A Husky Homecoming

I was all set to go to The Dutchess to watch the game, when I called a friend who happened to have two unused tickets, which I gladly took. I told my friend Adam about it, and in no time we were off. The late change of plans meant we missed part of the game, but we were going, which made it all OK. As soon as I got to the gate, my day was made as we ran into none other than Lorenzo Romar himself. He was dressed sharply in grey velour leisure wear. I managed to call out "Lorenzo Romar is the best coach in the nation!", which he responded to with a smirk and a fist raised in solidarity. That man is so classy. If you put him in a bottle, he'd be Courvoisier.

I got to my seat just in time to watch my huskies get scored on and go down 7-0. The whole game the Huskies fought hard, but they just didn't have enough to pull out the overtime victory. That makes 3 last minute losses in four games. I was hoping for a W, but at least I got to see a team battle for their lives. Honestly, I don't think there has been a Husky team with as much fight as this one since the 2000 Rose Bowl team. Even though we are not pulling out victories, their heart brings hope to a downtrodden program. They never quit, even when they are clearly out matched. But for me, the highlights of the evening had nothing to do with the game.

We were sitting in section 33, which is on the first level right on the east end zone, right at the tunnel entry. They were high enough to see the whole field well, but low enough to fell like we were close. Around halftime a mountain of a man passes right by our seats, and it takes me a second to realize it's Todd McCullough, Husky Basketball Legend. He was honored this weekend by being placed in the Husky Hall of Fame, and I hope he was hanging out at the game while recovering from a long night spent reliving past glory. He only stayed in our area for a short time, so I didn't have a chance to say anything.

There was a large group of people sitting next to me that didn't seem like husky fans (one even had an old Steve Young 49ers jersey on), and I couldn't figure out who they were until a stadium staffer came by and asked them if they knew where Calvin was. They said he was still in the press box getting interviewed. Right then, the announcer says that after the third quarter UW would honor Husky legend Calvin Jones. Turns out the group next to me were members of Calvin Jones' congregation in San Francisco. We spent a while talking about that, and how sweet those old niners teams were (I lived in the bay area back then). I thought it was very cool that they came up to support him, and it made for a memorable day at Husky Stadium.

Calvin Jones is a meaningful figure in Husky football history, partly for his excellence on the field, but also, he was a defining figure amidst racial problems that tarnish UW's past. Calvin quit the team after the 1970 season due to obvious, deep seeded racism that swirled around the 1969-70 season. Here is a great essay by Carver Gayton, a former assistant coach at UW, which contemplates the history behind Jim Owens' coaching tenure and the tension surrounding his statue, which sits outside of the entrance to Husky Stadium. There is a large section that addresses Calvin Jones' part in this story, and is a worth while read if you have the time. Another article about this can be found here.