INDIANAPOLIS — Dr. Eric Yancy, a well-known pediatrician with Riley, has been a devoted fan of the Indiana Pacers for over 40 years.
After moving to the Circle City in the late 1970s, Yancy was looking for a team to faithfully cheer for. His search didn’t last long.
In 1982, he and his wife became partial season ticket holders for the Pacers, but in 1987, they changed to the full season.
Since then, Dr. Yancy and his wife, whom he told WRTV is a bigger Pacers fan than him, have attended hundreds of games, including the Pacers' memorable run to the NBA Finals in 2000.
“We're actually now solidly behind the team, I think, even more so than in 2000," said Dr. Yancy as he reflected on the atmosphere during that finals run.
His love for the team is reflected in his home, which features a dedicated room filled with Pacers memorabilia.
Looking at his lengthy fandom, Dr. Yancy said, “There was a lot of ups and downs and disappointments. In the Jordan years, we would be leading going into the fourth quarter, and then we'd get ‘Jordaned’ and then it's been in the LeBron years, we would be leading one of the fourth quarter, and we'd get ‘LeBroned’ so it's now nice to be able to say, 'Hey, you know, we can Halliburton.'”
Throughout the years attending games, Dr. Yancy has also had the opportunity to take care of several Pacers players' children, adding a personal connection to his long-standing support of the team.
