⚡ CFB Dashboard

Growing up in Spokane it was always clear that the inland northwest was “cougar country”. IIRC, I was 8y/o when, with my Dad and Grandfather, I would watch Husky highlights on Sunday afternoons, every Sunday. That was 69 years ago. My dream as a young boy was to see the Huskies play live. My first opportunity was in 1959 (possibly 1960) when our Dawgs won the AC to go to the RB to play Wisconsin (possibly Minnesota). We won a hard fought game 8-7 with Don McKeta catching a 2 point conversion to seal the victory. We were sitting amidst cougar fans. I still jumped up and screamed excitedly. A grumpy Coug fan behind me chastised me for rooting for the Huskies. Before my Dad could intervene I loudly stated that I was a Husky fan and I would root for whoever I wanted. I suspect that it took him and the other coug fans by surprise that this little boy would be so animated and unafraid of being in the minority or of confrontation. It certainly took my Dad by surprise. Much later, after graduating from Whitman College, I attended WSU for a year in a PhD program awaiting my hopeful acceptance into dental school. That year our Husky freshman team was playing the Cougs frosh in Pullman. The Husky QB was Dennis Fitzpatrick. As I recall he either threw a TD pass or a really long completion. While I didn’t know him he was my Dad’s dental patient so I cheered “Way to go Denny!”. 3 fraternity/@sorority looking couples (I am a Sigma Chi) were seated several rows down from me. Now I had been sworn at ( and returned same) by a fair number of fraternity guys but the expletives from sorority women was something of a surprise for me. Inasmuch as I was hardly a physically imposing presence it probably stunned them when I “invited” them up to “discuss” the matter further. They, fortunately for me, simply turned around. The guy seated next to me said “are you out of your mind?”. We both left and went to the Coug for a beer where he tried, without success, to explain why I couldn’t root for the Huskies in Pullman. During our conversation the 3 aforementioned couples came into the Coug. I was still steamed enough to “argue” further. They actually apologized and proceeded to join the guy I was with why I couldn’t cheer for the Huskies in Pullman. IIRC, one of the girls asked me if I was going to the UW. I said no, that I was a Whitman graduate. One of the guys looked at the others and said, “Well, that explains it”. I’ve never quite figured out how that meant anything. During dental school at the UW SOD I felt so fortunate to be able to attend Husky games in the Grey Lady! Later on there would be the Dawgfather letting my folks bring some AD/FB videos with them when they visited us (my wife, who I met in Pullman. She’s the best product ever out of WSU! And our infant son) in England where I was serving as a general dentist in the USAF. Watching those videos? MAGICAL! There have been many other amazing Husky moments in my life; RB’s, an NC, sideline passes (one of which resulted in our son who was 22 at the time) jumping up and down with Willie Hurst in the endzone after the game winning TD against Arizona in the year Curtis Williams was mortally injured. It made Sports Center on ESPN. Lastly, before the AC, during our undefeated season and NC game, I was honored for 40 consecutive years of season tickets. Due to a COVID infection, I couldn’t attend but our son and younger granddaughter went in my place. They got to be down, pre-game, on the field, acknowledged on the Jumbo Screen and sound the entry siren. MAGICAL! As we now live in Spokane and I have some irksome health issues traveling to Seattle for Husky games may happen very infrequently. I do so enjoy putting on our programmable patio lights each Saturday night to Purple and Gold! I LOVE OUR HUSKIES! Always have and always will! GO DAWGS! Scott/Spokane