Today I watched as the University of Washington Huskies beat the Washington State Cougars, 67-60, to become the PAC-10 regular season champions.
And I almost cried.
The reason wasn’t simply because the Huskies won the PAC-10, but because the state of Washington was healing.
For those of you who might not pay attention to sports in the Pacific Northwest, we had a rough 2008 in the sporting world. The Sonics were ripped from the city to move to Oklahoma City, the Mariners lost over 100 games, the Seahawks were favored to win the NFC West but could barely win four games, the WSU Cougars were a terrible college team (they would have been bad for a high school team) and then there was the UW Huskies. They were the only D-1 FBS school to go winless. And they also went down as the first team in PAC-10 history to lose all their conference games.
But today, today the world became right again. The Huskies men’s basketball team, who at the beginning of the season were predicted to finish no better than fifth in the conference, won the regular season. And they did so by beating their cross state rivals in the “Apple Cup on the Hardwood.”
Now some people may say, but Casey, wasn’t Washington sports already improving this season with Gonzaga going undefeated in the WCC? And to them I say, sure, I guess. But Gonzaga winning the WCC is just about as surprising as the New York Yankees paying big money for players in the off season. It always happens.
But with UW winning, it healed Seattle (unlike the PR signing of Ken Griffey Jr.) this was a real victory.
Especially for the Huskies who had never won the PAC-10 outright. They tied in 1983-84 with Oregon State and tied again in 1984-85, this time with USC.
Their last sole Conference championship actually happened back in 1953. This was before the PAC-10, back in the Pacific Coast Conference. It was pretty funny during the game, Fox Sports Network kept showing different things that happened in 1953.
So, thanks to FSN and thepeoplehistory.com, here are events that happened the last time UW won a conference championship:
In 1952 Dweight D Eisenhower was the President of the United States.
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay completed the first successful ascent to the summit of Mount Everest.
Ian Fleming published his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.
Playboy Magazine’s 1st issue featured Marilyn Monroe. She was also its first cover girl and nude centerfold.
Bill Gates was born on October 28.
Sales begin on a new type of sports car called the Corvette.
A gallon of gas was 20 cents.
And lastly, a brand new house cost $2,006.
Also, in 1953 UW made it all the way to the Final Four. Here’s to the hope that this team can make it there again.
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