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How did you become a Dolphin fan?

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by BayAreaFinFan, Sep 26, 2010.

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  1. BayAreaFinFan

    BayAreaFinFan D'oh Club Member

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    Out here in California I'm always asked (and ridiculed) as to why I am a Dolphin fan. I know a lot of members here are Florida natives, but some of us aren't. I thought it would be interesting to hear some of the stories how you were hooked on the Phins.

    I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I am a Dolphin fan. My dad was a military kid and lived in Florida for 8 years as a kid in the early 70's (lucky him). So as the only pro sports team there at the time he became a Dolphin fan. When he relocated to the Bay Area. He became a Giant and Warrior fan but still always rooted for the Dolphins and never jumped on Raider or 49er bandwagon. So that is why I am a Phin fan. Sorry if this is the wrong section for this thread or to bore anyone. It's my first thread :up:
     
  2. siciliansith

    siciliansith Resident Deviant

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    I have posted in the Introduce yourself thread you can find some of this stuff there. I think its dolphin relevent though! Great first thread

    My Father and Grandfather were Dolphins fans! I was born in june of 74 and the story is I was in momma belly during a december 73 game in the orangebowl.
    While my dad was visting his father that had moved to miami.

    As i got a little older I remeber Grandpa coming up from Florida for the first time and my dad had a party for the 82 Redskins Miami game. I remeber everyone being pissed.

    In 84 I had 5th grade teacher who was a huge dolphins fan and a president or official in our local dolphin fan club. He would dress in awesome authentic TD costume every Holloween. For a writing lesson once we sent letters to the front office and they sent us patches, pictures and letters very cool. During this time i knew i was a phin fan since birth and with Marino and Shula i became a diehard! :knucks:

    To this day im a Dolphin fan proud

    EDIT I LIVE IN BILLS COUNTRY. So sticking it to my cousins helped also
     
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  3. Samphin

    Samphin Κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει

    Bay Area guy myself. Not exactly sure how I became a Dolphins fan other than I probably saw them on TV and saw Marino and thought, "he seems good." Same way I became a Dodgers, Lakers and L.A. Kings fan living in the Bay.
     
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  4. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

    Great thread.

    I'm living in Los Angeles, but I'm from Toronto. lol.

    Fell in love with the Dolphins at first sight in the game where Leon Lett's screw up led to our winning touchdown.

    Dan Marino had me hooked. Plus we went to Florida on winter vacations all the time so I loved SoFla.

    Mostly though, I just don't understand why EVERYONE doesn't love the Dolphins!!!?
     
  5. gamblerx

    gamblerx New Member

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    Interesting thread.

    Well, I'm a Florida native. Grew up in a small city near Miami. Though none of my family aren't into football, I became a Dolphins fan due to surroundings and friends. It was back in 1997 when I watched my first football game and Dan Marino got me into it and the Dolphins. Since then, I embrace the Dolphins logo.
     
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  6. jazz

    jazz Active Member

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    quite simple really. born in miami and it's the team my father cheers for.
     
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  7. siciliansith

    siciliansith Resident Deviant

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    I was i guess always a phins fan but Marino helped alot. I remeber that Teacher use to give us points if we did well that accumulated and we could use them like dollars at the end of the year. We used them towards posters and stuff he had in his room i saved up all yr to win a Marino poster.

    And i'll forgive ya for being a Dodger fan GO YANKEES
     
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  8. BuckeyeKing

    BuckeyeKing Wolves DYNASTY!!!!

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    I watched highlights of Marino I became a Dolphin fan. I was probably 4 or 5 when I was rooting for them. So it grew to just more than Marino. So yes I started out as a bandwagon fan wasn't born in Miami so I can't say I was rooting for the hometown team.
     
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  9. CaribPhin

    CaribPhin Guest

    On my island in The Bahamas, the majority of us are either Cowgirls fans, or Dolphins fans. I was born into a family with a Dolphin father. I had no choice. What surprises me is I'm young and got to witness first hand the glory(gory?) days of Cameron, Saban, and Wanny, as my first Dolphin experience yet I'm still a Dolphin fan.
     
  10. ChrisKo

    ChrisKo Season Ticket Holder

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    My Dad got stationed in Korea for a year, so we lived in Titusville with my grandparents during that time and it was the first football team I watched live. Thankfully my grandmother took my sister to see the Bucs (even though my grandmother was a Dolphin fan) and my grandfather took me to the Dolphins. They just wanted to give us both a unique experience, hence why we went to different games.

    All the other sports I watched with my Dad who was born in Detroit so that's why I'm a Pistons/Redwings/Tigers fan. Lions are my soft spot secondary team, like the Spurs are my secondary NBA team because I grew up in SA.
     
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  11. siciliansith

    siciliansith Resident Deviant

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    God bless Shula! Keep believing Slowmotion. It always can get worse you could be a bills Fan
     
  12. eric

    eric New Member

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    born and raised in south florida
     
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  13. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Grandfather was from Miami, and I was born in upstate New York, he used to bring me dolphin gear, jammies with footies, sneakers, hats, the whole thing...been a fan since 5.
     
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  14. siciliansith

    siciliansith Resident Deviant

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    Cool story. Your dad has my respect and your grandparents are cool that they did that for you both. :up:

    Rock on
     
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  15. siciliansith

    siciliansith Resident Deviant

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    wow very similiar im in western Ny though. :up:

    I didnt get dolphin gear but i did get change to put in my pacman piggy bank lol

    ** All they talked about when he came up was the Dolphins and the Yankees
     
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  16. FinFan_Est.1984

    FinFan_Est.1984 Get Aggressive!!!

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    The year was 1984 in Orange County, California I had just turned 8 years old and we were at church when my cousin and his Dad were talking about how excited they were to get home and watch the Dolphins game. I had not really watched that much football before (my dad wasn't into it we were a baseball family), but I was really excited to see what all the fuss was about so I went to my cousins house after church and watched Dan Marino light up the Redskins on opening day!

    I was in awe! Who was this god-like man with a Rocket arm? I fell in love with the Dolphins right then and there. What a season that was for me as a kid. They went to the Super Bowl and lost to the Niners. Marino and the Marks brothers went to the Pro Bowl and I was hooked.

    My whole family is Cuban so it doesn't hurt that the Dolphins are from Miami either.
     
  17. BayAreaFinFan

    BayAreaFinFan D'oh Club Member

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    Love hearing all of these stories. Usually I'm just greeted with a :loser: when they hear I like the Dolphins. I'm normally the only Phin fan at any type of football event. This is my happy place :lol:
     
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  18. frags

    frags New Member

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    My Parents and family as a whole are from Uruguay, where futbol reigns supreme. My Parents honestly do not get it, although my Father's ability to understand the game has improved. I never forget him watching my games and telling me that he cannot even see where the ball is half the time. Alas, he has gotten better. Where and how I became a Dolphin fan stemmed from my older brother who, when he came to the States with my Parents, rooted for them from Day 1. A part of this " Dolphins nurturing" stemmed from extended family in Miami and West Palm as well. So there you have it.

    This commercial was made for me:

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMQzxSygrv0"]YouTube - "Mass Fans" - DIRECTV 2010 NFL SUNDAY TICKET Commercial[/ame]
     
  19. BayAreaFinFan

    BayAreaFinFan D'oh Club Member

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    Love that commercial. Of course the Dolphin fan is looking good! :up:
     
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  20. siciliansith

    siciliansith Resident Deviant

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    I dont know about looking good its hard to find reasonable dolphin gear up here in NY or up north. I do remember my double goose Dolphin jacket that made me look like a Pumpkin. I LOVED THAT JACKET
     
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  21. BayAreaFinFan

    BayAreaFinFan D'oh Club Member

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    I still have my old green starter button up dolphin jacket, I can't bring myself to get rid of it. If you're gonna wear dolphin gear especially parkas and jackets you're gonna stand out. LOL.
     
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  22. siciliansith

    siciliansith Resident Deviant

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    I tell ya I wore it proud its just hard to show the girlfriends the old pics lmao
     
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  23. Germanfinfan

    Germanfinfan New Member

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    I'm from Germany and as you can imagine, there is not a lot of American Football going on over here. But the NFL Europe made it interesting for a lot of people in Europe. I live near the city where Düsseldorf Rhein Fire played and went, first only to a few, but in the last years of the league to a lot of games. In the early stages of the leage, I guess it was only a big party with tailgating and stuff for most people but they grew a nice, diehard fan base over the years and plenty of them are pissed that the NFL decided to close the league.

    But that doesn't explain why I chose the Phins to be my team. It started with Madden 2000 I think. I liked Defensive Football and guys like Thomas, Taylor, Surtain, Marion and Madison played really well. The first game I saw live on TV was the huuuuge playoff meltdown against the Jaguars.
    I can say that I'm definatly not someone who jumps on the bandwaggon of a succesful team, as I lived through Wanstead, Saban and Cameron. But I will always support the Miami Dolphins. I fell in love with them and I will do anything to see them live in Sun Life Stadium in the future. I can't wait for tonight. I hate the Jets with passion.

    It's a bit weird I guess to grow such a close relationship to a team that is thousands of miles away but it just happened.

    Don't know much about baseball but I was in LA last year and went to a Dodgers game. It was alright ;)
     
  24. frozenfin

    frozenfin Well-Known Member

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    When I was about 7 or 8 I played video games with the neighbor kids, and we loved Tecmo Bowl & Tecmo Super Bowl. I ended up playing as the Dolphins more often than not, I liked the colors and this dude named Marino helped me beat the other boys a lot. Then in January 1993 I casually saw the Dolphins vs Bills AFC Championship game, I think my mom and I were at a bowling alley and it was on TV. I thought, "hey that's the Dolphin team I play on the video games". They definitely had cooler colors than the Bills heh, so the next season 1993 I started watching as many of their games as I could in Packer country. The first game I recorded onto VHS was in Cleveland when Marino hurt his Achilles. Passion for Dan and the Fins grew and grew, and I was happy to be a rebel against the rising Packers during the mid/late 90s and during their 96-97 Super Bowl years. I always wore my Dolphin shirts and Marino jersey at school with pride.

    Lost interest after Marino retired, didn't pay much attention to football during busy years of college ("The Seahawks are in the Super Bowl? When did they stop sucking?"). During 2007 my girlfriend at the time was a big Packer fan so I would watch all those games with her, I paid a little attention to my sad 1-15 Dolphins. Then Parcells came in, I was intrigued with Favre going to NY and Pennington coming to Miami, and I was pulled back into my Dolphin obsession.
     
  25. Conuficus

    Conuficus Premium Member Luxury Box

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    My dad first introduced me to the Dolphins. He liked them, had them on the TV all the time down here. We used to always get Dolphins games down here because we got the East Coast coverage back in the day.

    Just liked the team. Always have, always will.
     
  26. RickyNeverInhaled

    RickyNeverInhaled Well-Known Member

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    i was born in Ft. Lauderdale. the rest is history. i live in Alabama now and i refuse to watch college and/or have a college team. i think it would take away from my love for the Dolphins. i feel like i would be cheating on them! lol
     
  27. 54Fins

    54Fins "In Gase we trust"

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    I grew up in Giants/Jets territory. Every week those 2 teams are on TV.There weren't "other" games on at that time.I wasn't a fan of any team.
    All I remember was watching Csonka run through the Jets D and saying how I liked him and wanted to emulate how he plays.
    I was a Dolphins fan ever since my parents said.
    That was a long time ago.:whistling:
     
  28. New_York_Fins_Fan

    New_York_Fins_Fan New Member

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    I am a Dolphins fan because my father is a Dolphins fan..both of us growing up in NY...why he became a Dolphins fan I don't know..but I am glad he is!!!
     
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  29. 7youngphin7

    7youngphin7 The Future

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    My Dad taught me right...

    Be a Dolphin fan or change my own dang diapers....
     
  30. Cpt T Kirk

    Cpt T Kirk New Member

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    I became a fan in the 2008 season. Actually it was the game when the Dolphins beat the Jets at the end of the season. Honestly I was never into sports other than keeping up with WVU a little. I knew about the 1-15 season and then I found out about the complete turnaround. I was loving watching Pennington beat his former team. After watching that game I started following the Dolphins and football in general.
     
  31. phineas64

    phineas64 Season Ticket Holder

    I was 8 when the early 70s Fins w/Cosnka, Griese, Warfild, et al, went to the first of the 3 Super Bowls, and you know how kids love a winner. I also grew up in Illinois, and I don't normally follow the crowd, so since everyone else there was a fan of Chicago, StL Cardinals, or KC Chiefs, it was pretty natural I went a different way. They hooked me then, and my loyalty has been in Mia ever since.
     
  32. Athrun340

    Athrun340 New Member

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    I became a Dolphins because of Madden and Ricky Williams. I immigrated to United States back in 2003 and I didn't know anything about football. However, i found the madden game interesting and decided to buy it. That's how it started. Ricky Williams with his dreadlocks and dark visor was on the background of the menu. Since i didn't have a team, i chose the Dolphins because the #34 guy with his cool dreadlocks was on that team. Then one sunday, i saw the Dolphins playing in Baltimore and started rooting for them (that was a low scoring game btw 12-9 was the score i think hahaha) Anyway, thats how i became a Dolphins fan. It was tough being a Dolphin fan and living in another state. I only saw the Dolphins play once or twice a year on tv. That was back in 2003, 04, 05 .... atleast now there are streams available every week. I swear one of these days when i graduate from school Im gonna get a Sunday Ticket and fly to miami to watch a game.

    PS:
    -i still couldnt believe it when Ricky Williams retired
    -that 2003 defense was so good.. brock marion, sam madison, pat surtain, zach thomas, adewale ogunleye.
    -jay fiedler :no:
    -dave wannstedt :no:
     
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  33. MinnesotaFinsFan

    MinnesotaFinsFan New Member

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    I have been a fan since 86'. Growing up I loved watching football with my Uncle who is a huge Colts fan. Well one Sunday the Fins and Colts were playing and I decided to be a smart a@@ and root against my Uncle and his Colts and have been a fan since that day.
     
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  34. CANEPHINS

    CANEPHINS No Tats & Dreads Allowed

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    born April 21st 1972 in Broward General in FTL. I was born a Phins. Went to 2 home games as an infant during the perfect season. I repeat...I was born a Phin!
     
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  35. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    I had just turned 18, and was working on my 4th shot of tequila with a beer chaser, when a image appeared before my eyes, an image of a large Dolphin.

    And it was talking to me, it said:

    "Down by the old shrimp boat dock"

    Stunned, I took that to mean "become a Dolphins fan"

    So henceforth, I was a Dolphins fan.

    It was only years later that I discovered I was actually watching a "Flipper" marathon on TBS...:shifty:
     
  36. ukdolphin

    ukdolphin New Member

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    I had been watching the NFL for two years when my dad (who is a Jets fan and has been for thirty years!) told me he had just got two tickets to the Dolphins - Giants game at Wembley. After seeing the Jason Taylor statue and all the build up I decided to support the Dolphins. At the time I didnt realise why but my Dad didn't want me to support them and kept asking me if I wanted to change my mind and support the giants.

    That game also happened to be the start of my hatred for the Jets as I was surrounded by drunk Jets fans who had come all the way from New York just to shout 'squish the fish' in my ear for the whole game.
     
  37. siciliansith

    siciliansith Resident Deviant

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    Great stories great thread
     
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  38. BayAreaFinFan

    BayAreaFinFan D'oh Club Member

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    Love the stories guys! No matter what background we have we all can share the fact that we root for the best team in sports! Nobody can call any of us here bandwagon fans either, believe me the phins test your dedication and we're all still here. Go dolphins.
     
  39. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I was born in Hollywood, Fla in '73 and ever since I can remember I rooted for the underdogs, so naturally throughout my childhood I rooted for whoever was playing Miami (mainly to make my mom mad, I think....my dad though it was funny). I remember going to games at a really young age and I'd say, "Dad, who's the team in the black and gold?" He'd say, "the steelers," so I'd yell "go Steelers!" Every week it was a different team, and it embarrassed my mom to death at the games.

    Around 1980 we moved to Davie and Manny Fernandez lived a few houses down, and his daughter Christina was within a few years of me so we played a lot together. Now, from a 7 year old's memory they were super rich because they always had huge Haloween parties and treated all the kids really good, and although I didn't know who Manny was (as far as Fins history goes) his daughter was super cute and told me to like the Dolphins.

    So somewhere along the line I stopped rooting against the Fins, and when I started playing football in high school we'd go sell concessions at the games...so I pretty much went to every single home game (including Super Bowls) throughout the '90's, either with my dad or with our school. Seeing Marino was inspirational...there's nothing like being down by 21 in the 3rd and winning the game....I'll never forget some of those comebacks.

    If you've ever been to a game in the Orange Bowl it's like being on a roller coaster...the whole stadium shook because there was so much energy in the crowds. Watching the Canes and the Fins there felt magical...and to this day I still can't fully explain it...but Miami has a ton of pride in our Fins and it brings back great childhood memories.
     
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  40. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Well, the truth of the matter is:

    My family comes from Buffalo, they are all Bills fans, so being naturally contrarian I became a Dolphins fan.

    Circa..1979 or so, so I watched Csonka and Griese's last games as Dolphins, two Super Bowls, and Marino's entire career.

    Gave it up during the Wanny era, just could not stand to see what he had done to my beloved Dolphins Team, but did manage to catch the 04 Comeback game.

    Picked it back in 2007, which kinda sucked, but since Sparano arrived it has been much better.:up:
     
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