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Welcome to the refreshed State of the U! To celebrate the new look and feel of our sports communities, we’re sharing stories of how and why we became fans of our favorite teams. If you’d like to share your story, head over to the FanPosts to write your own post. Each FanPost will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 Fanatics gift card [contest rules]. We’re collecting all of the stories here [https://www.sbnation.com/why-we-are-fans] and featuring the best ones across our network as well. Come Fan With Us!
I was 8 when my mom married the guy that I would know as my dad. Up until that point I was into baseball and without a male in the house never really watched football. When he came in that all changed. He was a Canes fan and his dad was before him. So how did I become a Canes fan? I did not really have a choice in the matter. The same way my son will not have a choice in his fandom.
Going to the Orange Bowl as a kid are some of my greatest memories. Even noon kickoffs against Marshall or Temple when the heat was unbearable and they ran out of bottle water at the concessions. The atmosphere was unmatched and we’d always stop at a vendor on the side of the road to get chicken on a stick.
I remember crying when David Garrard brought East Carolina back from a 20-3 deficit to beat us. I also remember crying when we pulled off the upset in a game vs the #3 ranked UCLA Bruins. A game where Edgerrin James ran for 299 yards and 3 scores. That was easily the best game I ever attended by the way.
I have been a Cane since I can remember. I often tell my wife that they take precedent over her because I have loved them longer than anything else in my life.
She understands, kind of.
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