The University of Washington football team returns to the national stage tomorrow to face undefeated Alabama during the semifinals of the College Football Playoff (CFP) in the Peach Bowl. They are heavy underDawgs but it has been a long road back to the top for the Purple and Gold, including a winless 2008 campaign.
The Husky football program has deep ties to the east side of the lake. Beyond the countless Kirkland residents to play for the Husky football program, the Dawgfather himself, former head coach Don James, lived in Kirkland before his death in 2013. He was deeply entrenched in the Kirkland community and an active donor and volunteer with the Kirkland Boys and Girls Club. We currently have a future Husky star in Kirkland with Juanita High School running back Salvon Ahmed. Hopefully his skills will help lead future Husky football teams to the promised land.
For many of us in Kirkland, rooting for the Huskies runs deeper than being able to walk away when the team has a bad season or the fact that if you own a boat you can take it to the stadium from Kirkland. Our blood is purple and gold.
You could say that it is literally in my DNA. My sister, brother-in-law, father, mother, grandfather, numerous granduncles and I all attended the UW.
I think it was my introductory column in this newspaper where I told the story of why I became a journalist. After my grandfather died, who I idolized growing up, my grandmother handed me a cigar box of old news clippings having to do with his exploits as a young man. I never heard full stories of his youth but the reports in those old news clippings filled in many of the large gaps. He was a humble man who did some amazing things. He was a Golden Gloves boxer, fought in World War II and played minor league baseball. Those news clippings made clear why he always took my sister and me to the annual Purple and Gold game — even if he didn’t boast about playing in that stadium all those many years ago.
But it was he and his brother who made their mark as Husky football players during the 1936 season. My grandfather, Ralph Phelps, was a tight end and cornerback, while my granduncle, Archie Phelps, was a running back and linebacker for the team that went to the 1937 Rose Bowl against Pitt. Eighty years later, almost to the day, the Dawgs bring their rich football tradition back to the national stage in the Peach Bowl.
I have to admit, as a die hard Husky and alum, it was fun to watch the Apple Cup this season. I have many friends who are just as passionate and pround to be Washington State University alums – including former Reporter publisher and Kirkland resident Mike Walter. Mike will tell you, when it comes to me and Cougars, I think of them like brothers or sisters – I love talking some trash but also love them dearly and will even root for them — as long as it isn’t against the Huskies.
It is great that both Washington programs have returned to prominence during the same season. Finishing 8-5 with an appearance in the Holiday Bowl is a great start to hopefully remaining in a power position within the Pac-12. Important Apple Cups for the next few years, with possible national title implications, would be a lot of fun.
This year, the Pac-12 powerhouse is the UW after finishing the season 12-1 and earning its first ever CFP game.
This isn’t the first time the Huskies have faced Alabama in a contest with national title implications. The two teams squared off in the 1925 Rose Bowl. Back then, the roles were reversed. Alabama was the underdog and the Huskies were the preeminent and dominant program. Hopefully this meeting is like the first one – resulting in a huge upset.
Matt Phelps is the regional editor of the Kirkland and Bothell-Kenmore Reporter newspapers.
