On behalf of Ram Nation and Prosperity Mortgage we want to thank everyone who submitted their favorite VCU memories for a chance to win courtside seats to Jan 19th’s home win against Georgia State. We enjoyed reading all the entries, and mostly enjoyed handing out some prizes.
We chose the following entries as our winners in hopefully what is just the first of many similar contests to come through Ram Nation and Prosperity Mortgage.
Grand Prize Winner (4 Courtside Seats)
“My favorite memory from VCU Basketball would have to be the entire trip to Buffalo for the NCAA Tournament. We beat Duke that year and took Pittsburgh into overtime. The best parts of it all were the time i got to spend with 3 of my best friends and all the Ram fans we met throughout the week/weekend. The reactions and memories of when Eric hit “The Dagger” will remain etched in my mind for the rest of my life. Waking up to snow on Spring Break has gotta be a rarity also (although it made for a great natural refrigerator).” – Jim Cummings, Class of ’09
We chose Jim as our winner because not only did he make the trip to snowy Buffalo, NY for spring break to watch VCU’s most famous moment in person…but quite frankly, because he dressed up as a rowdy banana at VCU games several years prior. Needless to say, Jim’s “manana” antics, as well as hearing about his experience with his best friends, put him over the top in our contest.
2nd Place (photo of her favorite VCU Ram)
“In 2007 I was a freshman at VCU and I didn’t know anything about basketball. I started following it when I came to school because it was the only sport fast paced enough to keep my attention, and of course because our team was looking pretty great. I went to a few games and watched everything that was televised. So, naturally, when it came time for spring break and some VCU friends and I took a trip to Northern Va to visit some other VCU friends, we gathered around the biggest tv we could find to drink and watch our team in the NCAA tournament. I honestly don’t remember the whole game, but I remember it was close at the half and the mood was tense in Nova. I also remember the last few minutes when VCU pulled into the lead and Maynor made that shot in the last few seconds that solidified the win. I may not have known a lot about basketball then, but I knew that beating Duke was a big deal. I also knew that I loved the tension and excitement of a sport where so much can be decided in a few minutes, and the proverbial David can topple Goliath. That was the moment I became a basketball fan. Since then, I have watched tons of college and NBA games and followed every VCU game that has been played, whether that means being present at a game, watching it on tv, listening on the radio or obsessing over Ramnation live tweets! Thanks for fueling my obsession guys!” – Lindsey Prather, Class of ’10We loved hearing a story about how someone actually became addicted to VCU basketball, and how we were her pusher. Thanks Lindsey, stay an addict!
3rd Place (tie) (Ram Nation DVD)
“My best memory of a VCU game was in 1989-1990. I had season tickets 4 rows behind the visitor’s bench. I used to get to the games early and start heckling the opposition during the shoot around. Dee Brown played for Jacksonville and he came in the building and absolutely smoked us one night that year. He was a great sport with the heckling. He would turn around and point at me and smile or wink when he would score. He was hilarious.The following year, about 30 minutes before the game, he came up in the stands seeking me out and I had a great conversation with him. A lot of class.
Part of the enjoyment of being a Ram fan is sometimes getting to see and enjoy quality opposing players.” – Brian Humphries, VCU BS ’83, MBA ’89
Definitely the most unique story we heard, and we always love a good heckle, especially when it’s not aimed at us! I also have to think Brian partially inspired Dee to win the ’91 NBA dunk contest. Thanks Brian.
“I would have to say that my favorite memory would be the victory against Oklahoma. With them being the first Top 25 team to visit the Siegel Center. I still remember the chant that was going on during the last few minutes of the game. “Where’s Blake Griffin!!!!” What was great about it was that the Rams dominated the game. It wasn’t like they squeaked out a close victory against a good team. They beat them soundly by double-digits. This was a game that I will remember for the rest of my life.” – William Haydt, Class of ’07
We received quite a few entires about the Oklahoma games, and some really good ones. But we had to give William bonus points for including a picture of the scoreboard from that one… nice touch.
Thanks again to everyone who entered, and especially Brian Haug and Prosperity Mortgage for giving up 4 great seats and making this all possible. All who entered will receive a high quality photo from VCURamNation.com as a thanks for your continued support. Go Rams!
