Yes, we need more light-hearted fun around here, so how about a confessional thread. Someone started one before the data loss. Go ahead and post your "sins" against Ohio University. Here goes for me:

-I once owned a Wally Szczerbiak Timberwolves jersey. Years before I knew what Ohio University was, I went to Miami's basketball camp. The NBA Draft was that week and I was genuinely sad when Devin Davis came by the next morning after not getting picked.

-I went to the 2004 homecoming game painfully hungover from the night before. At least I think I was there. I think I remember Omar Jacobs kicking our ass.

-Speaking of Bowling Green, I think Bowling Green has a better bar scene than Athens.

-I went on a fraternity trip to Windsor one fall Saturday and faked cheering for Ohio State, which we were able to convince the bartender at a nightclub to put on the TV.

My senior year of high school I wore a Miami tee shirt quite frequently.

I own a "Charlies Corner" t shirt.

I started at OU as an Ohio State fan. By the time I left, on the other hand...

I drive past O$U without barfing.



BTW, going to Homecoming painfully hungover isn't a sin; it may be expected.

I went to see Gary Wright ("Dreamweaver") at Memorial Aud. even though almost everybody else tried to talk me out of going. What they missed was an obscure opening act called "Clover" (Huey Lewis + some eventual Doobie Bros. members!)

I hung out with Jeff and John, the townie party animals who lived above Swanky's (?) even though lots of students were afraid to even go up those stairs.

Also, I helped Jeff and John make a huge batch of "hairy buffalo grog" one new year's eve that had so much alcohol (and so many different types of booze) that a local townie biker girl drank maybe two dixie cups and was so drunk that she was stumbling around saying "who put acid in the grog?" **

I'm ancient enough to remember 3.2 and 6.
(practice saying it... "3-2 is bogus, man")


** Some of you are sugar-coating your confessions. There had to be others who have some sort of strange Halloween or spring riot tales to tell.

Somewhere stashed away in my house is a knee-knocker from 1978.

I knew Purple Haze on a first name basis(Dawn) but never partook.

1. allowed a child to attend a college other than Ohio University.

2. saw the Michael Stanley Band perform in MemAud in '84 or '85; he drew crickets, maybe 1,000 people, if that. Keep in mind, 3-4 years previously he sold out Blossom Music Center in NE Ohio for almost one week straight. I only went to the MemAud concert because I had a free ticket.

Took the same course, more out of curiosity or maybe to satisfy a science requirement? For me it is "Kaibab Limestone" that permanently resides in my hippocampus.

Forgive me green and white fathers as my sins are many:

-I once owned about two dozen different Miami items, ranging from hats, t-shirts, hockey pucks etc. My older sister is an alum and one year for Christmas bought me a Redskins garbage can. A part of me thought that maybe that would be appropriate to keep since they are full of trash ; ) Kind of like having toilet paper featuring the logo of your biggest rival.

Up until my senior year I was pretty set on going to Miami but then saw the light after my sister was complaining to my parents one day that she felt like a loser in her sorority because she was not driving a brand new European sedan.

Am I jerk or an entrepreneur? I sold the whole lot of Redchickens gear to a cousin who ended up going to Miami (for a fair price, I think).

-I am happily married to an Oxford Tech alum. She could care less about the rivalry and really just prefers that the Bobcats win so that I am in a better mood.

-I actually considered going to Marshall as they offered me a nice scholarship. Then I visited Huntington on an away football game Saturday (this was Pennington's final season) and thought this would be hell for four years.

-I actually enjoyed watching all of OSU's close call wins during their 2002 National Championship as my roommates were all big Bucknuts (one now works there). Even bought a copy of the Columbus Dispatch the day after the big win as a keepsake. After hanging on to it for years I recently gave it to a coworker who is a Buckeye fan as I felt like it brought bad Chi to my home. It was possibly kept at bay as my copy of The Post showcasing the 2002 win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill sat on top of it.

-During the Brian Knorr era (3 of of my 4 years as a student) I came up with lyrics to "Sit Down and Cry." Some of O'Shea's first basketball teams provided some chances to sing it as well.

Although I wasn't in Athens until the 70's after playing a pickup game in the Convo I found a program from the Opening Game played at the Convo. It was sitting in a shelf under an old pay phone on the perimeter of the Convo. The game was Indiana, 12/3/68. Apparently Homecoming 1968 they had Simon & Garfunkel playing to a capacity crowd in the Convo. Cost to build the Convo? $8.5 million. That year's schedule opened with Ohio State on the road, Indiana at home then mid-December at Purdue, at Illinois and at Northwestern. Then the Milwaukee Classic with Army, Wisconsin and Marquette at the end of December. Loyola of Chicago was a later February game. So we played 6 Big Ten teams that year!

OCF and a few others may recall many of the players and local merchants. Returning lettermen were Steve Battle, John Canine, Larry Coon, John Glancy, Greg McDivitt, Gerald McKee and Doug Parker. Craig Love was a 19 year old sophomore and his brother Scoot was later on the team when I was in school.

Lamborns, Mathews Service, Swearingen Sporting Goods, Belk Simpson, Page Chevy-Olds, Logan Federal, Keck Distributing, Altmans, Dwight Rutherford Insurance, Beckley's, Ambassador Laundries and of course Athens National Bank, Security Bank, Logan's, Hocking Valley Bank, Van Dyke's Buckeye Cafeteria, Athens Office Supply, Sportsman, Dolen's Drive Inn and The Tavern which I believe was the Greenery, Blue Gator and most recently Over Hang.

Junior year, while living in Irvine I had buddies out at Carriage Hill. After a night uptown at the CI and then back at their place I hustled home in my car at least slightly inebriated to West Green since I had an 8 o'clock. As I crossed the bridge doing close to 60 one of Athens finest was heading across the bridge towards the OU Inn. He made a very quick U-turn and sped up trying to nail me. I pulled into West Green and immediately turned in the James Hall garage, ran up to the green and saw the cop and an Ohio Security car head off in opposite directions slowly. I waited 10 minutes or so and headed off to my dorm with a higher than normal heart rate.

-- I worked as a delivery driver at Pizza Express to help pay for college. My confession is that I liked their pizza. The non-monetary tips were the greatest.

-- I also worked at Pizza House during my second and third Senior years :). My confession is that that was the nastiest pizza I have ever eaten and I apologize to anyone who I served it to.

Back in my days (70's) High Street in Oxford had 3 bars! Boars Head, The Purity and Al & Larry's.

And I will say student turnout at football & basketball back then was very good. Sadly, after golf practice in October 1971 I got to Miami Field to see the 2nd half of the Miami - Marshall game (the year after the plane crash). It ended up 66 - 6. Sherman Smith and Bob Hitchens were a big part of the offense with Bill Mallory as coach.

Want a really strange non-Athens one?

I got pulled over for jay-walking in Columbus once. Between two south campus area bars on High Street... between DeadEye Dick's and the Oar House maybe.

Yes, pulled over for jay-walking. The cop asked to see my driver's license and everything, like a regular traffic stop and then b!tched at me for not using the crosswalk. Then he let me go and went to go hassle more other college kids.

(Turns out lots of pedestrians had been getting hit by cars in Columbus back then and the cops were tired of it.)