UK fan keeping championship tattoo
The Kentucky Wildcats fell short of winning the title Monday night, but Tyler Austin Black said his right calf will always say differently.
The 22-year-old Kentucky fan, who got a tattoo that reads "2014 Nati9nal Champions" before this year's tournament told ESPN.com after the game that he has decided not to remove it.
"I'm keeping it," Black said. "It's a way to remember this team and it's part of my life story."
Black's Wildcats got a lot further than anyone thought they would, just seven points short of becoming only the second No. 8 seed to win the NCAA men's basketball tournament since Villanova accomplished the feat in 1985.
The team, which thanks to a disappointing season fell out of the Top 25 as the tournament approached, became the first team to eliminate three teams from the previous year's Final Four -- Wichita State, Louisville and Michigan -- before losing 60-54 to Connecticut.
As Kentucky advanced, Black -- who paid $80 for the tattoo -- picked up hundreds of Twitter followers hoping to get a glimpse into his life as he shouted back at those who ribbed his decision.
"It didn't really bother me that much," Black said. "I know people outside of Kentucky can't stand us."
Black was hoping to join Seattle Seahawks fan Tim Connors in the quirky category of getting tattoos before titles that eventually turned true. In August 2013, Connors got his "Super Bowl XLVIII Champs" tattoo. The Seahawks, of course, went on to beat the Denver Broncos in the game nearly six months after he got inked.
