PAGE 2
DAWGS DIGEST
DAWGS DIGEST
PAGE 1
DAWGS DIGEST
FEBRUARY 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IN THIS ISSUE A thank you from Chris Petersen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Montlake Memories: Our favorite moments from the 2016 season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 10 Questions With ... first-year golf coach Alan Murray. . . . . . . . . 9 Civil rights take center stage at Peach Bowl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 First-year crew coach Yaz Farooq. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 From 70-21 to a Pac-12 championship and College Football Playoff appearance, the 2016 Husky football season was one to remember. STORY ON PAGE 4
20 years in, track’s Greg Metcalf is all smiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Shot: Indelible images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
PAGE 2
DAWGS DIGEST VOLUME 11 / ISSUE 1 / FEBRUARY 2017
For Information on Advertising, Please Call Scott Boone at (206) 221-3071. Dawgs Digest is published six times a year by Washington IMG Sports Marketing, in conjunction with the University of Washington Athletic Department.
DAWGS DIGEST
Washington IMG Sports Marketing 3910 Montlake Boulevard – Box 354070 Seattle, WA 98195 All material produced in this publication is the property of IMG College and shall not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission from IMG College and the University of Washington Athletic Department. Please send all address changes to the attention of Tyee Club at University of Washington; Box 354070; 202 Graves Building; Seattle, WA 98195-4070 or by email at huskies@uw.edu. EDITOR Brian Beaky WRITERS Mason Kelley, Mark Moschetti PHOTOGRAPHERS Mason Kelley, Jonathan Moore, Don Jedlovec, Red Box Photography, UW Athletics ADVERTISING
Scott Boone (206) 221-3071 scott.boone@img.com DESIGN Robert Becker, Katie Erickson TH 4114 198 St. SW, Suite 5 Lynnwood, WA 98036 P: (425) 412-7070 • F: (425) 412-7082 varsitycommunications.com
Football & Men’s Basketball Flagship Radio Station: KOMO Newsradio AM 1000 & FM 97.7
DAWGS DIGEST
FROM THE DESK OF CHRIS PETERSEN
N
ow that the dust has settled from the 2016 football season, I am honored to write a note of thanks to you, Husky Athletics season-ticket holders, for your support and dedication. I can’t emphasize enough how much your attendance and energy means to our team. We felt Husky Stadium truly come to life on several occasions this year, and it really does make a difference to our players. They call Husky Stadium “The Greatest Setting in College Football,” and — trust me — it’s not only because of Lake Washington or the Cascade Mountains. When we pack in 70,000 screaming Huskies like we did against Stanford and USC this season, it becomes an incredibly challenging place for opponents to play. Over 90 percent of our season-ticket holders have renewed their tickets, so it looks like we’re on track to make 2017 a special season. Thank you to those who have renewed. I hope you will continue to recruit others. Husky Stadium is known for its raucous environment and we need you more than ever as we look to propel this program to new heights. Your support goes far beyond the walls of Husky Stadium, though. It was inspiring to see so much purple in Santa Clara for the Pac-12 Championship Game, and Atlanta for the Peach Bowl. Both of those trips were very meaningful experiences for our student-athletes, and I know it was terrific for them to have so much support far from home. Now, with the 2016 season behind us, our team focuses on getting better in areas like the weight room and classroom. Tim Socha, our Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, was recently named Football Scoop’s Strength Coach of the Year. Those of you who follow college football closely understand
Chris Petersen Head Football Coach
the vital importance of a thriving strength and conditioning program, and Coach Socha is as good as they come. Similarly, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Kim Durand and Director of Football Academics Kiaira Ladd have helped our program achieve a team grade-point average of 3.09. At times, our coaching staff receives a lot of publicity and credit for the success of our team, but there are so many areas — like strength and academics — that are critical to the success of our program, and we wouldn’t be able to recruit the best support staff if it were not for your help. I can’t wait to see you back in Husky Stadium this fall. We have the chance to truly make a difference, and build something special. THANK YOU for all of your support, and GO DAWGS!
PAGE 4
DAWGS DIGEST
UNFORGETTABLE The 2016 Husky football season was one to cherish every moment — here were our favorites.
Huskies Make College Football Playoff Debut Dec. 2 Levi’s Stadium
January 1, 2017 Georgia Dome
PURPLE REIGN: Dawgs Win Pac-12 Championship
Freshman Taylor Rapp returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown, claiming MVP honors and helping the Huskies earn their first conference title since 2000. Washington defeated Pac-12 South division champion Colorado 41-10 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. IN THEIR WORDS:
“It felt so good. I’m still trying to take it all in right now. It’s so surreal. It feels like a dream.” – Taylor Rapp
Dec. 31 Georgia Dome
While the outcome didn’t fall the way Huskies fans wanted it to, Washington’s inaugural trip to the College Football Playoff was a remarkable experience for UW student-athletes. The Huskies fell, 24-7, to Alabama, but gained a week full of memorable experiences and gave a young team a taste of what it takes to win it all. IN THEIR WORDS: “It’s not only excitement for the current year we’re in, it’s, ‘OK, we’re back, and we’ve got the right guy and this program is on an incredible path.’ It’s not just this year. It’s about what the future looks like, as well.” – Jennifer Cohen
DAWGS DIGEST
PAGE 5
Huskies Burst on National Scene, Dominating No. 7 Stanford, 44-6
Sept. 30 Husky Stadium
On a picturesque September night at The Greatest Setting in College Football, the Huskies raced to a 23-0 lead and never looked back, dominating Pac-12 North foe Stanford and holding preseason Heisman Trophy favorite Christian McCaffrey to 49 yards in front of a capacity crowd.
Browning’s Record-Setting Day Propels Dawgs Past Ducks
Oct. 8 Autzen Stadium
Sophomore quarterback Jake Browning cemented his name in the official record books, and in the hearts of Husky fans, accounting for eight touchdowns (six passing, two rushing) and leading the Dawgs to a 70-21 drubbing of arch-rival Oregon. IN THEIR WORDS:
IN THEIR WORDS:
“What a night. That truly was the greatest setting in college football. A night like that, you pack that place. That was fun for our guys, our coaches, and I hope our fans enjoyed that too, because that was special.” – Chris Petersen
1991 National Champions Honored
Sept. 30 Husky Stadium
“Everybody is going to talk about the yards and touchdowns, but I was just doing my job, going through my reads. I don’t think there was anything outside of what I was supposed to do.” – Jake Browning
Dawgs Stay Undefeated Behind Pettis Punt Return
Oct. 29 Rice-Eccles Stadium
Officials worked closely with members of the Huskies’ 1991 football team to design a celebration in honor of the 25th anniversary of the National Championship. Scheduled around the Stanford game, the event featured pregame and halftime elements, plus a special presentation honoring Carol James and family members of the late Don James.
In dramatic fashion, junior Dante Pettis streaked down the sideline and took a punt 58 yards for a touchdown with 3:25 left to break gridlock and give Huskies their eighth win of the season. The return was the fifth in Pettis’s UW career, and with it he became Washington’s all-time leader in punts returned for touchdowns.
IN THEIR WORDS:
IN THEIR WORDS:
“Anytime you throw out an invitation for these guys to get together, they’re going to be there. Whether it’s in the middle of a cornfield or a parking lot downtown, it doesn’t matter, it’s going to be a very special event.” – Dave Hoffman
“Honestly, I thought I was going to get tackled to begin with. I somehow slipped out of that. I was a little afraid because I lost about five yards to begin with. Once I got around that, my blockers did a good job setting up open space and that was it.”
PAGE 6
ESPN’s College GameDay Returns
Nov. 12 UW’s Red Square
DAWGS DIGEST
King’s Play of the Year Nominee Shifts Momentum, Propels UW Over ASU
Nov. 19 Husky Stadium
Apple Cup Statement Sends Dawgs to Santa Clara
Nov. 25 Martin Stadium
America’s most popular college football pregame show, ESPN’s College GameDay, visited campus prior to the Huskies’ Nov. 12 showdown with USC. Hundreds of fans packed UW’s Red Square, including a devoted group of Dawg Pack members who waited through the night to get better position for the show.
Completing what many pundits called the play of the season in college football, senior Kevin King ran with an Arizona State receiver into the end zone and leaped high into the air, stabbing the Sun Devils’ pass with one hand and coming down successfully with his second pick of the year. Following the momentum shift, the Huskies went on to score 21-straight points en route to a 44-18 victory in Husky Stadium.
Washington clinched the Pac-12 North division title and a trip to Santa Clara for the Pac-12 Championship game behind a near-perfect first quarter in the most anticipated Apple Cup in over a decade. Sophomore Jake Browning threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter, and the Huskies used a 28-3 lead to propel them to a victory over in-state rival Washington State in Pullman.
IN THEIR WORDS:
IN THEIR WORDS:
IN THEIR WORDS:
“This is one of the most beautiful campuses you’ll ever see and we have a great setting right there out by Red Square. It’s really, really cool.” – Rece Davis
“I was just in awe.” – Budda Baker; “That was first-round material.” – Keishawn Bierria; “(King) might be Odell Beckham’s brother!” – Chico McClatcher
“This feels good — it always feels good to beat the Cougs. It’s definitely sweet for me and sweet for this program.” – Trey Adams
DAWGS DIGESTPAGE 9
PAGE 9DAWGS DAWGS DIGEST
10 QUESTIONS WITH... MEN’S GOLF COACH ALAN MURRAY When and why did you start playing golf? “Like most boys in Ireland, I loved playing football – or soccer, as they call it here. Summer was the time of year when soccer was out of season so there weren’t any organized sports then. My Dad was always a weekend player and with the longer evenings during the summer he was able to get out for nine holes after work. I would tag along and caddy for him to make some pocket money, or caddy the weekend, too. When you see your Dad doing something, you want to have a crack at it. So I took a few slashes at the ball and the first time you hit the middle of the clubface you are hooked. Probably took me a year for that to happen! I was allowed to join the golf club when I was 12, as a junior member, so that is really when I started to play.”
What is your favorite course to play? “Portrush/Portmarnock, in Ireland.”
What is your favorite thing about Seattle? “UW! Being so close to the water and mountains and the really beautiful trees and scenery.”
How often do you make it home to Ireland? “Once or twice a year, probably. It’s harder now, as I am getting further west. It looks like Ireland here, I have to say. My wife said she could live in Ireland after we visited there last year. When I got the job here I said, ‘You will get the “living in Ireland” experience when we move to Seattle!’”
You’ve inherited a program that has built a national reputation for excellence in a region not typically associated with elite golf. What’s the biggest key to keeping the program successful? “Ambition. I feel that Matt (Thurmond), O.D. (Vincent III) and the guys before them really did a great job at getting good people with strong character involved in the program – whether it is student-athletes, staff or donors, there is a really solid foundation here because of the great people that have touched the program over the years.”
What moment stands out to you as coach? “I feel unbelievably lucky to get to do what I do. I have been lucky to be around some great kids that worked really hard and were very talented. As a result of their efforts, I have gotten to piggyback my way to some unbelievable experiences.
The British Open, with Paul Dunne, is obviously a highlight, caddying for Sam Love at the U.S. Open, going to four NCAA finals with UAB was great, and seeing guys graduate is always a thrill. If one thing stands out to me, it would be when the five starters for UAB all finished their tournament at Colonial Country Club in Memphis and walked back out to watch a senior, Blake Watts, finish his last few holes as a college golfer, as he was playing as an individual. They clapped him off his last green and all embraced him. Blake didn’t win the tournament or anything, but seeing how much the guys cared for him and respected him was a really humbling and touching moment. Sport, and especially golf, can provide these moments when you see the very best of the human spirit. These guys teach me way more than I could ever teach them.”
For you, what’s a successful season each year? “All the seniors graduate and all five guys walk off their last hole with a big smile on their face. And lots of silverware!”
What will be the key to this group putting low rounds together this spring? “Great question. I believe the key will be guys making sure every day they are doing everything they can to get better. Being committed to having a goal each day and working towards achieving that goal. If they can be the best version of themselves, we will have no problem shooting good scores. They are a talented bunch, I believe.”
Do you get a chance to play much yourself? “No. I wish I wanted to play more, but once you get out of the habit, it is more difficult. Work is really busy, but I love my job.”
What is your view on the facilities here at Washington? “They are really spectacular. Seattle is a great golf city and there are some serious tests of golf here. Seattle Golf Club, Aldarra, Broadmoor, Overlake, Sahalee, Inglewood, Washington National and our practice facility, ‘The Playground,’ is amazing. I love just being out at any of the places we are fortunate enough to be at. The Husky Golf Center is superb. UW is a humbling place to work because to have what we have, and to be here, makes me feel very lucky. I know lots of people really worked so very hard to put us in the place we are and there is a really high level of achievement in all aspects of UW, so you know that you have to roll your sleeves up and get to work! I like that.”
Hallowed Ground
PAGE 10
DAWGS DIGEST
Peach Bowl trip offered Huskies, Tide a chance to come together before taking to gridiron battle ground
T
BY MASON KELLEY
aelon Parson sat in the first row of Washington players at Ebenezer Baptist Church. As the receiver listened to civil-rights leaders Xernona Clayton, Dr. C.T. Vivian and Ambassador Andrew Young share personal stories, Parson started to formulate his question. With the Huskies filling half of the church and Alabama taking up the other, Parson listened as Vivian told the players on each team that, “until all of us decide to be truly human, none of us will be.” When Young said, “You are right in the middle of changing the world. You can’t escape it. Immerse yourself in it,” Parson was listening, working on his question. And, as Clayton added, “Unity, it’s beautiful,” Parson continued to try and make sure he seized his opportunity to be thoughtful with his query. He couldn’t let slip a chance to learn from those who were key figures in the civil rights movement. So, after a panel moderated by Monica Pearson, the first woman and minority to anchor the 6 p.m. news in Atlanta, Parson asked his question. “What steps do we need to take as a society today to step forward toward progress?” he said. Parson, like others seated around him, wants to do his part to help affect positive social change, so he went straight to those who have lived it. “It was nice to hear what their process was all about and what we need to do as a society – and when I say ‘we,’ I mean it kind of like a royal ‘we’ – the next steps we need to take to make an impact and improve,” he says. “It was a super-cool experience, especially to meet some people who actually walked with Dr. King, lived around Dr. King and were involved in that drive and progress moving things forward. It was a super-awesome experience.”
In the church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a pastor, the two teams preparing for January’s College Football Playoff semifinal listened to stories about his legacy as a leader of the American civil rights movement. “It was pretty cool,” linebacker Keishawn Bierria says. “Where I’m from, that type of knowledge usually comes from your grandparents, but other than that, you don’t talk to people who have had that much influence, who have been involved in the civil rights movement.” Pearson and Clayton both described the church as “hallowed ground” and that was the feeling throughout the room. “I thought that was a super-interesting way to portray it, because just down here in the south it’s such a historical place, a place that’s seen a lot of history, seen a lot of deaths and a lot of change happen,” Parson says. “It was an incredible experience.” For more than an hour, all eyes were fixed on the stage. The only voices were those four panelists seated at the front of the room. “The mere fact that we’re together is a sign of progress,” Young says. That idea resonated with Parson, who talked about how impressive it was for both teams to sit in the same room and come together to share such a special stage in a historic venue. On this particular night, the attraction had nothing to do with the logos on the chests of Washington and Alabama players. As the Huskies worked through bowl week, there was time to work and time for fun. But, on this particular occasion, the
Continued on page 12 Continued on page 13
DAWGS DIGEST
PAGE 11
PAGE 12
DAWGS DIGEST
DAWGS DIGEST
PAGE 13
Washington and Alabama players sat enthralled as civil rights leaders of the 20th century shared their stories and lessons at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Continued from page 10 team had the opportunity to learn about the past and think about the future, while spending time on hallowed ground. “It was really amazing,” Bierria says. “To sit there and listen to an hour-long conversation, it really opens your mind to things you don’t always think about in your daily life.”
PAGE 14
DAWGS DIGEST
IN THE MAKING First-year women’s rowing coach
YASMIN FAROOQ
brings a lifetime of success to “Rowing U”
BY MARK MOSCHETTI
he conversation happened so long ago, Yasmin Farooq might never have remembered it. Except … she could never forget it. So when the opportunity came up for Farooq to depart from a highly successful, decade-long coaching career at Stanford and become the head women’s coach at Washington, the little chat she’d had way back then with husband Roger Waterman must have seemed like it took place just yesterday. “When we moved (from Eugene, Ore., to Stanford), my husband was like, ‘O.K., honey, what do you think? Is this your final stop, or is there anywhere that you would ever leave here for?’” Farooq recalls. “We both agreed that if there was one program we would ever leave Stanford for, it was Washington – because Washington is Rowing U.” Late last spring, “Rowing U” reached out to Farooq. And, just three weeks after her Stanford team edged the Huskies for fourth place at NCAAs, Farooq reached back with an enthusiastic “yes.” “I spent some time here in the 1980s in the U.S. team camp under (former UW coach) Bob Ernst, so I knew what an amazing place it was,” says Farooq (pronounced fuh-REWK). “The school presented me with a very compelling situation. When I visited, (athletic director) Jen Cohen made it abundantly clear that the university cared very deeply about rowing. The rowing stewards showed how invested they are in the continued
success of the sport.” That level of commitment to an athletic pursuit so inherently tied to the UW, and indeed to the entire water-borne Puget Sound region, made the selection of Farooq seem like the ultimate easy call. “This program is a source of great pride to many people, and after spending some time with Yaz, it didn’t take long to realize she was the right fit to lead us into the future,” Cohen said in a story on gohuskies.com last June 15, when Farooq’s hiring was announced. The 51-year-old Minnesota native, who also spent a good chunk of her childhood in the agricultural Wisconsin town of Waupun, has been synonymous with rowing success at the highest level. That includes back-to-back Olympics as the coxswain of the United States women’s eight at the 1992 Barcelona Games and the 1996 Athens Games. Farooq also coxed the U.S. eight in four World Championship regattas, resulting in three silver medals, and – in 1995 at Tampere, Finland – a gold, the first-ever world title for an American women’s eight. Appropriately, her first serious involvement with getting to the world-caliber level started in Seattle in 1986, while she was in the middle of her career at the University of Wisconsin. “I got invited to (U.S.) camp on the development level. I got cut, kept working hard, kept getting invited back and persevering,” she says. “Then three years later, I made my first team.”
From Commentator To Coach A broadcast journalism major at Wisconsin, Farooq has served as NBC’s rowing commentator for the past four Olympics. In fact, television brought her to the Pacific Northwest in the first place: Eugene, to be precise, where she had an opportunity to work in management at an area station. It was in Oregon where Farooq discovered coaching – almost accidentally. “Six months after we moved to Eugene, we were driving to Bend, just to go on a trip,” she says. “We were driving down Highway 58, and it goes next to Dexter Lake, and there was a regatta going on. I was like, ‘No way – there’s rowing out here in Eugene?’ “We pulled in, and since it was just six months after the (1996) Olympics, I was still kind of recognizable. People came up to me and said, ‘You just coxed the Olympic 8. What are you doing on Dexter Lake?’ I told them I lived here, and they said, ‘Would you like to come out and practice with us?’” Farooq started working with a masters group, and then consulting with kids who were interested in coxing in college. The invitation from NBC to be its Olympic commentator inspired her to stay on top of what was happening in elite-level rowing so she could offer informed insight to viewers.
DAWGS DIGEST
PAGE 15
She even published a few articles, one of which was seen by officials at Stanford when they needed to fill their women’s head coaching position in 2006. “I did not have any coaching experience, aside from recreational and masters,” Farooq said. “But I think they appreciated my national team experience.”
Perfect Fit It turns out that Farooq and coaching were meant for each other. In 10 years at Stanford, 28 Cardinal rowers became All-Americans. She has had 14 competitors at various under-23 or senior World Championships. Now, she’s sharing all that know-how with the Huskies. And from the tone of her voice – bearing a slight but delightful hint of a Canadian accent, from her years in northern Minnesota and then Wisconsin -- she’s excited that they’re excited. “I came in with a training plan that was very different from what they had done, and I’m grateful to them for being so open-minded and embracing it,” Farooq says. “Even in the fall, I felt like they were able to track their progress. I’m enjoying watching them grow and improve – it’s fun.” She fully expects that to carry over onto the water come spring. “This team is extremely capable,” Farooq says. “They did an excellent job this fall. They’ve made strong progress so far this winter. There are some key things that need to happen in the next two months to ensure we’re on track to be where everybody wants to be. “We respect the competition, we respect the challenge that is before us. But I think this team has what it takes to be competitive.” Ultimately, Farooq’s point of emphasis goes beyond winning, beyond all those grueling hours of training. “The motto is, don’t underestimate the competition,” she says. “But more importantly, don’t underestimate yourself.” That’s a conversation Yasmin Farooq hopes her Huskies will always remember, whether it’s next week, next month … or 10 years from now.
PAGE 16
DAWGS DIGEST
DAWGS DIGEST
A
GOOD,
LONG
RUN Twenty years in, track & cross country coach GREG METCALF is still having a blast
T
o understand Greg Metcalf’s career at Washington, it is necessary to look beyond the 20 years he’s spent as the university’s track and field and cross country coach. His connection to the athletic department runs deeper than his All-American career as a distance runner back in the early 1990s. For Metcalf, the university’s athletic department has been a part of his life since he was child. “I’m emotionally tied to this place,” Metcalf says with a smile, sitting in his office in the Conibear Shellhouse on a chilly January morning. Metcalf’s first tangible Husky memory coincides with a trip to the Rose Bowl. Before Metcalf was introduced to track and field, he was a Washington football fan. It was 1978. Washington was playing Michigan. Metcalf’s parents, Steve and Regina, were in Pasadena for the game. Metcalf was in Port Angeles, watching the game on TV. Warren Moon threw a touchdown pass to Spider Gaines, helping the Huskies knock off the Wolverines, 27-20. When his parents returned from Southern California, Steve brought his son a hat from the Rose Bowl. Metcalf was about nine years old. And that hat, after that game, welcomed a new addition to Husky Nation. “I’ve been a Husky fan forever,” Metcalf says. “I can remember that moment specifically.” And that Husky fan, well, he’s been tied to the university ever since. As an athlete, he finished sixth in the steeplechase at the NCAA Championships as a senior in 1993 and was a finalist in the event at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. The coach has been around long enough to remember the days when the Husky Stadium scoreboard was on the
Continued on page 18
PAGE 17
PAGE 18
A
DAWGS DIGEST
GOOD, LONG RUN Continued from page 17
As head coach of track and field and cross country, Greg Metcalf’s distance runners have accounted for five NCAA track titles and won the 2008 NCAA Women’s Cross-Country Championships, above.
field, inside the track, and runners would disappear behind it during races. But, after a standout collegiate career, he started coaching at Auburn. It was his one stint away from Washington. He returned home 20 years ago and has yet to have a reason to leave. “This place is special to me,” he says. “It’s not just about our athletes and our teams. It’s Husky football and Husky basketball, all of the other sports here. This place is special. I’ve had chances to go leave, but it all comes back to one thing: Washington is part of who I am, part of the fabric of who I’ve become as a coach.” Since taking the job at his alma mater, there has been a steady stream of memorable moments. First came indoor national championships in the pole vault, claimed by Brad Walker. “That moment, that feeling, it’s addictive,” Metcalf says. “You want to go do it again.” There was the day in 2006 when Ryan Brown (800 meters) and Amy Lia (1,500 meters) won national championships less than an hour apart in Sacramento. And then there was the national championship won by the women’s cross country team in 2008.
“It was the perfect season,” Metcalf says. “No one got sick, no one got hurt. It was effortless, flawless and incredible all at the same time.” But, as exhilarating as it was to win a team title, it was the Pac-12 championships that set the stage that season. In Eugene, competing against the second-ranked Ducks on their home course on Halloween, the Huskies took the top six spots in the race. “All these things kind of lined up,” he says. “I don’t know if we’ll ever see that again.” Washington set a high bar on that day, adding a little pressure heading into the national championships. But the Huskies won the title and, when they returned home, as he stepped off the bus he was greeted by another coach in the athletic department who would go on to win a national championship. “I remember stepping off the bus with a national championship trophy in my hands and one of the very first people to be there was (softball coach) Heather Tarr. “Gosh, I want one of these badly,” said Tarr, whose team won a championship that spring. Thinking about that moment, and his conversation with former volleyball coach Jim McLaughlin about what it takes to win a title, Metcalf says, “That’s what makes this place so special.” There was the time Katie Flood won a national championship (2012) in her hometown (Des Moines, Iowa), a second-place cross country finish for the women’s team in 2011 and the opportunity to host the Pac-12 championships on the Huskies’ purple track, a facility Metcalf helped design.
DAWGS DIGEST
The memories and the moments are enough to make for a complete coaching career. That’s what happens when you experience elite-level success and stick around for two decades. But for Metcalf, there is no end in sight. “I feel like we have unfinished business here,” he says. “We can win at Washington. I love everything about it. I love Seattle. I love this place. I love the people. “That’s why I stay.” He has been here for 20 years ... will he make it 20 more? It’s a question the coach who has only had one email address in his life – his University of Washington account – started to think about recently. When he was asked the question, he paused. Then he laughed. Then he gave an emphatic, “Yes!” The coach doesn’t know what’s coming next, but he’s having too much fun right now to think too far into the future. “I’m still into it,” he says. “I’m still into coming to work every day. I get excited. For me, this isn’t a job. This is a lifestyle. This is who I am. I don’t feel like I’m punching a time clock. I don’t feel like I’m grinding away.” Metcalf joked that his father passed down “a good head of hair,” and “boundless amounts of energy,” so he’s not going to put a limit on how long he plans to keep coaching. A lot has changed over the past 20 years. Whether it was the addition of Dempsey Indoor or the new Husky Track facility, when recruits come to check out Washington’s track and field or cross country programs, Metcalf can share an impressive sales pitch. “There’s nothing we’re lacking at the University of Washington,” he says. “If you’re capable of being great, we can do all of those things here. There’s nothing we’re missing.” But, regardless of the history or facilities, for Metcalf, coaching the Huskies is a point of personal pride. He is as much a fan of all things Husky as he is a coach. “When I watch other teams compete here, I get fired up for everybody from Bob Bender to Lorenzo Romar, and Jim Lambright to Keith Gilbertson, and now coach (Chris) Petersen today,” Metcalf says. “I want every sport here to be successful.” Like he said, Washington is part of the fabric of who he’s become.
PAGE 19
DAWGS DIGEST
PAGE 20
RECORD-SETTER
Senior Kelsey Plum (Poway, Calif.), became the all-time leading scorer in Pac-12 basketball history during the Huskies’ 92-66 victory over Boise State in Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Photographs by RED BOX PICTURES
To purchase Husky Athletics photography, visit www.HUSKIESPHOTOSTORE.com
DAWGS DIGEST
PAGE 21
We’re with the Dawgs.