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The Tournament of the Roses tradition continues to live up to expectations

This past Tuesday, students, alumni, coaches and fans of the University of Washington joined people all across America in one of the oldest and most beloved New Year’s Day traditions – the annual Tournament of Roses and the Rose Bowl Game.

The opportunity to participate in “America’s New Year’s Celebration,” watched by millions across the country, was truly extraordinary.

The Rose Bowl and the Rose Parade punctuate the end of the holiday season the way the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushers it in. It’s a great football game, and this year was no exception — we were literally transfixed until the last second of play. (Indeed, some would say, we didn’t lose, we ran out of time!). But, it has always been about so much more. In fact, the very first Rose Bowl, in 1902, was the first bowl game in history, earning the game its nickname, “the granddaddy of them all.” From its inception, it was closely tied to the parade and the celebration of the new year.

It was a privilege to play against The Ohio State University, whose team, it might be argued, should have been ranked in the top four. We are two of the nation’s leading public research universities, with a deep commitment to our public mission of access to ALL talented students, regardless of income. (Ohio State President Michael Drake and I are both on the Board of the American Talent Initiative, whose mission is to increase access to higher education for low income students.) Likewise, both our universities are dedicated to making the world better through research and healthcare and to providing our students with a rigorous and high quality education.

The game’s rich history is filled with the luminaries of our two conferences, such as Woody Hayes and Pop Warner, Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne and Tennessee’s Bob Neyland. It is deeply woven into the fabric of American folklore, inspiring not one but two movies: “Rose Bowl” in 1936 and “The Rose Bowl Story” in 1952. Getting to play in the Rose Bowl is considered such a privilege that for many years there was a “no repeat” rule, barring consecutive appearances even for conference champions, so that more student-athletes would have a chance at this unique experience, a notion that seems unimaginable today. You almost have to be there to understand it – it’s that special.

In many ways it’s unique like the Rose Parade floats themselves. At once bold and subtle, these majestic and colorful floats seem almost as large as a football field. They’re made up entirely of organic material, literally hundreds of thousands of individual flowers, grasses, seeds and grains woven and spun into intricate arrangements. They represent human cultures across time, as in the float from the American Armenian Association depicting a traditional martial arts dance, and they imagine the future, like the float by Cal Poly students that had astronauts communicating with extraterrestrials through the universal language of music. The floats last but days, and are meant to be enjoyed in the moment, but they are the product of weeks and months of planning and preparation, feats of both engineering and artistry. They are “awesome” in the true sense of the word. Watching the floats, the high school and college bands, the young singers, dancers, musicians and gymnasts in front, on top of, and beside the floats performing their hearts out for us was glorious and inspiring. It reminds you what is so good and joyous in the human spirit – and what we can create and achieve, together.

Yes, the UW wants to win another national championship in football. And I know that our coaches and players will continue to work toward that goal. I DO believe it is achievable while continuing to put the STUDENT part of student-athlete first and without compromising our university’s values, embodied in our Coach Chris Petersen and our Athletic Director Jen Cohen.

But we don’t play football just to win national championships; if we did, most schools might as well just give up. Football, like other sports, enriches the college experience for student-athletes and non-athletes alike. It imparts important life lessons about the power of teamwork and collaboration, about discipline and hard work, about the importance of preparation and timing. Sports teaches us how to lose with grace, and to use each loss as a learning moment and building block to success. It’s what Coach Petersen’s philosophy of “Built for Life” is all about. These are the lessons sports can teach us, whether we’re on the field or supporting our teams as spectators because in the moments of greatest intensity, it has the power to bring us together almost as one. I can almost feel the ball roll out of my hands when a UW player fumbles, and in turn, when he crosses the goal line, I’m jumping up and down in ecstasy. I get swept up into Husky Nation and feel a deep kinship with all those rooting together with me. In that moment, we are one, and we are stronger. This is why rivalries and traditions like the Rose Bowl are loved. They bring us together.

As the last seconds of the clock ran down on New Year’s Day, bearing witness to the miracle comeback that didn’t quite happen, not knowing whether to cry or cheer, I was filled with such pride in our team. Even when a win appeared impossible and their odds grim, they never quit, but kept fighting and fighting and fighting back, simultaneously showing us what character is all about and giving us the thrill of a lifetime. This is the essence of what intercollegiate sports is about.  We must continue to value and nurture it, together.

Rose Bowl Game Day Guide, game ticket and Purple Reign Tailgate TicketMichael Drake and Ana Mari Cauce at community service eventGroup photo with Brutus the Buckeye and Harry the Husky mascotsHusky Marching Band at 2019 Rose ParadeAstronaut on Cal Poly Rose Parade floatHusky Marching Band forms W on field

UW student-athletes make us proud on and off the field

This Saturday, the Huskies will face the Penn State Nittany Lions at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ, capping an exciting, 10-2 season for our football team. I’m proud of the team, and proud of all the UW’s student-athletes, who demonstrate again and again how sportsmanship, athleticism, teamwork and drive contribute to their inspiring and outstanding Husky experiences.

President Young’s statement on the death of Don James

Don James was a larger-than-life figure for generations of Husky fans and all of us at the university are saddened by his death. Our hearts go out to his wife Carol and his family as we mourn his passing. He was a special kind of leader who generated immense loyalty and affection among his players and colleagues in the coaching community. He was a mentor and teacher par excellence, a great ambassador for the University of Washington and a man of the highest integrity. This university will miss him. He left an indelible impact on everything Husky.

Impacts of the home football game on Thursday, Nov. 18

Dear Members of the UW Community:

On Thursday, Nov. 18, starting at 5 p.m., the University will play its final home football game of the season against UCLA in Husky Stadium. A mid-week game is highly unusual and results from the University accepting an invitation last April from ESPN to televise the contest to a national audience. We accepted the invitation, but only after careful consideration of the impacts on the University and our community. It will be very challenging to have 70,000 spectators in the afternoon fill Husky Stadium, in addition to the 70,000 people who populate our University every day. It will also be an opportunity for a national audience to view our University and our team.

A great deal of planning has gone into developing a transportation plan to minimize the impact of the game on the academic and clinical programs going on that day. Our goal is to bring as many spectators as possible to the stadium using buses and alternative means of transportation and to have them arrive several hours prior to game time, thus minimizing interference with normal rush-hour traffic. Post-game traffic will occur after rush-hour congestion has subsided. The greatest impacts will be on campus parking, particularly in east campus, and our transportation office has been working hard to absorb the additional parking demand.

As part of the planning for this event, we would like to ask students, faculty and staff to consider alternative means of transportation on November 18 and to consider alternative work schedules when possible to help reduce the campus’ use of parking spaces and possibly reduce the number of people coming to campus. You will be receiving more information from transportation services and human resources with suggested alternatives and options for helping to manage traffic and parking on Nov. 18.

No amount of planning will totally eliminate the congestion we expect and the inconvenience it may cause for many of you. We apologize for this and ask for your cooperation and patience. We can all help to minimize the disruption and contribute to making the day a successful one for our University community.

Sincerely,

Phyllis M. Wise
Interim President

Scott Woodward
Director of Athletics

Congrats to our men’s basketball team!

Congratulations to Coach Lorenzo Romar and the UW men’s basketball team for an exciting run in the NCAA tournament. While the loss to West Virginia in the round of 16 was bittersweet, our coaches and players should be very proud of their nine-game winning streak, Pac-10 Tournament championship and two NCAA tournament victories. I know we are all very proud of them. Go Huskies!

Huskies are Pac-10 champs!

Congratulations to Coach Romar and the UW men’s basketball team for winning the Pac-10 tournament with a thrilling 79-75 victory over Cal on Saturday! Please join me in wishing the Huskies continued success when they take on Marquette in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday in San Jose. You can keep up with the latest from the NCAAs at gohuskies.com