By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

UC sophomore Nate Utrup, 19, of Fort Jennings. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

Look up the word fanatic in the dictionary and accompanying the definition is the phrase, "Fanatics are governed rather by imagination than by judgment."

That might fit some Bengals fanatics who seem to be the most imaginative of them all. They are the post-1990 fans, the ones who have never seen a winning season or a Super Bowl contender, but they root for the orange and black anyway.

They are the high school seniors who have endured taunts from classmates since grade school about the woeful Bengals. Or they are college students who have seen so much losing that they expect it. But still they cheer.

These are true Bengals fans, and these are their stories.

Michael Abromowitz, 17, Vandalia, Ohio

Abromowitz's first memory as a Bengals fan occurred 11 years ago at age seven when his father, Howard, took Abromowitz to Anthony Munoz's final game in 1991.

"It was just like it is now," Abromowitz said. "The Bengals started playing horrible, and they lost."

Despite the 21-17 defeat, Abromowitz was hooked. It helped that his older brother by two years, Daniel, was already a big fan and that his family had season tickets. But Abromowitz still has never seen the Bengals put forth a winning team.

"Every year, I think it's the year," he said.

If not this year, there's always next year, Abromowitz said. He likened the Bengals' situation to that of the Baltimore Ravens before they won the Super Bowl two seasons ago.

"The Ravens got an 8-8 record the year before they won," Abromowitz said. "Hopefully the Bengals could do that, although it would be next to impossible."

At least he's realistic about it. And loyal too. Abromowitz said he will never give up on the Bengals because he wants to be there when, and if, they win it all.

Until then, he'll have to suffer every Sunday.

"My Fridays have been great because my high school team is playing well," Abromowitz said. "My Saturdays are great because of Ohio State. But Sundays and the Bengals just bring down the whole week."

Nate Utrup, 19, University of Cincinnati sophomore (originally from Fort Jennings, Ohio)

Inside Utrup's fraternity house on Joselin Street near the UC campus is an old Bengals blanket he sleeps under that he has had longer than he can remember.

But as long as he has had that blanket, he can remember the Bengals coming up short on Sundays.

"If they lose, well, I've pretty much grown to expect it," Utrup said. "And it doesn't affect me too much anymore."

Growing up in Fort Jennings, 145 miles north of Cincinnati, Utrup had to choose the Bengals or the Browns. When the original Browns franchise left for Baltimore after the 1995 season, it wasn't a hard choice. Then Utrup became a fan of Corey Dillon in 1997 but has never seen better than an eight-win season.

"Every time they get a new coach or quarterback, they do really well," Utrup said. "Then they're terrible. Maybe a they should get a new coach every three games."

Mike Witte, 18, St. Xavier senior football player

Witte attends every Bengals home game and has been doing so for "about four or five years," he said.

The best part about it, he said, is the pregame, when he and his father tailgate in the parking lot.

There is one on-field moment, however, that Witte remembers fondly. It came during the 1998 season at Cinergy Field when the Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 25-20 on a touchdown pass from Neil O'Donnell to Carl Pickens with 20 seconds remaining. The pass was set up by a fake spike to stop the clock.

"They did bad for the rest of the season, though," said Witte, who doesn't expect any more than four wins this season. "I've been a fan for so long, it seems pointless to get out of it now."

Mike Combest, 16, St. Xavier junior football player

Combest no longer cries when the Bengals lose, as he did when he was a little kid. "I'm a little past that," he said. "Now I'm just like, 'Well, this is typical.' It actually makes me laugh."

Eventually, Combest said, the Bengals will become a winning team, and he'll be cheering instead of laughing.

"One of the reasons I go to all the (home) games is so when they are good, and inevitably it's going to happen, I can say I was there for the bad years," he said.

Combest said he thought the Bengals had arrived last year when they began with a 4-3 record, but they finished 6-10. "When they looked like they were going to be good, I was going around saying 'Super Bowl Champions,'" Combest said. "Most high school kids just make fun of the Bengals and say they hate them. I actually see more Browns sweatshirts than Bengals stuff."

Combest has some ideas about improving the team and increasing its popularity among kids his age.

"(Bengals president) Mike Brown is going to have to get a general manager," Combest said. "They have to get better at evaluating talent. And get rid of players with bad attitudes. I doubt they'll go 0-16, though. Actually, I think they'll win this week."

Nothing if not loyal

If there is one common link between these fans, it is loyalty to a franchise that has let them down their entire lives. But every year, every game and every down they hope for something better. Someday, they say, all the losses they've endured will be worth it in the end.

"I don't want to join the bandwagon when the team is already winning," Abromowitz said. "I'm not going to drop them for the Eagles. No, the Bengals are still the No. 1 team."

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com

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