re: What year did you REALLY start following your team?

Man, I didn't really start following Alabama closely until they started their decline in the late 90s. Almost my entire family are Bama fans. I was born in Alabama and lived their til I was about 4, but have lived the vast majority of my life in Tennessee. When I was young, Alabama was just always great and I figured that was how it would always be. Then when I was 12, in 1995 Tennessee stomped Bama 41-14 ending a 9 year winning streak. I caught shite for it at school and from then on, I was a true Bama fan. Yep, Bama getting their arse kicked made me a true fan. When Alabama started their decline I followed them closer because I was puzzled as to why they were becoming so shitty. So, I started keeping up with recruiting, coaching changes, etc. I could tell you the final score of every Alabama game from the past 15 years.