Story by Justin Prestegard for DieHardDevil.com

Like many boys my love for sports was passed down from my father.  I was born in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN at a time when both pro and college sports in the area were doing well enough that my dad followed them all.  The Minnesota Twins catapulted to popularity due to the Stadium’s proximity to his neighborhood.  My dad attended the University of Minnesota where their Hockey Team won multiple National Titles during the 70s and the basketball in the Midwest was always a topic of conversation as well.  And Despite their record of futility in the big game the Minnesota Vikings competed for NFL championships throughout the 70s.  So by the time I turned 4 in 1980 I began to forge memories that would create that bond between Son & Father when it comes to sports.  I was still too young to truly remember the Miracle On Ice, but over the years I heard so much of it from my dad because the Coach came from the University of Minnesota and the team practiced at the arena in our hometown.  Anytime we drove by the arena he had a smile on his face knowing part of that Miracle began in our backyard.  Then that fall when the NFL Season began I really got to see how much my dad loved the Minnesota Vikings and it literally scared me into fan hood.  As a four year old when you hear your dad yelling it’s usually because you did something wrong.  Yet on the 2nd to last game of that season the Vikings were losing to the Cleveland Browns big and they somehow mounted a comeback culminating in a Miracle on Snow.  The Hail Mary pass from Tommy Kramer to Ahmad Rashad not only gave the Vikings the win but it clinched the Division Title and a Playoff Berth as well.  I don’t remember a thing about the throw or the catch for that matter.  But I know how my dad felt because he screamed so loud I thought I was in trouble.  I began to cry thinking I was a goner.  Instead he realized he had frightened me, picked me up smiling, and told me he was happy and what just happened.  Thus began my journey into fan hood.

Enjoying games at Sun Devil Stadium with a few friends

By 1983 we relocated to Tempe, Arizona because of a new job for my mom.  It didn’t take my dad long to notice the valley sports scene so we quickly became fans of the Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Firebirds.  But the most affordable ticket in town was Arizona State Athletics.  It didn’t take my dad long to notice that ASU’s school colors were the same as his alma mater’s; Maroon & Gold.  It created a de facto connection for him so the first sporting event we went to as a family was an ASU Baseball game against the University of Texas in 1984.  Both my brother and I were of little league age so of course we had a blast.   Once we sat down my dad opened up the program and tried his best to point out the players to us if he recognized them.  One thing I distinctly remember was his expression as he read through the program and noticed how many ASU players went on to play in the Majors.  Then walking past the bleachers towards the dugout my brother spotted Reggie Jackson.  My dad encouraged him to get an autograph but my brother was nervous.  After a little coaxing he went down and sure enough Reggie signed our program and that sealed it.  We became ASU fans.  I don’t remember the outcome of the game but I know we both had a blast and wanted to go to as many ASU Baseball games as our parents would let us.  Over the next few years we even took in some ASU basketball games.  This was where I was introduced to the rivalry with UofA.  I was Nine years old when I attended my first ASU/UofA basketball game at the Activity Center.  We sat in the upper bowl, but because UofA was on the upswing with Lute Olson the upper bowl was full of Wildcat fans.  At one point in the 2nd half with the game in doubt the UofA fans around is began to chant loudly for their team.  To my parents’ surprise I got out of my seat and began to join the A-S-U Chant to drown them out.  I didn’t need any coaxing it just felt like a reflex.  I don’t think I necessarily hated the other team more that I wanted to support ASU.  My fan hood was growing.

#FearTheFork

I will admit I didn’t follow ASU Football until halfway through the 1986 season.  Growing up in Minnesota I knew of the Rose Bowl because of the Big-10 but I had no idea who else played in that game.  So in November my dad told me we would be watching to ASU game against California because if they won they would be playing in the Rose Bowl.  Watching that convincing victory was a blast, especially the part where people were passing Roses out to the players towards the end of the game.  For Christmas that year my brother put a blank VHS tape in my stocking so we could tape the game.  New Years Day was very fun in 1987 and it just cemented my love for ASU.  Over the next few years we moved around the country because of work but we always tried to keep tabs on ASU.  I spent my High School years in a suburb of Atlanta and most of the time it was a challenge to find scores to ASU games because of the time difference.  In March of 1991 we found out the ASU Basketball team was playing in the NCAA Tournament and they would be playing their first round game in Atlanta.  I made a deal with my parents while they wouldn’t let me miss school to go to the game they did allow me to come home early to watch the game on TV if I had good grades.  I still remember all the funny looks I got when I left school wearing my ASU basketball jersey. Then in November 1991 while I was out with some buddies my dad tracked me down at a friend’s house.  At first I thought I was in trouble or something bad happened.  But my dad knowing how much I loved ASU called me to turn the TV to a certain channel because the ASU/UofA football game was on and ASU was about to break “The Streak.”  When they went to halftime I hurried home, turned the game back on for the 2nd half and had my parents’ permission to stay up past midnight to watch ASU fans storm the field and the players carry their coach off knowing it was his final game.  A week later my dad surprised me again, this time he had a friend back in the Valley save me a copy of the Sunday Paper from the ASU Victory.  Despite living in the middle of SEC/ACC Country I proudly donned my ASU hat and shirt whenever I could and it soon became apparent as I reached my Senior year that I had a decision to make regarding where I would attend college.

While my mind told me to keep a few options open my heart truly only gravitated toward one.  If I stayed in Georgia I would qualify for a partial scholarship to any state school.  If I went to the University of Minnesota I would have access to extended family and be able to save a lot of money.  We took a family trip to the Twin Cities that Christmas and one campus tour in 10 degree weather was enough to rule that out.  Most of my High School friends were attending schools out of state.  I had every reason to pursue Arizona State.  I spent my final Spring Break visiting ASU and it couldn’t have been any more perfect.  I was going to attend ASU. I was going to be a Sun Devil.  The next four years proved to be an up and down experience for me, but I truly believe ASU was where I was meant to be.  Everything during that time happened for a reason.  Seeing my first football game my freshman year was a rush, especially since our dorm got to make the banner for the team to run through.  All the opportunities allowed to me through that time only solidified my gratitude for the school and its athletics programs.  Getting to know so many of the men and women who played for ASU created a stronger bond beyond school.  It is one of the main reasons I continue to follow up with them to this day.

Home-Sweet-Home

In December 1998 I became the first person in my immediate family to get a college degree.  Walking across the stage at Wells Fargo Arena getting my degree in front of my family is something no one can ever take away from me.  As often as ASU gets derided for being such a large University, a commuter school, and one with such an open enrollment let me say I take this degree with much pride.  I made some poor choices my freshman year.  Yet the school that gave me the chance to pursue a degree also gave me a chance to redeem myself.  If not for that chance I probably would have left school never to return.  It is for that reason that I created a goal a month later to put myself in a position to give back to the University that gave me a chance to achieve my dreams.  That goal never left me even in the lean years of my career in broadcasting.  Fast Forward to 2012, fourteen years since I set that goal and it has finally come true.  I never lost sight of my goal and the best part about it is no matter what direction the university or the athletic program goes in, I will be there to support it because ASU was there to support me.  I am forever a Sun Devil.

DieHard Devil. Are You? Prove it.

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