Saw my first game at Memorial Gym 50 years ago tonight

[Charlie Nickens]

Vanderbilt beat Boston College, 78-62. IMO the 1972-73 team was the most talented team Vandy's ever had. One more SEC win and they would have played the Mideast Regional at home that season.

[cjdore]

sneaks up on us as I think my first game was in 11/81 so I am 41 yrs ago away......

[dcdore]

My first game was Jan. 1967. Warren, Wyenandt, Southwood, Bundy. Plus Tommy Gun Hagan who could hit from anywhere!

[CrimeDore]

My first game at Memorial Gym was in November 1989 - an upset loss to Tennessee Tech in Eddie Fogler’s home debut. Team went on to win the NIT that year.

[commadore]

Mine was in either the fall of 1965 or '66. VIT. Didn't have to have season tickets to get those.

[HarpoMarx]

My first live game was Dec 12, 1967 against Davidson coached by Lefty Driesell. Tommy Gun Hagan had the game winner on a last second shot. They defeated UNC, Davidson and Duke in a 8 day stretch.

[commadore]

My first live game was Dec 12, 1967 against Davidson coached by Lefty Driesell. Tommy Gun Hagan had the game winner on a last second shot. They defeated UNC, Davidson and Duke in a 8 day stretch.

And made the cover of SI titled "The Giant Killers." All three were in the top 10 at the time.

[VUPKS]

November 1982 vs Illinois. Jeff Turner and Phil Cox were awesome.

[memphisVUalum]

Nov. 1978 vs. San Francisco State. Charles Davis, Mike Rhodes and Brian Allsmiller led the way.

[Mcflash]

December 1959 or so. We played Sewanee and it was something like 88-53. Bill Depp, John Russell and Bobby Bland, if I recall correctly.

That's a long time ago.

[vandylifer]

My actual first one was sometime in 1959 -- I was 6 or 7 MONTHS old and my dad took me. Vandy made him pay for a ticket! . . . he was SO MAD he swore he'd NEVER GO BACK! (he didn't miss many games over the next 54 years as a season ticket holder.) My FIRST GAME THAT I ACTUALLY REMEMBER was March 5, 1966. As mentioned, my parents were season ticket holders in Section F, row 9 or 10 right behind the basket. My mother told me early in the season that I could pick one game to attend with my father. She tore out all the tickets and laid them out on the table in date order and I picked the last one vs. Mississippi State . . Clyde Lee's LAST game. We lost 92-90 (we were 22-4 that season) . . . . and it's been a HARD life ever since . . . . . .

[geeznotagain]

My first game was in 1964. It was the Tennessee high school basketball playoffs — Memphis Kingsbury vs. Knoxville East. Kingsbury’s Mike Butler, who later starred at Memphis State and went on to play a few years in the ABA was the talk of the town.

[frstev17]

I started going with my dad in 1955. My memories are kinda vague, but that team had Bobby Thym, Al Rochelle, Hobbie Gibbs and others. They were really good. Memorial’s seating was between 6 and 7 thousand and those concrete cinder block walls made it plenty loud. I was hooked. I continued to go with my father till 1961 when he got me my own season tickets. Except for a few years I lived out of town, I’ve been a season ticket holder ever since.
Like most on this board I’m saddened by where the program is now. So many memories…

[vutrain]

My first game was in 1964. It was the Tennessee high school basketball playoffs — Memphis Kingsbury vs. Knoxville East. Kingsbury’s Mike Butler, who later starred at Memphis State and went on to play a few years in the ABA was the talk of the town.

I was there with you that night but it was for the later game that night when Donelson HS beat Clarksville HS 68-49.for the Championship. According to the TSSAA site, Treadwell beat Knoxville South for the 3rd place prize.

[geeznotagain]

My first game was in 1964. It was the Tennessee high school basketball playoffs — Memphis Kingsbury vs. Knoxville East. Kingsbury’s Mike Butler, who later starred at Memphis State and went on to play a few years in the ABA was the talk of the town.

I was there with you that night but it was for the later game that night when Donelson HS beat Clarksville HS 68-49.for the Championship. According to the TSSAA site, Treadwell beat Knoxville South for the 3rd place prize.

OK, it must have been Knoxville South rather than Knoxville East, as I remembered. This was before the tournament was integrated, and Black schools were not allowed to play (they had their own tournament? I don't remember). Anyway, I'm sure there were several Black schools that would have handled the winner of that tournament.

Do you remember Butler? He was not only a great scorer but a terrific ball handler and passer, one of the best and flashiest in amateur basketball I had seen until Maravich showed up not too many years later. I maintain that Butler would easily have averaged 30-35 ppg and 12-15 apg in college had he not played for defensive-minded coach Moe Iba (for example Iba's 1966-67 team had a record of 17-9, but only averaged 58 points per game). Butler's pro career was hampered by the fact that his defense was pretty awful by pro standards.

[DS2001]

I can remember going to my first VU Basketball game, but I can't remember when it was. I just remember Thorpe Weber was playing and he was the big man on campus at the time.

[dore74]

My first live game was Dec 12, 1967 against Davidson coached by Lefty Driesell. Tommy Gun Hagan had the game winner on a last second shot. They defeated UNC, Davidson and Duke in a 8 day stretch.

And made the cover of SI titled "The Giant Killers." All three were in the top 10 at the time.

I’m from NJ. Never heard of Vandy until I read that article. Led me eventually enrolling. My first game was a loss to Louisville, had to look it up sorry to say.

[HarpoMarx]

My first Vandy game was Davidson, but I had been there before for a March of Dimes game between Ryan and Dupont. That was somewhere around '64 - '67.

[alathIN]

Wow, I'm a newbie in this crowd. My first game at Memorial was 1983 against the Dutch national team (preseason exhibition game my freshman year)

[AuricGoldfinger]

November 1982 vs Illinois. Jeff Turner and Phil Cox were awesome.

I think we played that game in Alaska: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/sc ... edule.html. I only remember it because that was my freshman year, and we strangely played Illinois twice (neutral and away) in the pre-conference schedule that season.