself on the similarity of the current Bombers logo to the Jets one:
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Post by southparkcpa on Dec 14, 2014 12:33:23 GMT -5
Back in the 1970's, Shell gas station had a nice promotion. With every fill up, you would get a Jets or Giants glass. My Dad would go there and soon enough we had a bunch of the glasses. My brothers were all Giants fans. Something about the Jets insignia intrigued me. I still have some of those glasses, in my mind they are priceless. Those glasses were great (tumblers they called em). Those and the HESS trucks.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2014 13:24:47 GMT -5
When my (step) father married my mom when I was 4 he watched a lot of football, big Giants fan. I was a few months from 5 and it was towards the end of the season when they married and he moved in. Once he moved in I watched with him every game he watched and being towards the end of the season the Jets won their only SB, the Jets where the highlight in New York. I sat with him and watched the Jets win the SB and I was semi hooked. My father, from then on would would bring me Jets memorabelie including signed pictures of the players from the SB team, yes even Namith. My father, yes he is my Father, my bioligical dad was just that, bio-dad, but agin, my father died this past Sunday of that fucking cancer, I said my final goodby's to him yesterday. Selfless man, perfect example, he Marie's this lady with three young kids and raises them his own, big Giants fan and supports 100% me being a Jets fan, even taking me to Jets games while the Giants where playing. I know I should be cursing him but he was doing what I wanted. thats my story and I'm sticking to it. GREAT story. +1 My Mom NEVER remarried (hippie gen) but had a significant other who was very influential on my ambition etc. You could be my intelligent brother. Wow.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2014 13:27:59 GMT -5
Back in the 1970's, Shell gas station had a nice promotion. With every fill up, you would get a Jets or Giants glass. My Dad would go there and soon enough we had a bunch of the glasses. My brothers were all Giants fans. Something about the Jets insignia intrigued me. I still have some of those glasses, in my mind they are priceless. So...if they are priceless...you'll send one to me; just pay shipping and handling?
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Post by 2milehighJet on Dec 14, 2014 16:07:49 GMT -5
My Uncle Jimmy worked at a ski area upstate, Birch Hill it was called back in 70's, and Walt Michaels would frequent the restaurant/bar. He gave him the 70's style knit hat with pom pom, of which my uncle gave me. Not only did he get me into skiing, but also the Jets. Still own that hat today!!!
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Post by littleeddiebell on Dec 14, 2014 21:23:24 GMT -5
Father took me to a Jets practice at Hofstra. Same here. Father was a student at Hofstra in 1968 and we went to practice a few times. I was born in 1962 which made me a Jets and Mets fan. The Jets had a thing then where they would send a player to elementary schools. After school everyone could come and hear the player give a little speech and answer some audience questions and hand out autographed photos. So the Jet who came to my elementary school in 1972 or so was named Eddie Bell.
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Post by thebigragu on Dec 15, 2014 10:35:02 GMT -5
1985 Christmas. Gastineau,Klecko,Taylor's, Jersey under the tree. Opened spread them out on sofa ,my father like one of his many sociopathic chess games with people. I chose the 99 because I liked the number and noticed he put a bit more spread out then the other 2. Also I knew his number when he was a kid was 99.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2014 12:22:02 GMT -5
1985 Christmas. Gastineau,Klecko,Taylor's, Jersey under the tree. Opened spread them out on sofa ,my father like one of his many sociopathic chess games with people. I chose the 99 because I liked the number and noticed he put a bit more spread out then the other 2. Also I knew his number when he was a kid was 99. Behold - the GOlden Child!
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Post by loluchka80 on Dec 15, 2014 12:39:06 GMT -5
my dad moved to the United States in 1979 and someone at his job introduced him to those cards where you pick football games.
so he started paying attention to football. the giants were bad in the late 70's and the first couple years of the 80's, and the jets had a couple decent years then with the sack exchange. so he became a jets fan. so by the time i was born i had no chance.
if only he would have waited a couple years to watch football then he would have been a giants fan, and i would have been saved of this heartache.
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Post by vin on Dec 15, 2014 14:22:18 GMT -5
Became a Jets fan when Tuna arrived.
Became a Jets fan 4 Life when Vinny arrived.
Became a thoroughly PISSED OFF Jets fan when Rex, Pryor, Pace, and Sheldon told me I was not a "Real" fan.
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