Guest Blogger: Chronicle of JMU Fandom

Frank the Tank predicted that JMU would beat the Ticks 38-31. That’s exactly what happened so he gets to be this week’s guest blogger. Take it away Frank.

I had major writer’s block when the JMUSB offered me the opportunity to compose a guest post after winning last week’s prediction contest.  No one could have predicted the way the richmond game unfolded (I cannot bring myself to capitalize JMU opponents) and I was NOT rootin for a tick touchdown in the 4th quarter, despite knowing I could win the prediction contest.  First, I must say that I was pleased with what I saw from the team.  We have significantly cleaned up our play (penalties, TOs, mental mistakes) and we finally played a great 3rd quarter.  Many are wary of our secondary, which is a legitimate concern, but after my review of the game tape I do not think we will face another team with better timing routes than what we saw last Saturday.  Additionally, we executed the bend/don’t break game plan and eliminated the back-breaking big play that we gave up in our first five games.  I like the fact that this team started off a little raw and is forced to develop game by game.  We are now entering the part of the season where it is time to bring it all together and execute.  I saw the emotion that has been lacking the last few years, and who couldn’t help but go crazy when Dejor took one to the house!  “De-Jor, De-Jor, De-Jor!”  Dude was so fast; it didn’t even look like he was running fast.

What shall I write about?  The obvious topics have been discussed ad nauseam, but I felt I had a lot to say across a broad spectrum of topics.  So, without further ado, I bid you my personal chronicle of becoming a JMU sports fanatic.

METAMORPHOSIS

My first JMU experience was playing in Sherman Dillard’s High School Team Basketball Camp.  We were only there because JMU was heavily recruiting our teammate and future Dukes player, Ian Caskill.  I remember thinking that the campus was beautiful and the food was good, but I knew nothing about the school other than it being a popular choice amongst Virginia Beach kids.  Due to football recruiting (I was much better at football than basketball), I had applied to Vanderbilt, West Point, Dartmouth, Tennessee Tech, william and mary, and JMU.   I know ya’ll don’t care, but this is good therapy for me and cheaper than a shrink, so here’s the story.   I wrecked my ankle 4 games into my senior year, which resulted in no scholarship offers, but plenty of invitations as a recruited walk-on at many schools, including JMU.  I thought I was on my way to play at West Point after obtaining an “appointment” for the academy, but the head coach was fired that fall and the new coaching staff didn’t care.  Unsure of where I wanted to go to school and being hounded daily by my Dad to make a decision (AKA go to West Point even without football) I received “The Call.”   JMU’s Army ROTC department offered me a full ride to come to JMU.  Cha-ching.  I committed to JMU and Army ROTC over the phone with instant relief that “The Decision” (not televised by ESPN) was over.  With Army ROTC paying the bills, I decided it was time to hang up the cleats and enjoy school more so than the demands of being a student-athlete.  Good or bad decision?  Mostly good… only regret is that my potential fifth year would have been a ride to Chattanooga.  YOLO.

I refer to JMU Sports during my undergrad days as the dark years.  My apologies to all other sports at JMU as I only followed Football and Basketball (including the women’s squad thanks to a friend’s romantic interest, for which I am very thankful for the free JMU apparel!).   I heard that we had a great archery squad and we were proud of the marching band.  During my time at JMU (Fall of 2000 to the Spring of 2004), the basketball and football programs were similar to the current state of our Government, frustrating and operating under .500. (As I typed this, the House passed the Senate’s deal and the Government has re-opened.  Wait, what deal, I don’t see a deal?  Looks like another shutdown come JAN/FEB??  I guess I am just happy that country won’t default and crash our superficial markets and my 4 days of furlough will be paid, unlike the DADGUM 6 days of unpaid furlough from this summer, thanks a lot SEQUESTRATION!).

As an underclassman, there were some exciting basketball games.  Watching David Fanning from the first row of the baseline bleachers (not risers) and heckling opposing players were some of my favorite student memories.  In 2000, there was a decent student turn out to home basketball games; however, I watched the attendance steadily decline each year to depressing levels.  We were supposed to be a basketball school (Lefty used to coach here!) and we were FAR from winning the conference or going to the NCAAs.  I remember beating WVU in the Convo with the best crowds I ever saw, but to this day, I have not experienced any sort of sold out “Electric Zoo” from legends of the past.

As a student, I wanted nothing more than for JMU to go on a run and possibly even win an NCAA first round game.  I would have road tripped across country to see it.  After years of disappointments, my friends and I decided we would only go to CAA tournament if the Dukes made it to the weekend.  Needless to say, we didn’t go to the Richmond Coliseum often and I was painfully envious of gmu and vcu’s un-real Cinderella runs.  My friends had a running joke that the team would lose the CAA first round game on purpose so the players could still make a Spring Break trip.  When Brady came on board, we were all impressed with his first season and the three freshman recruits Wells, Moore, and Semenov.  It is hard to believe that those three freshmen would all have a differing final season, that’s got to be a record or something.  Although I thought that Brady would get us to the promise land a couple seasons earlier,  we made the trip to Richmond this past year and I have to admit, watching the team dismantle Northeastern to win the CAA tournament caused me to shed some man-tears, you know the kind with the lump in your throat and everything!  To all current students: you don’t know how fortunate you are to have witnessed last year’s basketball season.  If you are reading this site, you probably already attend sporting events, so this year grab your friends by the neck and drag them to the convo this season!  Please start practicing this technique now by grabbing your dadgum friends and march them into Bridgeforth Stadium for the remaining home football games!  There are plenty of alum in P-Lot and Godwin that are more than willing to feed poor college kids, and if of age, share some bourbon.

As far as football goes, I went to almost every home game, sometimes by myself (friends didn’t want to go), simply because I am a big college football fan.  I could pick any seat on the Godwin side and remember back then thinking that maybe I should have gone to a bigger time sports school, but I loved my time at JMU and wouldn’t trade it.  For football, I remember just hoping for a good showing and hoping that maybe Delvin Joyce would do something awesome.  I recall that the outcomes did not have much effect on my mood, unlike today (just ask my wife after a loss).  Unlike most students, I already had respect for I-AA football.  Growing up in southern Georgia, I attended Georgia Southern’s back to back to back national title games in the early nineties as a young, impressionable kid.   Incoming JMU students don’t have a clue about JMU sports or FCS football, but why should they?  I remember correcting my FROG on what level of football we played.  I couldn’t believe how many JMU students wore Chokies apparel and tracked their football team but cared less about JMU sports (thanks a lot Mike Vick – side note, in high school, Mike Vick hit me the hardest I had ever been hit.  I caught the pass and a concussion for a first down, but that was before people cared about concussions, so I finished the game).

I had many friends and acquaintances on the football team and I was sure that MM’s would be shown the door after the 2003 season.  It didn’t really matter because I was graduating and on my way to the real Army with orders to Korea. (ATTENTION ALL CURRENT STUDENTS, DO NOT LEAVE JMU AFTER 4 YEARS, SHOOT FOR A FIFTH YEAR OR LIKE MY #HOTJMUWIFE, GO AHEAD AND GET YOUR MASTERS NOW!).

My best friend from high school was part of the 2004 National Championship team.  I watched “THE GAME” on the Armed Forces Network starting at 6AM in Korea.  The previous night’s soju party made that wake up rather difficult.  My Company Commander was part of the Griz Nation and I had to listen to his smack all week.  Lo and behold we won, and about a month later, thanks to my BFF, I received a care package full of signed championship memorabilia from the JMU Football office (SEE PIC).  You know it was a small world when the game began and I realized that the Griz starting quarterback, Craig Ochs, was one of my best friends in the sixth grade when I lived in Colorado Springs.  We were always the opposing QBs during recess football or team captains for pick-up basketball games.  The games got intense for sixth graders and the reason I got in trouble at school for the first time for inappropriate language.  Sorry Mom.  I wasn’t surprised to learn that Craig had made it to University of Colorado and then transferred to Montana.  He was a great athlete, and I think his parents had hired him a quarterback coach to develop him through middle and high school, but I beat him my fair share of the time.

The National Championship is what brought me back to JMU Sports as an alumnus and I have slowly transformed into the JMU fanatic I am today.  When I got back from Korea, I remember my first JMU home football game and I was in awe that there was actually tailgating and a sold out BFS.  Unbelievable.  Without the NC, I would have unlikely ever returned to campus for a game or become a Duke Club/Season Ticket holder.  I have followed the team closely ever since, desperately wanting to attend JMU’s next National Championship, since I had missed the first one.  I am still waiting; however, the 2008 season was one for the ages.

Sports are so much better when you are invested and passionate about the team, which I believe, is the major issue with JMU sports.  A large portion of the alumni base prior to 2004 has no sense of JMU sports pride.  It’s hard to blame them and helps explain our low endowment.  We do not have brand recognition.  To this day, fellow classmates of mine who are sports fans will ask me questions like, “didn’t we win the D2 championship, or, “so why did we build a new stadium, are we following odu?”  This is why I believe what JMU does with the Carr Report and conference alignment is critical.  We will never bring back a sizable portion of our alumni base as donors if we keep the status quo with regards to athletics.  Plain and simple.  The National Championship did amazing things and we filled a 25K stadium, but that just emblazoned our base.  I know many who still label JMU football small time based on our FCS status.  The 25K will continually decrease if the fan base doesn’t receive a vision for JMU Athletics from the school.  I know many people who became first time season ticket holders based on the new stadium and expectations that we would be playing FBS.  After recent frustrations and very little communication from JMU, the patience is wearing thin for some.  JMU and President Alger needs to stop “National Parking” us with informational barricades and put it all out there like so many other schools that have transitioned.  We have to get the alumni base invested and in love with JMU Sports again or even for the first time!  Capitalize on the recent exposure from the NCAA basketball tourney and give the football program a desperate shot in the arm with a playoff run and a big announcement!  I believe in the coming years, we will see more and more graduating classes that experienced 2004, 2008, 2013 (Basketball), and 2013’s second football National Championship!  With their desire to return to campus on beautiful Fall Saturdays to tailgate, we will start growing a stronger and larger fan base.