Your first Zag game?

[SorenTodd45]

1.) When & where was the first time you watched the Zags play? Essentially, the first game you can recall watching/seeing them.
Had to be one of the WCC tourney games in 1999, which we won

2.) Also, when & where was the first time you watched Zags play in person [live]?
Same year, America West Arena, March Madness. Was a hard core Arizona fan at the time, boy how things have changed

[CanadZag]

1. First game watched on TV: Zagsvs. Minnesota - first round of the NCAA tournament - Mar. 11, 1999
2. First game attended: Zags vs. Duke at MSG - Dec. 21, 2006
3* First game watching Zags play on their home floor: Zags vs. Pepperdine - Jan. 21, 2010

[zagfan08]

First game watched: Gonzaga vs Florida 1999
First game attended: Gonzaga vs Missouri Battle in Seattle 2003

[jazzdelmar]

Tv vs Florida in 99

Live at USD next yr.

[bballbeachbum]

99 vs. Stanford

soon after that at War Memorial when you could buy tickets 15 minutes before game time and maneuver your way to almost sit courtside

[raise the zag]

First game I ever watched was the WCC Championship game in 1999. Zags vs Santa Clara. It was the 2nd half, I was randomly flipping through channels late at night, & caught this oddly named team playing hoops late at night. I watched Matt, Richie, et al rain 3's on the Broncos. The game, players, and the announcners were having too much fun, and so did I. Some of the shots were 5 feet beyond the 3pt line....I was instantely hooked. The team and players were magnetic and you could sense their chemistry. Stayed up watching til the final buzzer,

I followed them in the Tourney that year...all the way through the magical, Cinderella run to Elite 8.

I was a Sophomore in HS at the time, and in the hunt colleges to attend.

After that March run, they became my team, and followed them as much as I could the next season. However, TV wasn't really much of an option that next year. I recall them playing and beating a ranked UCLA team but that was about it.

It wasn't until the next Spring, WCC Final vs Pepperdine I watched them again.

After advancing to the Sweet 16 for a 2nd year in a row, I scheduled a visit to campus.

The rest is history...

I enrolled as a Gonzaga Freshman, Fall 2001, along with Ronny Turiaf and Brian Michaelson.

My first game in person was vs Montana, November of '01, in the original Kennel.

Missed ONE game in 4 yrs as a student, and sat 1st row in nearly every game after my freshman year. Many perks of being a loud fan, active KC board member, and hosting many pre and post game festivities.

If I wouldn't have randomly tuned in to that WCC game, not sure I would have ever became a student.

I am one of those Alumnis who attended GU because of the bball team. I am not Catholic, reside several States away from Washington, and had scholarship offers to other schools, but once I became a Zag fan, I was a Zag fan for life.

[PeninsulaDog]

‘81 - ‘82 season vs. USF & Quintin Dailey in K-1..........

I believe Q was suspended just before the USF game at K1. Shortly thereafter, USF blew-up their program and it's never really recovered.

[ZonaZag]

Whatever the first home game in the 91-92 season was. Seems like it might have been an exhibition against one of those Brewster Packing or Old Dogs teams. It was Freshman year, so I can't be blamed for not exactly remembering.

[Billfish'80]

I was a student at Idaho in the fall of 1981. We had just rolled through the Far West Classic, IIRC, beating Iowa, #4 Ore St, and then Oregon for the championship! Next Game in the Kibbie Dome was GU. I remember thinking they had a decent PG named John, I think, but was glad for who we had running our team. Idaho went on to a 2 loss season (@Montana, @ Notre Dame), entering the NCAA tournament, bowing out in the second round, ironically to #4 Ore St.
That was a great year to be a Vandal!

[Angelo Roncalli]

I was a student at Idaho in the fall of 1981. We had just rolled through the Far West Classic, IIRC, beating Iowa, #4 Ore St, and then Oregon for the championship! Next Game in the Kibbie Dome was GU. I remember thinking they had a decent PG named John, I think, but was glad for who we had running our team. Idaho went on to a 2 loss season (@Montana, @ Notre Dame), entering the NCAA tournament, bowing out in the second round, ironically to #4 Ore St.
That was a great year to be a Vandal!

Brian Kellerman, Kenny Owens, Phil Hopson, Kelvin Smith and Gordie Herbert. All starters played more than 30 minutes a game. Very thin bench. Best play was the "wheel" play, which set up a lob to either Kellerman or Hopson. Don Monson was the coach.

[Billfish'80]

There were a lot of back door Alley-OOps that year! Our only real weakness besides the thin bench was Don's match-up zone was kinda poor on rebounding. AC Green took it to them in the sweet 16 game. Pay-back for the Far West Classic, which they were supposed to win.

[nwray1]

Probably the 2009 Maui Classic on TV. First game in person was last season's game at Portland!

[zag67]

My first time was 1958. I was in middle school and the game was at the armory(at least some of them and others in the old gym and the center). I also then remember Jean Claude and his group. Later through high school and then college.

[BayAreaZagFan]

I moved to Spokane in March of '87. Coming from Wisconsin, all I knew about Gonzaga was that Tony Canadeo went to school there and had one of the coolest nicknames ever, so I had to go check it out. I went to a few games each year those first few years (I don't think TV was even an option?), but I couldn't tell you what my very first one was - maybe Idaho? I remember it being a small crowd and making a joke that we saw more people at the Bulldog before the game than we saw at the game itself.

Between living in CA for the past 15 years and following them around to different tournament locations over the last 20 years, I think I've now actually seen them more times on the road vs. seeing them in Spokane - haven't been to the new Kennel yet.

[GoZags]

Quote #2 (Digger Phelps) ties to your debut watching the Zags.
http://guboards.spokesmanreview.com/...light=Archives

First game I ever watched was the WCC Championship game in 1999. Zags vs Santa Clara. It was the 2nd half, I was randomly flipping through channels late at night, & caught this oddly named team playing hoops late at night. I watched Matt, Richie, et al rain 3's on the Broncos. The game, players, and the announcners were having too much fun, and so did I. Some of the shots were 5 feet beyond the 3pt line....I was instantely hooked. The team and players were magnetic and you could sense their chemistry. Stayed up watching til the final buzzer,

I followed them in the Tourney that year...all the way through the magical, Cinderella run to Elite 8.

I was a Sophomore in HS at the time, and in the hunt colleges to attend.

After that March run, they became my team, and followed them as much as I could the next season. However, TV wasn't really much of an option that next year. I recall them playing and beating a ranked UCLA team but that was about it.

It wasn't until the next Spring, WCC Final vs Pepperdine I watched them again.

After advancing to the Sweet 16 for a 2nd year in a row, I scheduled a visit to campus.

The rest is history...

I enrolled as a Gonzaga Freshman, Fall 2001, along with Ronny Turiaf and Brian Michaelson.

My first game in person was vs Montana, November of '01, in the original Kennel.

Missed ONE game in 4 yrs as a student, and sat 1st row in nearly every game after my freshman year. Many perks of being a loud fan, active KC board member, and hosting many pre and post game festivities.

If I wouldn't have randomly tuned in to that WCC game, not sure I would have ever became a student.

I am one of those Alumnis who attended GU because of the bball team. I am not Catholic, reside several States away from Washington, and had scholarship offers to other schools, but once I became a Zag fan, I was a Zag fan for life.

[jbslicer]

December 1, 1971 in The Kennel
Zags 77, WSU 65
I had to look that up.

[VaBeachZAG]

December 1, 1971 in The Kennel
Zags 77, WSU 65
I had to look that up.

I was there! Kennedy was so packed with fans it almost split at the seams. Greg Sten was the man on that team.

[kdaleb]

First game watched: Zags vs Maryland in the 1995 tournament... my friends and I were stoked that we might have a chance to see one LotharZag blowing on his horn in the pep band on national tv

First game attended: Zags @ Monmouth, Dec 29, 2001... was driving a friend from DC to New York, and decided to stop by Monmouth to see if we could sneak in. The nice lady let me know the game was completely sold out, but that I could watch from the corner. They were pretty psyched to have a top 25 team on campus (#22 Gonzaga - remember when we were excited about being #22?)

[sylean]

first game was in John Stocktons's last year.......we had read about him in the SR and decided to go......we simply walked in, probably paid about $5 each, sat in lower tier....place was not full, but a good crowd none the less.....

we ended up taking in 3-4 games, and then not again for a long, long time..

I remember the Zags had a huge guy 6'10" and the coach at that time....before Fitz took back over.....the coach stated at that time that this huge kid got his size and build from is father, but unfortunately he played like his mother............anybody else remember that quote?


my earliest connection with GU was when I was in HS back east and my good friends older sister was going to marry this local guy who was going to some obscure college out west, GU, and said that there was NOTHING to do out here.....lol...

I remember that when St. Mary's came to town, they were all black players and we had none.....how things have changed....

also remember watching Nick Vanos play in Spokane......he was from Santa Clara IIRC and he's the one who died a couple yrs later from a bad heart.....

but the memory can be deceiving....

[DZ]

1962-63 season. I was 7 years old. Went with my Dad and watched the Zags beat WSU in the Spokane Coliseum.

The Pontiff sets the bar so high we all look silly … well, not silly, just not as cool, which is sorta' silly.

1988, walked into the Martin Centre (spelled properly as Ms. Martin was Canadian) and … not sure who we watched play. There most certainly was a Kennel Club, it consisted of the baseball team, and a few of us more boisterous ones. We lost, a lot, that year, and the next year, and by 1991 we started winning more. By 1992, by the time the "red####s" who had beaten the starters in 89 were sophomores, with some real talent, they won 20 games. Seems like nothing now, but that was like going to the Final Four then.

[Reborn]

I saw my first game, and every game after that in the 1966-67 season. I was a Freshman at Gonzaga and played on the Freshman team and had the honor of travelling with the team. Gary Lechman led the team with 21 points a game and was 2nd team All-American, and was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. Other seniors on the starting five were Larry Brown, Frank Thomas and Jeff Steele. Paz Rocha was a Junior and was the team's point guard. Brown and Rocha averaged in double figures. The team won the Big Sky Conference and finished 19-6 for the season. This was truly one of the best Gonzaga teams before 1999. I believe they finished 20th in the AP Poll. For the Portland fans, John Dougherty and Mike McGinley were solid players off the bench.

[Birddog]

Correction I am pretty sure it was Chuck Thomas and Jed Steele. Also how could you leave out Dennis Bly from Harrington?

[Angelo Roncalli]

.

also remember watching Nick Vanos play in Spokane......he was from Santa Clara IIRC and he's the one who died a couple yrs later from a bad heart.....

but the memory can be deceiving....

Pretty sure Nick Vanos died in the crash of a Northwest Airlines plane near Detroit. Vanos played a couple of years in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns.

[bartruff1]

When I enrolled I had no idea that Gonzaga even had a basketball team....I still didn't know until I met my 6'8" roommate and noticed that nearly everyone on the 4th floor at Desmet was very tall....big John was more than 7'...I believe 1957 was their first year in D1....

[Darreno]

December of 85 watched the Zags play Iowa in the old Spokane Coliseum....... George Raveling was the coach of Iowa