How did you become a Bengals fan?

[MasonDT70]

Wow just from reading all these stories, I realize that I'm really quite a bit younger than most here lol. I wish I could've watched some of the Bengal greats, but alas I was born too late.

[*rfaulk34*]

1978 (12 years old), my uncle worked at Barleycorn's downtown. My dad had said he's seen Bengals players there before so one Friday night i ask him to get me a couple autographs (i was just getting into football at the time). So Saturday morning i'm watching cartoons and i start to remember this cool dream i had the night before, only after thinking about it for a minute i wasn't so sure it was a dream so i walk back into my bedroom and on the dresser was an autographed photo, an NFL football and tickets to that weeks game.

Turns out, Gary Burley gave my dad the stuff which included the game ball he got earlier in the year for a win against Houston where he had 4 sacks (Bengals only win up to that point in the season that year).

Sunday afternoon, a drizzly glorious first ever NFL football game and the Bengals beat the Falcons 37-7. After that, me and another kid rode in Burley's Caddy to get dinner.

I was actually able to tell Gary about this a few years ago when he was on Lance's show.

Been hopelessly hooked ever since.

[CaliBengal]

(10-21-2015, 05:16 AM)My family are Vietnamese immigrants. In 1980s my parents by boat escaped Vietnam, from there they ended up in New York, and they transferred my family and the other immigrants to Cincinnati. I was born at the University of Cincinnati April 30, 1989. This date actually holds historic meaning, on April 30, 1975 it is called "Fall of Saigon". Anyways, Most of my family started to move from Cincinnati to San Jose, CA in 1995 and i have been here ever since. But when i was young even at 5-6 years old i remember my dad watching the Bengals play a lot on TV. As I grew up and played sports, i learned about my family history and saw that i was actually born in Cincinnati from then on i have been a Bengals fans since. Living out here in San Jose, there are rarely any Bengal fans! Im surrounded by 49ers and Raider fans. (believe me i know the story of the 1988 SuperBowl) but hey it was 1 year before i was born :) I also  went to the Oakland Raider game week 1 and man was i a proud Bengal fan walking around getting heckled (it all stopped when we were up 33-0) Im a huge Golden State Warrior fan and i can honestly say this Bengal team feels the same in terms of building the team through the draft and having continuity with each other for 2-5 years finally gave them their first championship in 40 years. I just hope Cincinnati could do the same this year!!! Wrote: I'm curious on how you all became fans of this team. Being from Alaska, my situation is semi unique. Alaska has no team, so the Seahawks are sort of the adopted team of the state. I'd say anywhere from 30-40% of Alaskans are Seahawks fans(probably half of that from just their recent success).

I remember in roughly 1998 or 99 when I was 5 or 6, my family being huge football fans, decided I was old enough to pick my own team. They showed me all the teams. I was big into animals at the time, and it came between the 4 cat teams, Bengals, Lions, Jags, and Panthers. It was between the Jaguars and Bengals. I had a hard time deciding between the two until my uncle(also a Bengals fan) gave me a Bengals football card. Don't remember who it was unfortunately. That sealed the deal, and I've been a loyal fan ever since.

[cinci4life]

Bengals fan born and raised.

[CinciREborn]

I wanted to follow a football team that sucked so I could troll people IRL who followed good teams. I would tell them their teams suck so bad that my Bengals were better. Now that everyone is saying we're Superbowl bound I'm at a delima. I'm considering making a thread announcing that I am leaving the Bengals bandwagon because we're so good

[Gamma Ray Tan]

Since Day 1. Grew up in SE Indiana my family are Bengals fans. My dad was an art teacher and he would make me my own silk screened Bengals shirts and my own Bengals helmet. Still have the Super Bowl shirt he made me when I was 11. My Uncle had season tix as well, so I got to go to some games.

[BonnieBengal]

Born in Cincy. Grew up in Northbrook, near Northgate Mall. I left when I was 18 years old in 1982 when my husband joined the Air Force. He retired in 2002, and now he follows me around with my job. I currently work in Johnson City, TN, but always a Bengals fan. I go home 2 -3 times a year to see family, catch a game if possible, and stock up on geotta and Frisch's tartar sauce.

[Bengals_Legendary]

I was playing NFL [something] video game with my brother... I believe 94'. I was scrolling through teams and I saw the AWESOME Bengals helmet and I said, "Who is that team?" He told me who it was, and explained how much they sucked. In regards to their talent, he was right...but I was hooked on the Bengals ever since,

[BengalFanInNJ]

Let's see. Well, I was born and raised in Central New Jersey in the heart of New York Giants land (with a sprinkle of New York Jets fans). My family are Giants fans although my father is a Giant AND Jet guy. He was off the boat from Ireland so he picked both the local teams as his favorites, but, I think he was more of a Giant fan then Jet. Anyway, before I was born he started coaching recreational football for 8-10 year olds in our town. He was asked what team he wanted to be and chose the Bills (that was his  name). There was something about the helmets he couldn't do or they couldn't get the uniform so they asked him to pick another team. He picked the Bengals since he thought he could stencil the BENGALS on the orange helmets he would get. I was born a few years later (1973) and would be the "mascot" of the team until I played football myself. Since I got a bunch of Bengals shirts as a mascot, I became hooked. Back then, they were not that good but that didn't stop me. I loved football and became a loyal and militant fan. If I wasn't a Bengals fan, I would be a Giants fan. I kind of root for them anyway.

In 1981, when they changed their helmets, my brother informed my father that the Bengals were changing their helmets to the stripes. My father had already done the stenciling for all the helmets. It was funny that all the kids on the team wanted to change the helmets to the stripes so my father said they could do it if they wanted to. You should have seen all the variations that were done. One guy totally nailed it. Most were a bit off but still funny. The team picture that year had the helmets on the ground and none were the same. Pretty funny.

People from High School, whom I haven't seen in a while, always tell me that even today when they see a Bengals score they think of me.  

[PApinhead]

I was born and raised in Central PA, surrounded by Steelers fans, including my Dad. When I was too young to really pick a team, I just followed my Dad and rooted for the Steelers. To this day Mean Joe Greene is my all-time favorite player. Anyways, fast forward to 1979 when I was 8 and I decided I wanted to be a Bengals fan because they were orange and black, my favorite colors. This was back when they had the plain orange helmet with the "Bengals" on the side. I didn't even know what a Bengal was. My Dad told me it was a tiger and since they were my favorite animal, that was perfect. My Dad said I could root for whatever team I wanted. He then even bought me a Bengals helmet and my first jersey, an Isaac Curtis jersey. I loved them! Oh...my town started up a peewee football league and you had to provide your own equipment. Guess what I wore? You got it; my Bengals helmet and Isaac Curtis jersey. That was awesome!! The Bengals have been my team ever since.

Oh yeah, about the same time I became a Bengals fan, my older brother decided that he was going to be a Seahawks fan. I loved how cool my Dad was with us being fans of other teams.

[Utts]

When I was 13-years old my Father gave my Brother (who had season tickets that season while attending UC) 2 tickets to the Bengals vs. 49ers Super Bowl in Detroit. The only catch was he had to take his little brother to the game ... it was my very first NFL game, and despite losing that night I was a fan ever since. I wound up going down to UC for school, and getting my own season tickets in 1987. Needless to say that was good timing giving what was about to happen in 1988.

I held season tickets from 1988 until a 2-years ago when I moved to Phoenix.

[BoomerFan]

Late in '88 bandwagon fan. Was sure we'd win that Superbowl.

[Utts]

(10-22-2015, 04:08 PM)BoomerFan Wrote: Late in '88 bandwagon fan. Was sure we'd win that Superbowl.

Leaving Riverfront after the AFC Championship game, I remember fans shouting sentiments along the lines of, "Bring on the 49ers! Time for revenge!" and so forth. Be careful what you ask for!

[miltonians]

(10-21-2015, 09:44 AM)GodFather Wrote: When I was a kid I lived in a small town called Tipp City in Ohio. Back in the 70's the kids liked two teams, the Bengals and the Steelers. Well all the bully's and assholes were Steeler fans so I chose the Bengals.

Its funny because all these years later the fan base for the Steelers hasn't changed at all!!

I grew up right down the road from you in the 70's and 80's in good old West Milton, hence the user name 'Miltonians'.  My dad was a huge Browns fan and i just picked the Bengals to be a little d*%k and have someone to root for that played against his team.  That and they were the closest team and I loved Ken Anderson and Isaac Curtis.

[Interceptor]

(10-21-2015, 09:22 AM)Atomic Orange Wrote: 1981. I was 9 years old and thought the stripes were the coolest thing ever.

Yes, I jumped on the bandwagon that same year.

[GodFather]

(10-23-2015, 11:30 AM)miltonians Wrote: I grew up right down the road from you in the 70's and 80's in good old West Milton, hence the user name 'Miltonians'.  My dad was a huge Browns fan and i just picked the Bengals to be a little d*%k and have someone to root for that played against his team.  That and they were the closest team and I loved Ken Anderson and Isaac Curtis.

I know watching those two guys play together were magic! West Milton, awesome. I haven't been back since I was a kid in the 70's, Im sure I wouldn't even recognize the area today! I remember wearing the Bengals wool cap in the winter and loving it except when you used the facemark part it was too itchy

[*Nately120*]

Gypsy curse

[RoyleRedlegs]

Born and raised Cincinnati.
Survived the 90s and stayed a fan.

It's in the blood stream now

[gobobro]

Born and raised. Archie Griffin lived in my neighborhood, so trick or treating his house with my old school Bengals helmet was fun. Folks had season tickets until they needed the money for other things. Dumped the tickets right before the first Super Bowl run. Still managed to hit Kenny's benching game, an Oilers game (I think), AND the Freezer Bowl... Only play of the game I remember was a vicious hit on Fouts. I remember the blankets we took, mostly. :)

Interest fell off during the 90's while I was in college, but I'd still grab a few $5 tickets a season... Still paid too much for those games. :p

Got back into it hardcore when the stadium bill hit the ballot, and haven't looked back.

[WiregrassBenGal]

We moved to Cincinnati just before my senior year of high school (Arrgh). By then my dad was high up in the company he worked for which meant we got lots of tickets for everything including Bengal's games. It was the end of the era where they still just had the word "Bengals" printed on the side of their helmets. But I really became a fan the year they went to stripes, which everybody knows was also their first Super Bowl season (1981-1982). The best Bengal's game I saw that year was when they came from behind to beat the New York Jets at Shea stadium in front of a bunch of screaming New Yorkers. Though of course the "Freezer Bowl" was good, too and I got to watch it in front of a roaring fireplace and still covered by blankets.

Nearly a year to the day after that Freezer Bowl we got invited to "the booth" to watch the Bengal's game against the Jets where the game time temp was at least 50 degrees warmer. It was the one in which one Jet's guy ran a 102 yard pick six and another (Freeman??) had 200 yards rushing or something. And the Jets beat the Bengals so bad the Jets never had to use their punter.

I also got to see the Bengals playoff game against the Seahawks (yes, younguns, they were in the AFC originally) and that was a lot better result but it was also the game where Seahawks players faked injuries to throw off Boomer and his no-huddle offense.

I live in Florida now and also spent seven years in California. There is a bar in Pasadena where a bunch of rowdy Bengals fans go and I went there to watch a game and have Skyline chili. Unfortunately the Squealers beat up the Bengals pretty bad that day, which was in Andy's first season. Someday I hope to make it to a Bengal's game again in person because there is nothing like it.