Welcome to the Hardcore Husky Forums. Folks who are well-known in Cyberland and not that dumb.
Since end of Varsity vs. Alumni game, Washington spring football has been a tough sell
DerekJohnson
Administrator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 63,605 
SEATTLE — You can tell from the newspaper clippings that Don James wasn’t particularly thrilled about the spring-game situation he inherited at Washington, though it was a halcyon era for coaxing people into the stadium to watch spring football.
UW hired James ahead of the 1975 season. By that point, the Huskies had concluded 14 consecutive springs with a scrimmage against a team of alumni, including several players who still occupied pro rosters (Ben Davidson, a defensive lineman who spent a decade-plus in the NFL and AFL, was a regular participant). The brainchild of former coach Jim Owens, the varsity-alumni game began in 1961 and sometimes drew more than 25,000 fans.
James, though, seemed skeptical from the start.
“We might play it this year and see how it goes,” he said in January 1975. “I don’t want to make too many changes right away, so we might try it this one time.”
He tried it three times, as it turned out, playing the final iteration in May 1977, the spring that preceded James’ first conference championship and Rose Bowl victory. Announced attendance was 9,472, and the Huskies beat the alumni for the ninth consecutive year. James acknowledged that it was difficult for the alumni to get organized in time to play a football game against a team of college players who had been practicing together all spring. Pro teams were growing wary, too, of their players risking injury in an exhibition, and then-athletic director Mike Lude had grown concerned about costs.
“We give the alums a couple of parties, and we also give them a gift, and that all adds up,” Lude said at the time. He later told reporters the school lost money on the 1977 game.
It all pointed toward an inevitable conclusion: James and Lude announced in February 1978 that the alumni game had run its course, and would be replaced by an intrasquad scrimmage.
Only occasionally in the 45 years since has UW come close to replicating the crowd brought in by those varsity-alumni matchups. The (Tacoma) News Tribune estimated that the 1992 game drew about 20,000 fans, with the Huskies fresh off an unbeaten season and split national championship. The 2017 spring preview, months after UW’s appearance in the College Football Playoff, drew … not 20,000. And maybe not even 2,000.
The spring finale simply hasn’t been a must-see since those bygone days of the alumni game. Former coach Chris Petersen never seemed interested in building it out, and while Jimmy Lake held essentially the opposite belief — “For the things we want to do here and the places we want to go, it needs to be that important to our city and our fans,” he said in 2021 — he had only one crack at it.
Second-year coach Kalen DeBoer would love a large crowd, and wants Saturday’s spring preview at Husky Stadium to exude a certain energy. But he’s not taking pains to make it a spectacle, like it is at some other schools. DeBoer has been careful to specify that UW’s spring finale is not a “game,” but a “preview,” like in most recent years, and that translates to “scrimmage.” The Huskies won’t attempt to split the roster and draft teams (though they might actually have the numbers this year, considering all the early enrollees). They’ll run about 70 plays with the No. 1 and No. 2 offense and defense, DeBoer said, and also will give the No. 3s about 10 snaps. They will use an offense vs. defense scoring system.
But the day will be less about simulating a game atmosphere and more about making proper use of their 15th and final spring practice.
If this year’s spring preview is anything like past spring previews, you can count on a couple thousand fans spread across the seats, and maybe a few former players in attendance. It sounds like as many as a few dozen recruits could be on campus, too, with several of those already in town for Friday morning’s practice. DeBoer estimated that 20 or 25 “key guys” will be among the unofficial visitors. Four-star quarterback signee Austin Mack, who will join the program this summer, is currently taking his official visit.
“We have a lot of great ones coming this weekend we’re excited about,” DeBoer said. “Whenever they can be around our players, that’s always a plus, because they’re our best recruiters.”
Oregon estimated a crowd of 42,000 for its spring game last year. Colorado’s spring game is sold out this year, as the Buffaloes capitalize on renewed interest with coach Deion Sanders at the helm.
I asked DeBoer if he puts much thought into maximizing spring-game attendance.
“To me, the challenge is the people that are here in the fall, and the excitement that surrounds that,” he said. “That’s not diminishing (the spring game). I think the spring game and having support is important. We try to do a great job of marketing it, and try to provide the excitement from within to where people want to be here and watch.”
That’s similar to what Petersen typically said: he was more worried about packing Husky Stadium for actual games. I’m not sure how much spring attendance matters, frankly. On one hand, the Huskies surely would love to show all those recruits a packed stadium every April. On the other hand, lacking interest in past spring games makes me skeptical that marked improvement is even possible.
Relative to the in-season product, spring football is kind of boring. Seattle is a big city. The event is televised on the Pac-12 Network. I admired Lake’s ambition to make UW’s spring football game a thing, but it never felt realistic. It’s more likely that UW is destined to hold its spring finale before a smattering of fans and no more, particularly as they approach it more as a practice than as a game.
Then again … what are Budda Baker, Vita Vea and Greg Gaines up to this weekend?
Leave a comment
Junior edge rusher Sav’ell Smalls’ decision to enter the transfer portal did not surprise DeBoer, he said, because “we’ve been talking with Sav’ell for a while.”
“He’s a great person, great kid,” DeBoer said. “Obviously, we’re just always wishing the guys the best, and hopefully he finds a place that he really feels good about (and) gets the opportunities he’s looking for. But certainly wish him nothing but the best. He’s been communicating with us. It’s been an ongoing process.”
It sounds like it was purely a playing-time decision.
“That’s what you always want, right, is the opportunity, understanding that the role is in place for you,” DeBoer said. “… It’s always ongoing. We’re still in the spring, a few months away from the fall. But in today’s world, the portal is open at this time, and this is the only opportunity when you’ve got to make those decisions.
“… Our goal is (for everyone) to have one of the greatest experiences of their life, and that’s playing college football, and you hope that happens in your program. (But) part of the great experience is meeting the goals you have as far as playing time and those opportunities. This window is small for these guys. They want to take advantage of it, and we wish him the best.”
One name DeBoer mentioned as a recent standout: redshirt freshman offensive lineman Parker Brailsford, who has been practicing at center and left tackle with the No. 2 o-line.
“He’s a great football player, and now it’s just a matter of him continuing to put weight on that frame,” DeBoer said. “He’s held his own, for sure.”
The spring preview begins at 1 p.m. and will air on Pac-12 Networks. It’s scheduled to last until 3 p.m.
— Christian Caple, On Montlake
Comments
On second thought..........................................................................
(The declawed clippers should be getting destroyed by the Suns at that same time. Must see tv.)