 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki When I started RocketFootball.Net a few years ago, my intent was to promote Toledo Rockets football and to have a place for Rocket fans to gain information about the football program. If you read this site often, you have probably read numerous articles about players, coaches, and games. The one thing you have not read about is the importance of you, the fan. Today, that changes. There are all kinds of Rocket fans of all ages, gender, and race. Some fans have season tickets, some get to a couple of games, and some only get to listen on the radio or watch the games available on national television. I still remember being a child and first getting introduced to Rocket football. Back in the early 80's my parents took my sister and I to Rocket football games. Back then the players would come out after the game and talk to friends and family in the area where the Larimer Complex is now. They would talk for a few minutes, before heading over to Savage Hall (then known as Centennial Hall) where their main locker room was. We were walking through there one time and I stopped and said "Hi" to a player. Little did I know that he was a walk-on that did not play. His name was George Hitchcock and he was so surprised that someone actually singled him out and said "Hi" that he gave me one of his elbow pads and we started a friendship. After every home game I would meet George outside the Glass Bowl and we would talk. I also got to know his roommate, defensive end Bob Beemer. After that season George Hitchcock decided to move forward with his life and he left the team. I still kept in touch with Bob Beemer and we had a nice friendship. My family and I would wait outside the stadium gates with Bob's family to talk to him after the game. From that point on I became a huge Rocket fan. Over the years I watch and listened to as many Rocket football games as I could. And it grew into this site, RocketFootball.Net. Ned Wright has been a huge Rocket fan since his childhood as well. "I fell in love with UT sports when I was 12 and was a sixth grader at Longfellow elemenatry school" says Mr. Wright. Ned has been following UT sports ever since. When it comes to football, he has been a UT season ticket holder for the last 38 years and he has visited every MAC stadium in the process. Fred Janiszewski went to his first UT football game in 1954. Toledo beat Bowling Green 38-7 that day, and he's been following the Rockets ever since. After purchasing individual game tickets for several years, Fred became a season ticket holder 10 years ago and he also goes to a few road games every year. Over the years, Fred has gained some great memories of Rocket football. Winning their first MAC Championship in 1967, wins over Marshall and Penn State in 2000, and the victory over 9th ranked Pittsburgh in 2003 are some of those memories. A couple of other great memories were when Toledo snapped a 12 game losing streak to Bowling Green with a 33-0 victory over the Falcons in their 1967 Homecoming game, and watching kicker Ken Crots kick a last second field goal to beat Bowling Green 27-26 in 1969. Whether you have been a Rocket fan for several years or are a brand new fan, you are a big reason for the Rockets success. Toledo has won 17 straight games at home and 34 of their last 35, dating back to the 1999 season. Toledo holds the two largest crowds in MAC history, with 36,852 against Navy in 2001 and 36,502 against Northern Illinois in 2001. The 31,981 fans that watched Toledo come from behind to beat Bowling Green 49-41 last year was the 7th largest crowd in Glass Bowl history. From one Rocket fan to another, thank you for helping make Rocket football such a great atmosphere! Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |