How did you become a Skins fan?

[DButz65]

I was born in Fairfax, went to High school at Yorktown in Arlington. Became a skins fan after their last superbowl victory. Have been ever since.

HTTR!!

Boooooo go Generals!!

(W&L Alumni here) heheh

[kingfish50]

Man, great stories! Me, born and raised in DC and the Md. burbs. I've been a Skins fan as long as I can remember, back in the days of Sonny Jurgenson, Joe Rutgens, Charly Taylor, Bobby Mitchell, Chris Hanburger. They were the Deadskins back then. All offense and no defense until Vince Lombardi came here and started to turn things around. He died and the following year was dismal. Then came George Allen. Soon after, this city fell in love with the Redskins.

I'm now raising my little 5 year old daughter to be a die hard (hello Sally Jenkins!) Redskin fan. This Christmas, she got all kinds of toys. After opening her presents, she said, daddy! I replied, yes honey. She said daddy, I forgot to ask Santa for something and I said, what was that? She said, I forgot to ask Santa for some new Redskin stuff and now I'm sad. Now that's a born and bred Redskin fan! ( going out this saturday to buy her a couple of redskin shirts ).

Happy New Year everybody and HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!

[Fan035]

Born in DC and my parents were avid fans. Now I've made my kids/grandkids fans.

[dsciambi]

When I was 7, I remember watching the 91 Superbowl at a friend of my parents' house. Since we were living in Maryland, I remember everyone going nuts. I think that's when I actually became a fan. Now, being in the Army and overseas, I meet fans of all teams, and it's the greatest feeling for the Redskins to roll over them (lots of NFC East rival fans in the military).

I was born on Black Sunday, however, so for the past decade or so I've felt like a "bad luck fan." I'm so glad that Gibbs has us winning again, so my curse is over! Being born on Black Sunday though, I feel as though I have no choice but to be a Redskins fan for life.

[willle]

Escaping from Vietnam in 1981 at the age of 6, my brother and I arrived in Maryland in September 1982 and lived with our relatives. We lived in a house filled with football fans -- mostly Redskins fan. Even at the age of 6, we knew there was something special about Joe Gibbs and the entire Redskins team. The first American song I learned was "Hail to the Redskins." And of course, the Redskins won their first Super Bowl the year that I arrived to this great land!

It's amazing how whenever I watch old Redskins game, I can still identify every Redskins with their jersey #'s (Olkewicz, Coleman, Mark Murphy, Mike Nelms, D. Grant, D. Butz, and all the other greats).

I remember growing up very poor, but at least we had every Sunday in the fall to look forward to -- a Redskins victory. A loss and all of Sunday, Monday and most of the rest of the week was very difficult to get through. The return of Joe Gibbs has been like re-living my childhood all over again!

Hail to the Redskins!

[VintageGold]

Born during a Redskins/Cowboys game.

The doctor who delivered me had season tickets. According to my mother, the doctor drove to the hospital from the game, delivered me, then drove back.

[wshngtn1]

I'm a military brat and we were stationed in Germany when I was 3, 4 and 5. We only got one TV channel there but for some odd reason they showed a couple of Skins game during those years. I remember my father sitting there watching him hootin and hollering while I sat there sucking my thumb (probably day dreaming about big bird). But he said that I got to cheering when he cheered and that started the Redskins birthday cake every year for me from that point on. As far as remembering watching the Skins seriously, it wasn't until about 85. My favorite memory is The Posse doing their thing. My favorite skin is Green. My favorite coach is Joe God.

[dieselfan44]

After SB 17 I saw a Riggo jersey in a local sports store. I begged and begged for it and finally got it. I was eight years old then and still have the jersey today. I live in NC and when the Panthers came to town I developed a dallas-like hate for them. Most other skins fans adopted the Panthers as their new favorite.

[WolfMan]

Born in D.C.

Raised Skins fan from first second....

Whole family are Skins fans....

Almost 37 years of HTTR!!!!!!

Been there through the good, the bad, and the ugly...

Cried like a baby from joy when I heard Joe was coming back!!!

Will die a Skins fan!

:dallasuck :eaglesuck :gaintsuck

[macnoke03]

Born in Fairfax, family full of Skins fans...ya just gotsta

[Boots]

I specificaly remember being in my mothers whom, and listening to the games with Sonny at the QB position and rooting for the Skins! Been screaming my head off ever since.

[Dccat]

My older Brother, turned me on to the Skins, when I was like 5yrs old, He was 10. we would always pretend to be Skins while playing football in the backyard, He was Mike Nelms, I was Mike Thomas, or Tony Greene. He also Like Ken Houston, and Mike Bass. I can even remember crying when we lost the Super Bowl to Miami in 72, although I was only 7. I also went to see us play one Monday night in Baltimore,and Bert Jones carved us up. I was pretty upset that night too.Although I cant quite remember what year that was. I just know Bert and Lydell Mitchell Killed us that night.Besides I was born & raised in DC/MD.

[halter91]

Mine is quite unique, being from Philadelphia area. Anyways, I was at my Grand pops when I was really young and I remember him watching the Dallas/Skins game. He was rooting for the Skins cause every Philly fan hates Dallas, I didn't know it at the time, so I began rooting for the Skins. I liked a bunch of different teams when I was young, but when I got in High School I began to really follow the Skins. I would collect Skins cards and watch them every chance I could. I honestly didn't hate the Iggles till I became older, 21ish and when people would ask who I like I said the Skins, they were mostly a holes so from then on, I hated the Birds and rooted against them.

[RedskinsNation]

Pops is a diehard fan....my earliest Redskins memory was sitting on the couch watching the Redskins with him. Just grew over time....and became an obsession...good years or bad years...still an obsession. I remember being on his shoulders while we were in Gtown right after the Redskins beat the dolphins in '82. I was only a toddler but I do recall that the city went nuts when we won the title.

[[[ghost]]]

around 1997... i just started watching football, and i loved it. it only made sense for me to like the skins since i live in maryland (although technically, i should be a ravens fan if i was choosing by location :doh:)

[iceman330]

My mom's a fan, uncles are fans, cousins are fans, friends in the neighborhood were fans....i was indoctrinated from day one.....39 yrs ago. I liked Pittsburgh for a minute but later realized that I was not a Steelers fan as, I just liked some of those players.

My love for the Skins, really grew when I went away to college. Man, being around folks from Boston and NY during the 80s was something. I found myself sticking up for the Skins, usually by myself in a room full of New Yorkers. That's when I realized how much I cared b/c I would get down-right offended if someone talked smack about my city or my team.

[MikeB]

My mother bought me a Redskins jacket when I was little. I was probably 8 at the time. the jacket was probably on sale at Kmart or something (being that we live in PA.)

I loved them ever since.

[wysknz1]

I grew up in a small town in Montana and never paid much attention to any sports. Then we moved to Wyoming and had a real neat thing called cable TV complete with color instead of B&W. That was the year I discovered the Super Bowl which just happened to be VII. I saw the logo, the burgundy and gold and thought "let's see, football's supposed to be a tough game, what's so tough about a dolphin?" And c'mon, AQUA? For a color of a football team? Plus when we moved here everyone told me I HAD to cheer for the Bronco's and I said "OH YEA?? MAKE ME!" And I never have yet. Ive been a SKINS fan ever since, I definately made the right choice way back then and haven't regreted it since! "GO B&G!!":logo: :logo: :logo: :logo: :broncosuc :helmet::helmet: :helmet: :helmet:

[ncskinsfan71]

Best. Thread. Ever.

[Sknsnation]

:helmet: :helmet: the first football game i ever watched ,im talking the whole game was the skins and packers in the playoffs when the skins were on there way to their first s b against the dolphins...the 14-7 loss,i have been hooked ever since, man i totally fell in love with the skins win, lose, good, bad doesnt matter. i tell every one its not a choice,..... but away of life HTTR for life ..BABY:helmet: :helmet: :eaglesuck :eaglesuck :eaglesuck

[PhoenixSkinsFan]

I specificaly remember being in my mothers whom, and listening to the games with Sonny at the QB position and rooting for the Skins! Been screaming my head off ever since.

Classic.

I was born in Alexandria, grew up in Woodbridge. My dad and other relatives tell stories of when I was a 2 or 3 and he would ask what happens when 17 gets the ball. My response was sticking my hands up in the air and yelling "touchdown!"

Fast forward a couple of years. I went to a day care center and they had class pictures each year. The kids were required to wear red sweaters and white shirts. Maybe because my parents weren't able to afford a new red sweater or it was because my dad had a sense of humor, but I was the only one in the group of 20 kids wearing a burgundy sweater with a giant Redskins crest on the chest. It is one of the funniest pictures I've ever seen of me. I love it.

Now the 2005 version of "touchdown" response. I ask my 2 year old son what happens when Sean Taylor gets on the field. His response of course is "Jacked Up!!"

I will die a Redskins fan.

[THE FOOT]

I played Pee-Wee footbal in the late 60s for the redskins in St Petersburg,Fla Most teams had names after teams in the NFL and I would watch my favorite players of the time Jonny U Bart Starr and most of all the hardest hitting defensive player on the skins "Pat Fischer" and I have been a REDSKIN faithful ever since

[Oldgreywolf1961]

1982/3 season just got in late on a january sun night and flicking through the 4 channels that we had at that time(uk), when the newest channel (ch4) had started to show something called 'american football' and the game they were showing was the skins and dolphins superbowl, what can i say a few hours of the 'funbunch' and the 'diesel' especially the 4th and 1 from the 43yard line and i was hooked (still am), was gutted the next season tho when we lost to the raiders, the skins are my team but in my honest opinion in the years that i have been watching LT is the finest player i have seen, the 85 bears 'd' is the best defence i have seen, the dolphins 84 'o' on offence with my fav. skins players being theisman, green and monk, regards from england

[cyfar]

Let's see.... Born and raised here in DC. The odd thing is that my mother is a Cowpuke's fan. She used to buy me all kinds of Dallas junk (hats, raincoats, umbrellas and all that mess). Then in 86, I finally started paying attention to the Skin's games, mainly because Dallas games weren't broadcasted in the area that much. Then during a Dallas v. Skins game, I found myself cheering on the home team. Players like Darrell Green, Art Monk, Dexter Manley, Dave Butz, Donny Warren and seeing Coach Gibbs pull off those halftime adjustments time after time really won me over and I've been a Skins fan ever since. Eventually I tossed all of the Dallas junk my mom got me, started collecting Redskins stuff and that's when my mom got the message.

[CTaylor42]

My best friend invited me over to his house to watch the 1972 NFC Championship game between Dallas and Washinton. I saw Charley Taylor torch not one, but two CB's on that day. From that day on I was a fan of Charley Taylor and the Skins.