Flyer recognition

[Bill McPeek]

I don't know if the this post belongs here but I believe the following story revolves around our beloved Flyer Hoops team. Today my wife and I attended a Christening for her niece's baby. My wife's nephew, a young man of 29, told me that he has been traveling a lot recently around the country on business. He stated that wherever he went he saw people wearing Dayton Flyer attire. As a grad of Florida State, a much larger school than UD, he was amazed. He mentioned that most of the folks he saw were older, which to him probably could have meant anyone over 40. What he said next floored me: he said he could detect a sense of pride from those he met, an aura of comradery. He felt something tangible about it and couldn't explain it any other way. There was a "special" feeling he sensed. While I have always believed all he said to be true but to hear it from someone totally not affiliated with UD I felt was noteworthy.
LET'S GO FLYERS..........

[UDTradition]

Sure it belongs!!!!

I suspect he was kissing your butt...trying to make you feel great...be that as it may, it was successful with you and us too.

[UDGutter2]

In 2011, my wife and I took our son to Disney World. Getting on the Huck Finn ride the girl operating it saw my shirt and hat and said, "Gooooo Dayton Flyers." The 3 of us joined her to finish the whole cheer, while other riders looked at us. The comraderie has been there, the pride is stronger, and the numbers are greater. This is a great ride.

[TerryK_67]

I have a cousin who lives in Memphis, and he is a big college basketball nut He told me unsolicited, that when UD was in town for the NCAA a couple years ago, the UD crowd was very visible and very engaging in a positive way, at every establishment he went to. We UD alums have a lot to be proud of....
GO FLYERS!

[Bill McPeek]

Originally Posted by UDTradition Sure it belongs!!!! I suspect he was kissing your butt...trying to make you feel great...be that as it may, it was successful with you and us too.

No, not at all. He and I have a great relationship and he was totally sincere.

[Avid Flyer]

Not surprised as I often hear "Go Flyers" when I travel from Texas to Arizona and out east Pa, NJ, and NY. Many even recognizing the new Dayton logo.

Even engaged with a family wearing Ohio State and Xavier tshirts. The were very cordial and even mentioned we belong in the Big East.

Times are great to be a flyer.

Women Soccer = win A-10 championship

Volleyball = win regular season and A-10 champs

Womens basketball = A-10 regular season champs (tie) and still going....

Mens Basketball = championship in reach.

Whats not to like....Plus we do it the right way.

	Xavier XAVIER MUSKETEERS Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

[ClaytonFlyerFan]

Just last Saturday, my son and I sat at the top of a mountain at the El Paso Texas tramway, 5800 feet above El Paso, wearing our Flyer shirts and watching the St Bony game on my phone. Out of the 50 or so people we see as we watched the game, two different people, one from California and one from Waynesville, commented on our shirts and the game we were watching.

Two days later, I am wearing a Dayton shirt (does not say Flyers anywhere on it) while playing in the sand at White Sands New Mexico, and a random stranger of the 20 or so we saw all day, says Go Flyers and asks if we are headed for the tournament again. Turns out he is in the Air Force and about to retire, and had been stationed at Wright Patt and thinking about moving back to the Dayton area.

We live in a very small world.

[Lifelong Flyer Fan]

Originally Posted by Avid Flyer Not surprised as I often hear "Go Flyers" when I travel from Texas to Arizona and out east Pa, NJ, and NY. Many even recognizing the new Dayton logo. Even engaged with a family wearing Ohio State and Xavier tshirts. The were very cordial and even mentioned we belong in the Big East. Times are great to be a flyer. Women Soccer = win A-10 championship Volleyball = win regular season and A-10 champs Womens basketball = A-10 regular season champs (tie) and still going.... Mens Basketball = championship in reach. Whats not to like....Plus we do it the right way.

One more: Men's Cross Country won the A-10 Championship 1st time in school history, and after being picked to finish 9th.

	Xavier XAVIER MUSKETEERS Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

[kiefaber455]

Second day on a river cruise in the middle of the Netherlands, I'm wearing my Dayton Basketball hat and run into a fellow passenger who graduated 6 years after I did. We figured out that we were both at the Barclay Center at the same time the last couple of years for the A10 tournaments. Trust me when I tell you that his wife did not want to see me coming, and my wife didn't want to see him coming because all we talked about was UD, basketball, the ghetto, Tim's....it did not matter.

	Ghetto UD GHETTO Student neighborhood surrounding the campus of the University of Dayton. Unique to UD, the Ghetto gets its name from the nickname students gave the depression and war-period row houses the university owns and rents to Dayton students during their course of study. The landlord arrangement and compact nature of the neighborhood homes create a camaraderie among students outside of class that provides personal space away from classrooms and on-campus dorms. Parties and celebrations on Ghetto streets are legendary and have made David Letterman's Top-10 List. A significant effort has been made in recent years to curb hooliganism and renovate older homes.

[Flyer69ers]

It's undeniable - FLYERS are everywhere! Health Club, grocery store, Church (surprise!)
Just about every week we run into a Flyer somewhere. Or honks for our license plate . . .

We wear our Flyer gear early and often .. .

[UDTradition]

This is somewhat off tangent...but I constantly read many other team's message boards. It is amazing how verbose UD fans are. Their posts are like 1 or 2 lines. Our posts are like a freakin' thesis. Why I ask you , Why....?

What's wrong with us?

[UD62]

Originally Posted by Lifelong Flyer Fan One more: Men's Cross Country won the A-10 Championship 1st time in school history, and after being picked to finish 9th.

And another one, men's golf won A-10 match play championship. One heck of a year so far

[Figgie123]

Originally Posted by UD62 And another one, men's golf won A-10 match play championship. One heck of a year so far

That was just a one weekend golf match. That wasn't the actual A10 Championship. That's at the end of April.

[San Diego Flyer]

Originally Posted by UDTradition This is somewhat off tangent...but I constantly read many other team's message boards. It is amazing how verbose UD fans are. Their posts are like 1 or 2 lines. Our posts are like a freakin' thesis. Why I ask you , Why....? What's wrong with us?

Because we are, by and large, better informed and can string two sentences together?!?

[UDBaby]

Just two of many experiences I've had over the years re: the unique vibe of our extended Flyer Family.

Very good friend of mine also knows many of my UD comrades (they all live in same general area)...At one of his recent parties a mutual friend starts telling us that his son is considering UD....My buddy stops him in mid-sentence and says something to the effect, "Please don't get them talking about f'in Dayton. Geez-Uzzz what is it with that f'in school." (Mind you he loves the Flyers and roots for us all the time).

A while back my nephew's girlfriend told us that her close friend went to UD...loved it etc. And, that the thing she found so uncanny about Flyers is that it seems to her that when UD people meet its like they've been friends for all their lives.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by UDTradition This is somewhat off tangent...but I constantly read many other team's message boards. It is amazing how verbose UD fans are. Their posts are like 1 or 2 lines. Our posts are like a freakin' thesis. Why I ask you , Why....? What's wrong with us?

I agree.

[66flyer]

Nothing wrong with us! We have more to say because of our amazing team.

[UDTradition]

Very good reasons. But I think there is something wrong with us.

I don't really totally get it but UD fans are arguably (forget about the articles) the most rabid fans in all sports! Of course, we fill our own arena. We also fill away games...give me a break.

Dayton has been and still is a small school...think about the number of grads in the last 50 years (half a century)...350,000? Half are women who are not notorious for driving and flying across the country to watch UD games. Half are nerds who can't even spell Flyers. This gives us a total of 80,000 over a half century of fans who are potentially rabid.

How is this possible? Why is it happening?

Remember...UD had many a lean year and it still continues.

This is a sports phenomenon!
.
The Ohio State University has over 60,000 students. You do the math over the last half century. They have graduated Lucas, Havilcek, Oden, Sibert ... the list goes on.

There is something really odd about UD basketball fans.

[UDTradition]

By the way...this is somewhat sarcastic.

[Marysville Flyer]

We were in Shanghi last spring on a Friday at 6 pm when all of a sudden we hear 'Go Scoochie'. Lo and behold there stand a few college kids from Northwestern and they proceed to tell us how much they love the Flyers, especially Scoochie and Kyle.

I think we found maybe 100 people our entire time there that spoke English so to run into them like
that was really neat. It was amazing how much they knew about the Flyers. One kid said he picked them to go to the final four.
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[Flyer68]

When wearing a Dayton shirt on a Danube cruise, a Rhine cruise, in Alaska, in a bar in Ireland and numerous places around the US including the US Tennis Open and golf courses and tournaments, I have always had people comment about the school and basketball. My wife cannot believe it.

The only negative comment I ever got was when a Syracuse graduate wearing an orange shirt saw me and said, "you ruined my spring." Yes!!!

Went back to see the school two summers ago and could not believe the positive changes. For anyone who has not been back in the last year, you should go.

[LI2UD2PA]

Wife doesn't understand how I can be 40 years out of UD and still have 6 articles of Dayton ware. My roommate came to Stone Harbor, NJ where we vacation and brought his 5 UD t shirts. She just shook her head. Proud to be a UD alum, even more so when people stop me on the beach with a "GO FLYERS" and asked where I lived at UD. Never met an alum I didn't like.

[Smitty10]

Originally Posted by UDTradition Very good reasons. But I think there is something wrong with us. I don't really totally get it but UD fans are arguably (forget about the articles) the most rabid fans in all sports! Of course, we fill our own arena. We also fill away games...give me a break. Dayton has been and still is a small school...think about the number of grads in the last 50 years (half a century)...350,000? Half are women who are not notorious for driving and flying across the country to watch UD games. Half are nerds who can't even spell Flyers. This gives us a total of 80,000 over a half century of fans who are potentially rabid. How is this possible? Why is it happening? Remember...UD had many a lean year and it still continues. This is a sports phenomenon! . The Ohio State University has over 60,000 students. You do the math over the last half century. They have graduated Lucas, Havilcek, Oden, Sibert ... the list goes on. There is something really odd about UD basketball fans.

UD has plenty of fans in the Miami Valley that have never attended UD. That's a lot of fans.

[swish61]

Originally Posted by Smitty10 UD has plenty of fans in the Miami Valley that have never attended UD. That's a lot of fans.

Very true. The Dayton Flyers Basketball team is this city's "pro franchise."

[FlyerBob]

Originally Posted by Smitty10 UD has plenty of fans in the Miami Valley that have never attended UD. That's a lot of fans.

I am one of them. Grad of West Carrollton HS waaaay back in the day, Bengals had just arrived, maybe could catch them on fuzzy tv using rabbit ears, The Big Red Machine played in the summer. My Flyers were my home-town team for decades.... and still are even 4 states later.

[Kevinob15]

I was in Salt Lake City this summer and decided to catch a minor league baseball game with my dad; the Salt Lake Bees. An usher sees our UD shirts and stops us. His name tag says Boesch. Turns out he's the nephew of the Boesch, and UD alum, who sold Dayton the land for $1 in return for the naming of the Boesch Lounge (not sure if this is exactly how it went down but this was his version). Flyers everywhere.
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[Jeff]

Originally Posted by LI2UD2PA Wife doesn't understand how I can be 40 years out of UD and still have 6 articles of Dayton ware. My roommate came to Stone Harbor, NJ where we vacation and brought his 5 UD t shirts. She just shook her head. Proud to be a UD alum, even more so when people stop me on the beach with a "GO FLYERS" and asked where I lived at UD. Never met an alum I didn't like.

Awesome. I'm out 30+ years, and my wife still asks why I need more Flyer swag. When the flyers were on the elite 8 run, I was on the way to see my sons college baseball game, and stopped to get gas. Bingo, there were UD fans there on the way to Memphis. Everyone of them gave me a high five. (of course I was wearing my UD gear!!!) Fast forward a few years and the same son is in Kansas City, wearing his Flyers hat, and is constantly approached by grads. He didn't even attend UD! As any responsible parent would, I took him to as many Flyer games as I could. Not only is he a Flyer fan, but we facetime through almost every game. Now that is a payoff any Dad would enjoy.

[CraSch]

Was in Kroger's 4 weeks ago. Cashier I had never seen before. I'm in my UD gear (as always). Cashier asks me if I'm alum. I say yes, Class of 1990. He replies that he has me by 38 years. Born in 1932, Class of 1954. We start talking about our love of UD so long we finally get yelled at by a manager because we are holding up sales!!

[BeckysTXA]

These stories are so inspiring, even for a person like me who never attended UD, but follows the volleyball and men's basketball teams. This doesn't happen at most schools. I'm sure you all know this is truly one of the things that makes UD so special.

My thoughts go to the old saying, "if you could bottle this and sell it..." Then I thought, if everyone could pull out their cell phones and start catching these random meetings on video and submit them with the stories to the University, it would make one heck of a recruiting video. Or maybe just taking a picture and submitting it with the story and the University could print a brochure with some of these stories. Somehow it has to be " bottled" it's so special. Flyer forever. Best fan base in the nation.

[BRob2Perryman3]

Originally Posted by Smitty10 UD has plenty of fans in the Miami Valley that have never attended UD. That's a lot of fans.

I don't live in the Miami Valley nor did i attend UD. However in my 2nd or 3rd game of nonchalance i witnessed an alley-oop pass from Derrick Dukes to Darnell Hahn. At that moment UD basketball was injected in my blood stream and I've never turned back.

	Duquesne DUQUESNE Duquesne University is a private, coeducational university, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania located on 48 secluded acres, on a bluff above downtown. Founded in 1878 as a Catholic college by the Order of the Holy Spirit. It is the only Spiritan institution of higher education in the world. Duquesne offers 10 schools of study and 100 degree programs to 6,000 undergraduates and 3,800 graduate students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Dukes.

[BRob2Perryman3]

Originally Posted by swish61 Very true. The Dayton Flyers Basketball team is this city's "pro franchise."

Exhibit A: Reason why Archie never leaves.

[Radar]

I think part of the charm is that, even though UD is a private/catholic university, it has the city's name stamped across the front of the uniform of its teams. Seeing the letters DAYTON either on the uniform or TV screen as backdrop for ESPN/CBS/TNT/TBS/FOX/NBCSN pre/half/post game shows seems to draw in the entire community, especially during the recent run of success in all sports, but most notably MBB and WBB.

[rollo]

Originally Posted by UDTradition ...think about the number of grads in the last 50 years (half a century)...350,000?

350,000/50 = 7,000 grads per year.

UD has averaged well less than 2,000 graduates per year so I'd guess the number of living alumni closer to 70,000.

Regardless...every winter break my kids got at Oakwood we'd pack up and head to palatial Florida condo. Every morning I'd get up for the royal 5-mile run and to avoid confusion as to which boardwalk access path to take, I'd etch a Yuge-mongous 'UD' in the sand and then take off. I did this every day.

On the 4th day, I got back from the run and someone had crossed out my 'UD' and etched 'UC' next to it....which only started a war!

Go Flyers!

[Smitty10]

Originally Posted by rollo 350,000/50 = 7,000 grads per year. UD has averaged well less than 2,000 graduates per year so I'd guess the number of living alumni closer to 70,000. Regardless...every winter break my kids got at Oakwood we'd pack up and head to palatial Florida condo. Every morning I'd get up for the royal 5-mile run and to avoid confusion as to which boardwalk access path to take, I'd etch a Yuge-mongous 'UD' in the sand and then take off. I did this every day. On the 4th day, I got back from the run and someone had crossed out my 'UD' and etched 'UC' next to it....which only started a war! Go Flyers!

And of course the royal one upped from 5 to 10 miles a day to wipe out that nonsense and if the UC culprit upped his run to 10 miles, the royal one went to 15 and so on until he was confident that the UD in the sand stayed while he slept through the night. No?

[rollo]

Originally Posted by Smitty10 And of course the royal one upped from 5 to 10 miles a day to wipe out that nonsense and if the UC culprit upped his run to 10 miles, the royal one went to 15 and so on until he was confident that the UD in the sand stayed while he slept through the night. No?

No.

The Royal one simple etched an 'S' and 'K' before and after the 'UC'....as well, the Royal one sketched an 'S' and 'T' in front of the 'UD'.

King Rollo the stUD.....OUT!

[sheg]

I too never attended UD. I grew up in Beavercreek in a family that had season tickets and it has been in my blood all my life. I've probably attended 700 games home away and neutral.

When I was in college, and couldn't read the DDN (Al Gore was just inventing the internet about then), I had my mom clip the sports section and mail the articles to me so I could keep up w my Flyers. Even though I went to a school w ggoodD1 hoops, they never captured me the way the Flyers did.

The Paxson years, the ND games, the DePaul games, sucked me in and I've never looked back and I've never considered myself as any less of a fan than any alum.

[CE80]

Growing up in NJ, I never followed any one college team. Can't say I paid a whole lot to college sports except bowl games and maybe basketball come tournament time. Going to UD, I ran into people from Ohio that just loved OSU. Could never understand it. After graduation and moving to NE Ohio, again lots of people that were crazy about OSU but their only connection was living in Ohio. I still must say I don't totally understand it. My kids went there so I have some connection and rooting interest. I like to see them happy and there is more excitement in the air when OSU is doing good. What I never really realize until reading through this thread, is the number of people that are UD fans that never went to school there. I don't know why I never really thought that way. You don't fill a 13k seat arena with just alumni and students. So maybe I am just starting to understand the OSU thing.

[Runnin' Rebel]

Did not attend UD, but have been a Flyer fan all my life... my family had season tickets when the arena opened.

All it took was my dad taking me to see Donald Smith play when I was a kid, and I was hooked!

I always wear my UD gear when traveling... and I get stopped to talk about the Flyers on almost every trip. It could be in an airport, or it could be in another state while stopping to get gas - Flyer fans are everywhere!

[Smitty10]

Originally Posted by Runnin' Rebel Did not attend UD, but have been a Flyer fan all my life... my family had season tickets when the arena opened. All it took was my dad taking me to see Donald Smith play when I was a kid, and I was hooked! I always wear my UD gear when traveling... and I get stopped to talk about the Flyers on almost every trip. It could be in an airport, or it could be in another state while stopping to get gas - Flyer fans are everywhere!

My parents never attended UD either yet I believe they told me that they had taken the train to the 1962 NIT championship in NY. When I was about 5 or 6 they had season tickets to the fieldhouse and I remember seeing Hank Finkel about 30 times, even though it was probably closer to 3. They were the Finkel Flyers to me as I knew of nobody else. Then something happened when I was 9. The family was gathered around watching the 1968 NIT and I got caught up in it. From then on my parents had a 4th child begging to be taken to the games.

So I was already smitten with them when my namesake Smitty joined in 1971 and he took me to another level. Dayton fans who never saw him play will never understand how magical he seemed. He did things before our eyes that we could never believe could be done.

In that same year 1968, I also became a Reds and Browns fans(probably started by my discovery of spectator sports with the Flyers). Due to obvious indifference on both teams caused by money, I don't live and die with them anymore but the Flyers, it gets worse every year. I hate April through October.

[hayjim]

My Father moved from Cincy to Dayton in the 40's. He was not a college graduate. A friend took him to a UD football game and in his words, met a lot of nice people. When they built the Fieldhouse he bought season tickets and took me a couple times a year. Because of all the people they met through following UD they regularly traveled to New York for the NIT and some holiday tournaments. He attended UD basketball into his nineties.
An earlier post talked about the Flyers reception in Memphis. I was there for that fantastic time. It wasn't just because we got to the great eight, but being the Cinderella team EVERYWHERE we went people talked about how great our team and fans were.

[swish61]

I tell my son whenever he brings them up, that all the Reds and Bengals are to me anymore, is a diversion to help get me through to November.

[CT Flyer]

In 1990 when we played in Austin, TX for the NCAA tournament I was a sophomore and went with one of my roommates. We took a bus that was sponsored by the SGA. It didn't have a bathroom on it! None-the-less it was the greatest trip of my life. The tournament was at the same time as South by Southwest music festival and one of the bands (I always wondered if the band ever made and wish I could remember their name) was staying at the same hotel as our group. We hung out with them and told them all about UD and the NCAA tournament, which they had no clue about. After we beat Illinois we went to the bar they were playing at, with faces still painted, and when they saw us come in they announced us to everybody from the stage and that we were from UD and had just upset Illinois. The place went crazy for us and people were talking to us all night. UD was definitely the fan favorites there that weekend.

[Smitty10]

Originally Posted by CT Flyer In 1990 when we played in Austin, TX for the NCAA tournament I was a sophomore and went with one of my roommates. We took a bus that was sponsored by the SGA. It didn't have a bathroom on it! None-the-less it was the greatest trip of my life. The tournament was at the same time as South by Southwest music festival and one of the bands (I always wondered if the band ever made and wish I could remember their name) was staying at the same hotel as our group. We hung out with them and told them all about UD and the NCAA tournament, which they had no clue about. After we beat Illinois we went to the bar they were playing at, with faces still painted, and when they saw us come in they announced us to everybody from the stage and that we were from UD and had just upset Illinois. The place went crazy for us and people were talking to us all night. UD was definitely the fan favorites there that weekend.

Don't know if this helps but here's the Notable Showcasing Artists from that year: Notable Showcasing Artists: Joe “King” Carrasco (Austin TX), Vic Chesnutt (Athens GA), Del-Lords (New York NY), Big Head Todd & the Monsters (Denver CO), Let’s Active (Winston Salem NC), Trip Shakespeare (Minneapolis MN), Jon Ims (Denver CO), Blake Babies (Boston MA), Ultramagnetic MC’s (New York NY), Def IV (Houston TX), Ed Hall (Austin TX), The Grey Ghost (Austin TX), Townes Van Zandt (Nashville TN), Mano Negra (Paris FRANCE)

[LIBob]

I think you can eliminate Vic Chesnutt. Would have remembered the wheelchair.

[FlyerGuyer]

Originally Posted by Radar I think part of the charm is that, even though UD is a private/catholic university, it has the city's name stamped across the front of the uniform of its teams. Seeing the letters DAYTON either on the uniform or TV screen as backdrop for ESPN/CBS/TNT/TBS/FOX/NBCSN pre/half/post game shows seems to draw in the entire community, especially during the recent run of success in all sports, but most notably MBB and WBB.

Bingo. I always thought that if the University were called "St. Mary's" or "Xavier" or something, the appeal would not be as widespread.

	Xavier XAVIER MUSKETEERS Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

[sheg]

Here's another UD love story:

I took a supplier to the Vandy game back in December. He is a Florida grad that lives in Georgia. The whole time h he's there, he's raving about the atmosphere. He posted on Facebook, took pictures, etc. The next day, he said it was the best college BB game he had seen (and that was a pretty blah game by our standards). When we've talked monthly since, he always mentions it and says he is going to try to time his next visit during basketball season. That made me feel like a great host!

[BOF02]

Here is some of my story (early years):

-Arrived at UD in 1960 in the Roger Brown, G. Hatton, Bill Chimeilewski (sp) class. Went to all the home games (& Freshman) in my 4 years. Loyal UD fan ever since
- Bussed to NY for the 1962 NIT. Unbelievable experience! Rushed the court after the final game.
- Lived west of Cleveland after graduation. Cleveland didn't have good sports TV in the 60s and early 70s. UNC vs. UD 1967 final 4 game wasn't on local TV. Found it on a Charlotte radio station. The great UCLA game wasn't on local TV. Watched it on the Akron station through the snow.
- 3 of my 4 children went to UD.

	Charlotte CHARLOTTE UNC Charlotte is one of a generation of universities founded in metropolitan areas of the United States immediately after World War II in response to rising education demands generated by the war and its technology. Now a research intensive university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest of the 16 institutions within the University of North Carolina system and the largest institution in the Charlotte region. The university comprises seven professional colleges and currently offers 18 doctoral programs, 62 master’s degree programs and 90 bachelor’s degrees. More than 900 full-time faculty comprise the university’s academic departments and the 2007 fall enrollment exceeded 22,300 students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the 49ers.

[66flyer]

My parents didn't go to UD (Mom--2 yrs at MT. ST. Joseph in Cincy) but they went several times on the train to the NIT in the 50s. Mom taught me the words to the Loyalty song when I was 10. I graduated in '66. Hank Finkel (forever my idol) sat in front of me in the Fieldhouse at graduation. I bleed Red and Blue. I've had butterflies all day, just thinking about tonight. I have a good feeling about this game and subsequent ones.

[Avid Flyer]

And its not just the mens baskerball team, the band is also a celebrity status.

Went to Texas A&M where the ladies were playing in the first game of the NCAA tournament. The UD band had captured the audience so much that many of them came to get their picture taken with Doc and the band. We seemed to be loved everywhere except down south 75.

[darrylskale]

I grew up in Dayton and started following the Flyers the year they won the NIT in 1962. I was only able to go to one game in the fieldhouse which was the game that the freshman, Thomas Luppe, died at. I went with my family to Dominic's many a Sunday night and saw players from the Finkel years. Currently live in Chicago, and anytime they are in the area, I'm always at the game screaming "Go Flyers." I read the Dayton paper daily, every website, and every article on the Flyers and so they are my most favorite sports team that I have ever followed in my life. I truly hope that Archie Miller who has done such a great job during his years here, does not leave, as it would leave such a void in this wonderful program.