Non-Falcon Basketball Memories of Anderson Arena

Falcon Fanatic · **Posted:** Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:57 pm

http://orangeandbrown.blogspot.com/2011 ... es-of.html

This was posted on the front page of AZZ. I thought someone would have posted it by now. I looked through the AZZ threads and didn't find it, so here it is. I think it is a great idea for people to put in their Non-Falcon Basketball Memories here too!! I'll start. These are the top four that I can think of off the top of my head tonight. I'm sure once other people chime in, I'll suddenly remember other TOP things too!

*Seeing Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band my senior year in high school! We used our "senior skip day" (from Gibsonburg High School) to go up to BG to get the tickets. There was no line at the Union and we got second row seats!

*Seeing Red Skelton with my family (My Dad's FAVORITE performer!!) and meeting him in person after his show! Got his autograph too! PRICELESS moment to me!!

*Seeing the Fairmont Theatre of the Deaf perform. I was a deaf education major and it was the first time I'd ever seen deaf theater. It fascinated me beyond words! And the interaction with the Deaf Community let me know that my career choice was the right one!!

*Helping organize and run Northwest Ohio Deaf Awareness Day. This was my VERY FAVORITE times in Anderson Arena!!! I was a teacher in the Findlay Hearing Impaired program and we brought our students to Anderson Arena to have a "field day" with other Deaf and Hard of Hearing students from Toledo Public, Lucas County and Four-County's programs. We had several hockey players volunteer and help with the games. Dan Bylsma was one of those players!! We had the event for two or three years in a row and it was the best experience of social interaction those kids had ever had. And because of THESE events, Anderson Arena will forever hold a very, very special place in my heart!!

FalconTurf · **Joined:** Sun May 20, 2007 9:37 pm **Posts:** 696

My favorite, which I doubt you could do at too many DI arenas 20 years ago when we did let alone today, was wandering in with a ball and a couple of buddies on a Sunday afternoon to find the hoops down and playing a little pick-up ball. Not usually lighted but on a sunny winter afternoon the old drafty windows on the south end provided enough light through those white curtains.

Also in the category of few DI arenas would do this 20 years ago we played some pretty poor intramural basketball in AA on the side baskets. The only difficulty was the mid court line was out-of-bounds for both courts. I was involved in a collison with the referee in the other game while waiting to put the ball inbounds. Luckily I was bent over catching my breath in a good stance and he took the brunt of it running 3/4 speed upright.

Amazing to me now but we never thought it was anything unusual back then. Neat being in there with the ghost of basketball past just shooting hoops with an aimlessly wandering mind. I've said it before - if I could rebuild it in my backyard it would be worth every dollar to just have that relaxing time chucking a few with some old ghosts and a daydream or two.

h2oville rocket · **Posted:** Fri Feb 25, 2011 12:04 pm

1) Watching Jeff Miller of Shawnee put in 43 against Lorain Admiral King in a District tournament game. I like to tell people that my HS basketball number was retired after I left. I rarely mention that it was Miller's number too and that he was the Ohio HS Player of the Year in 1965 as well as a standout for the Ohio State team two years later..

2) Stray Cats and Busboys concert way back when- loved the BBs, much to my surprise and the Cats were great as well. Also saw Seals and Croft 1974?)the night the sound repeatedly failed. Class act all the way- they eventually retired to the Student Union (as I recall) and played an acoustic set for anyone who wanted to listen since the Anderson system was totally shot.

BGFan · **Posted:** Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:55 pm

Falcon Fanatic wrote:

http://orangeandbrown.blogspot.com/2011/02/non-falcon-basketball-memories-of.html

This was posted on the front page of AZZ. I thought someone would have posted it by now. I looked through the AZZ threads and didn't find it, so here it is. I think it is a great idea for people to put in their Non-Falcon Basketball Memories here too!! I'll start. These are the top four that I can think of off the top of my head tonight. I'm sure once other people chime in, I'll suddenly remember other TOP things too!

*Seeing Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band my senior year in high school! We used our "senior skip day" (from Gibsonburg High School) to go up to BG to get the tickets. There was no line at the Union and we got second row seats!

*Seeing Red Skelton with my family (My Dad's FAVORITE performer!!) and meeting him in person after his show! Got his autograph too! PRICELESS moment to me!!

*Seeing the Fairmont Theatre of the Deaf perform. I was a deaf education major and it was the first time I'd ever seen deaf theater. It fascinated me beyond words! And the interaction with the Deaf Community let me know that my career choice was the right one!!

*Helping organize and run Northwest Ohio Deaf Awareness Day. This was my VERY FAVORITE times in Anderson Arena!!! I was a teacher in the Findlay Hearing Impaired program and we brought our students to Anderson Arena to have a "field day" with other Deaf and Hard of Hearing students from Toledo Public, Lucas County and Four-County's programs. We had several hockey players volunteer and help with the games. Dan Bylsma was one of those players!! We had the event for two or three years in a row and it was the best experience of social interaction those kids had ever had. And because of THESE events, Anderson Arena will forever hold a very, very special place in my heart!!

Isn't that also where we had front row seats to see Chicago?

Where did we see Victor Borge with your family?

Falcon Fanatic · **Posted:** Fri Feb 25, 2011 7:11 pm

BGFan wrote:

Isn't that also where we had front row seats to see Chicago?

Where did we see Victor Borge with your family?

Oh yeah!! Forgot about Chicago!!! We did have front row seats and Peter Cetera stood right in front of us!! :-D

I knew I would forget bands that I'd seen there. I also saw Jackson Browne and Todd Rundgren & Utopia there. I know I/we have seen others, but can't remember who else right now.

And we saw Victor Borge at the Stranahan, where we also saw another Red Skelton Show!

Hdog · **Posted:** Fri Feb 25, 2011 7:43 pm

Seeing Cheap Trick sometime in fall of 1984 or 1985. My ears are still ringing....

Bun E Carlos and his cigarette hanging out while drumming... so cool :supz:

BGFan · **Posted:** Mon Feb 28, 2011 12:03 pm

I would rank our son's HS graduation up there (not to mention our daughter's upcoming graduation).

FORT MEIGS ROCKET · **Joined:** Wed Nov 17, 2010 4:47 pm **Posts:** 33

Peter Frampton -1976... A week before moving to LA...

fulch · **Joined:** Mon Nov 29, 2004 12:01 am **Posts:** 63

Definitely playing hoops there after games and on weekends with Dayons_Den and Jim Laranaga's son, Jon. I also distinctly remember going to Hot N Now afterward for some cheap, awful food.

ZiggyZoomba · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:26 am

I have the Chicago live at Carnegie Hall (Chicago IV) vinyl box set and it has a tour book in it, Anderson Arena was listed. I'm guessing that would have been right around 1970 or so. Is that the show you guys saw??

I have talked about my non-BGSU hoops memories before, but man... there's so many.

My December 1993 graduation was in Anderson

I saw Mel Torme live in Anderson

Seeing Chris Webber and (I think) Juwan Howard play in an Ohio/Michigan high school all-star game

Macomber tournament games when Jim Jackson, Donnie Dobbs, and Ed Colbert were on that team, my God they were good...

I used Anderson Arena as my own personal "study hall" when I was in school. I'd sit in the chairs on the west side usually, have a bottle of Pepsi and spread out my books. Sometimes, I'd move up to the opposite side and sit up in press row.

I've taken more than one nap on the platform in the southwest corner.

Playing in athletic band under the direction of Dr. Jay Jackson... a true basketball fan from tobacco road. He would get SO into the games and thus get US so into the games... I honestly don't think A-band has been the same since his departure.

And of course... sitting in section L, Row 7, Seat 1 and talking to my dad for the past 10 years since he's been gone....

Redwingtom · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:44 am

For me it had to be attending the basketball camps when I was young back in the John Weinert / Charlie Parker days. Unfortunately, in two of the final basketball games to end the camp I had free-throw opportunities to win the game and choked on them both!

Those will haunt me for the rest of my days...LOL

h2oville rocket · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:55 am

ZiggyZoomba wrote:

And of course... sitting in section L, Row 7, Seat 1 and talking to my dad for the past 10 years since he's been gone....

I have thought on more than one occasion that there is some, what?...justice isn't the word but some reason that may not be apparent to all that BG decided to play Howard in the first Stroh game. I can picture some of the yucks he and I would have over that one.

Lord_Byron · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:11 pm

h2oville rocket wrote:

ZiggyZoomba wrote:

And of course... sitting in section L, Row 7, Seat 1 and talking to my dad for the past 10 years since he's been gone....

I have thought on more than one occasion that there is some, what?...justice isn't the word but some reason that may not be apparent to all that BG decided to play Howard in the first Stroh game. I can picture some of the yucks he and I would have over that one.

I think the words you are looking for are "divine intervention."

ZiggyZoomba · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:16 pm

h2oville rocket wrote:

ZiggyZoomba wrote:

And of course... sitting in section L, Row 7, Seat 1 and talking to my dad for the past 10 years since he's been gone....

I have thought on more than one occasion that there is some, what?...justice isn't the word but some reason that may not be apparent to all that BG decided to play Howard in the first Stroh game. I can picture some of the yucks he and I would have over that one.

Yeah... I think we'd be playing Howard whether Dr. Ribeau was there or not. ;-)

BGFan · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:07 pm

ZiggyZoomba wrote:

I have the Chicago live at Carnegie Hall (Chicago IV) vinyl box set and it has a tour book in it, Anderson Arena was listed. I'm guessing that would have been right around 1970 or so. Is that the show you guys saw??

No, this was in the late 70's or early 80's. I'm thinking that it was around the time that "Hot Streets" came out which was '78.

Non-Falcon Basketball Memories of Anderson Arena

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