Meet the Suns’
Biggest Fan, Gary Gauthier
By Taylor Seely
By Taylor Seely
Anyone can say they love their local sports team, but what they cannot say is they’ve followed closely since the day the team was founded, have had season tickets for more than 30 years and have an entire room dedicated to storing team memorabilia.
For Suns super fan Gary Gauthier, it began with a simple
love of basketball and grew into a slight obsession with the team.
He moved to Phoenix in 1968, the same year the team was
founded. After playing basketball as a kid and in intermural during his college
years, he and his wife were thrilled to splurge on season tickets after
graduation, when they were no longer “broke college kids.”
“Having been with them since day one, I certainly feel a
strong attraction,” he said. “The players change over time and management and
ownership changes overtime but the loyalty is very strong.”
He said they’ve gone to between 20 and 30 games a season for
the past 30 years and estimates they have been to more than 800 games in his
lifetime.
With a history that began in 1968 when the team was founded,
Gauthier’s been there to experience the Suns most memorable moments – for
better and for worst.
In 1976 when the Suns made it to the finals and played
against the Boston Celtics, Gauthier said he felt the same heartbreak the
players endured.
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| Gary Gauthier also attended the 2005 NBA Playoffs with his daughter, Amy Miceli. Copyright Gary and Susanne Gauthier |
“It was really the first major event that (the Suns) were
involved in, and it culminated in an NBA Finals that entailed a triple overtime
game,” he said. “That was extremely exciting and eventful (but) unfortunately
didn’t come our way.”
The heartbreak continued in 1993 when Gauthier attended game
six of the NBA finals where the Suns lost to the Chicago Bulls with the famous
Michael Jordan on their team, and then again in the 2008 when Steve Nash led
the Suns to the playoffs and they were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs.
Despite all the loss, Gauthier is unrelenting in his loyalty
and said his love for the team extends beyond a win-loss ratio.
It also probably doesn’t hurt that as a season ticket holder, Gauthier gets special access to monthly meet-ups with NBA special guests and autograph opportunities with the players.
After so long with the team, Gauthier has amassed quite the
collection – so much so that he stores it all in a memorabilia room in his
house.
Of the dozens of items, Gauthier said some of his favorites
are the three-feet tall bobble heads of Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa and several
signed basketballs and framed jerseys.
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| Gary Gauthier posed with his 3-foot Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa bobble heads. Copyright Gary and Susanne Gauthier |
The most recent addition to the room, he said, was an official arena basketball rim, gifted to him from the retired Suns player, Alvan Adams.
“It was signed by him and head coach (Jeff) Hornacek, so
that’s a really novel item in our memorabilia (room),” he said. “We like that
one a lot. It’s sitting on a shelf on display.”
Whether it’s the perk of winning a giant bobble head at monthly meet ups or sitting so close to the court he can see the sweat dripping from the players, Gauthier has many reasons to love the Suns and his love shines bright.
He doesn’t plan on abandoning the team anytime soon – he
believes they will win a championship one day. Find him and his wife Susanne at
the next basketball game and then the game after that one, too. He’ll be there.
“You really have to enjoy the game and enjoy the team. Loyalty
is a major factor.”
Here more from Gary Gauthier firsthand by clicking the play button below.
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| One wall of Gary Gauthier's Memorabilia Room - complete with signed basket balls and a hoop gifted to him from Suns alumni Alvan Adams. Copyright Gary and Susanne Gauthier |
Here more from Gary Gauthier firsthand by clicking the play button below.
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