The City of Seattle’s Relationship With UW & UW Football

Doog_de_Jour

On Yella’s Muzak Bored he questioned why members of grunge bands were depressed. Seattle was “way cooler” in the late eighties and early nineties, and UW football was kicking ass.

That got me wondering about Seattle and its relationship to UW and Husky Football during that era. That was a bit before my tim, so I’m curious - was Seattle as enamored with the DWAGS back in the day as it is with the Hawks Sounders Kraken now?

1to392831weretaken

During my childhood, in the late eighties/early nineties, it was all Dwags and much less Seahawks. There was Largent, though. I also never lived in the city.

So I guess my response was meaningless...

GrundleStiltzkin

Didn't live in the city either, but in a shithole county in the state. I remember the Seahawks being a joke and real football talk all around The Dwags. "You know, the Huskies WOULD BEAT the Chickenhawks loloolollloollo."

doogie

UW football was the hottest ticket around and Don James success was something that grated on upper campus.

https://www.amazon.com/Husky-Football-Don-James-Era-ebook/dp/B006X9LXJO/ref=redir_mobile_desktop/147-1067525-0814758?ie=UTF8&qid=&ref_=tmm_kin_title_0&sr=

1to392831weretaken

GrundleStiltzkin said:

Didn't live in the city either, but in a shithole county in the state. I remember the Seahawks being a joke and real football talk all around The Dwags. "You know, the Huskies WOULD BEAT the Chickenhawks loloolollloollo."

Holy crap, I totally remember that argument!

GrundleStiltzkin

1to392831weretaken said:

GrundleStiltzkin said:

Didn't live in the city either, but in a shithole county in the state. I remember the Seahawks being a joke and real football talk all around The Dwags. "You know, the Huskies WOULD BEAT the Chickenhawks loloolollloollo."

Holy crap, I totally remember that argument!

Almost as good as Bellevue would beat UPS.

RoadDawg55

GrundleStiltzkin said:

1to392831weretaken said:

GrundleStiltzkin said:

Didn't live in the city either, but in a shithole county in the state. I remember the Seahawks being a joke and real football talk all around The Dwags. "You know, the Huskies WOULD BEAT the Chickenhawks loloolollloollo."

Holy crap, I totally remember that argument!

Almost as good as Bellevue would beat UPS.

The team with Myles Jack and Budda would have.

Fire_Marshall_Bill

The Seahawks were still a big deal until 1992 or 1993. By '92 everyone knew they really sucked and Behring was a fat fuck who didn't care enough about winning. In the 80s though, they were a hot ticket and competitive enough to sell out.

Honestly I was a little more into them until 1990. They were on every week. The Huskies were on KOMO 4 Buttfuckers (KIRO in the mid 80s), and KCPQ maybe five times a year. They weren't on cable much at all. For you young doogs, 30 years ago you couldn't watch on the internets (there was no internet), and there was one ESPN and no Fox Sports. You had a gaybc game at 12:30 and a CBS game at 11:30. Maybe there was a double header a few times a year. Different tims. Even in 1991, the K State game wasn't on live TV and a few more weren't. You listened to Rondeau and Chuck Nelson on the radio, damnit.

As far as Seattle went, it seemed like a better place. There were still a few tuff liberals including some of my relatives. Grunge put it more on the map. It hadn't fagged out yet. You could still put a Republicant yd. sign up and not have to worry about it being lit on fire. It happened gradually. By the 2000s, the faggotry you see today was picking up steam quickly.

I don't know a lot about the Krackens. Go Canucks. I didn't see too much related to them when I was visiting there in July. Just bums all over the place. The Dawgs were a big deal in the early 90s and overtook the Hawks to answer the OP.

dnc

Doog_de_Jour said:

On Yella’s Muzak Bored he questioned why members of grunge bands were depressed. Seattle was “way cooler” in the late eighties and early nineties, and UW football was kicking ass.

That got me wondering about Seattle and its relationship to UW and Husky Football during that era. That was a bit before my tim, so I’m curious - was Seattle as enamored with the DWAGS back in the day as it is with the Hawks Sounders Kraken now?

My perspective is probably different than most here in that I grew up in a Seahawks family who DNGAF about UW. Dad got me hooked on the Hawks and I adopted UW on my own shortly thereafter. My Dad grew up Mormon and his family hated UW because they refused to play BYU back in the day and he had a little soft spot for the Cougs because he was from Eastern Washington. Thankfully he didn't really GAF about college football in general so he didn't discourage me from pulling for UW he just didn't care, nor did anyone else in my family. To my perspective in that 85-90 era where I first cared about sports the Seahawks were a bigger deal than the Dawgs in the area. I do think the Dawgs were a bigger deal in the early 90s - some kids at my middle school and even a few at my high school wore UW gear. It wasn't rare to see Sonics or even Mariners gear but NOBODY wore Seahawks gear at that point. Myself included.

I don't think it was ever as Husky dominant as it is Seahawk dominant now (at least not in my lifetime) but I'm not there now so maybe it's not as Hawks centric as my impression.

LebamDawg

Being an old fart - the Dawgs were king until the Seahawks arrived. Both were actually equal in the press as they had different play days. Sunday paper had a huge section for the UW, Monday for the Hawks.
Sonics got a lot of glory but obvious different time frame.
Absolutely no coverage of recruiting that I can remember but I was growing up in a drug-induced stupor in South Seattle (Rainier Beach guy here)
Komo used to have an hour show on Sundays for Owens and then James to review the previous days game. There was no sports radio to bolster the audience back then either.

Doog_de_Jour

Thanks for the chinsights.

I do of course remember coming to Seattle during that era, but as a kid I never got the (forgive me the expression) the “12” vibe for either the Hawks or the Huskies. But I never saw much beyond UW’s campus and the touristy sites.

I get that Seattle’s love affair with the Dawgs was a long tim ago, that it’s not a college town, and that there’s been a huge influx of transplants, etc but it would be nice to see more support for the football program in the city.

Eh. I need to STOP LIVING IN THE PAST!

Kingdome_Urinals

Grew up in the city of Seattle, 4th generation in the city. Huskies were big late '70s-mid 80's. Seahawks sucked until '83 when they got Curt Warner and got to the AFC championship. Hawks were good from '84-'86, '87. Seahawks were actually huge in the mid-80s with the Bronco-busters and Raider-busters shit. Kingdome was an awesome place when it got cranked up.

Dawgs ruled in the early '90s because they were at a peak and the Seahawks sucked until Holmgren showed up. The Sunday Seattle Times sports section was packed with Husky info and stories. Nothing louder than Husky stadium in the early '90s, nothing.....

RaceBannon

Prime Sports showed up on cable in 88 with a Saturday afternoon game and full Husky replays on Sunday night.

Q13 took over the coaches show.

When the Hawks talked about hiring James in the early 80s after 3 Rose Bowls people threatened to cut up their Nordstrom cards. Nordy got out not long after. The Hawks hired Chuck Knox and James got paid by UW

Doog_de_Jour

RaceBannon said:

Prime Sports showed up on cable in 88 with a Saturday afternoon game and full Husky replays on Sunday night.

Q13 took over the coaches show.

When the Hawks talked about hiring James in the early 80s after 3 Rose Bowls people threatened to cut up their Nordstrom cards. Nordy got out not long after. The Hawks hired Chuck Knox and James got paid by UW

Really?That’s amazing.



Though I don’t like the idea of cutting up my Nordy card. 💄👠👜💍👗

huskyhooligan

Dawgs were huge. I grew up near the University though, and many of the houses in the area were rentals filled with UW students, or filled with their professors / employees. We could sometimes here the roar from Husky stadium, and there was a waiting list for season tickets. Definitely echo what others have said that the Hawks, especially late 80's when they won AFC west were big, and Steve Largent was a god. Everykid who played football wanted to be him. That being said, 89 - 2001 Dawgs were definitely the bigger ticket. My middle and high school were filled with kids wearing UW gear regularly. I mean, Sir Mix A lot repped UW in Baby Got Back.

GreenRiverGatorz

Kingdome_Urinals said:

Grew up in the city of Seattle, 4th generation in the city. Huskies were big late '70s-mid 80's. Seahawks sucked until '83 when they got Curt Warner and got to the AFC championship. Hawks were good from '84-'86, '87. Seahawks were actually huge in the mid-80s with the Bronco-busters and Raider-busters shit. Kingdome was an awesome place when it got cranked up.

Dawgs ruled in the early '90s because they were at a peak and the Seahawks sucked until Holmgren showed up. The Sunday Seattle Times sports section was packed with Husky info and stories. Nothing louder than Husky stadium in the early '90s, nothing.....

Good shit. You can't get more 80s hawks insider than @Kingdome_Urinals.

CFetters_Nacho_Lover

The only thing I'll add to what's been said by @dnc, @Fire_Marshall_Bill, etc. is that I believe there was a waiting for UW season tickets in the 80s and 90s while there were people trying to sell their Seahawks season tickets. That might be a bit of hyperbole but it's pretty close to true.

All the faggoty liberals and the transplants hurt UW football's standing in the city. I despise the transplants who are HUGE 12s.

dnc

CFetters_Nacho_Lover said:

The only thing I'll add to what's been said by @dnc, @Fire_Marshall_Bill, etc. is that I believe there was a waiting for UW season tickets in the 80s and 90s while there were people trying to sell their Seahawks season tickets. That might be a bit of hyperbole but it's pretty close to true.

All the faggoty liberals and the transplants hurt UW football's standing in the city. I despise the transplants who are HUGE 12s.

Seahawks had a huge season ticket waiting list in the late 80s I know that. Wouldn’t shock me if UW did too.

dflea

In the late 70's, when I'd go to the store with my dads, the grocery bags said "Husky Fever!", and everyone in Shelton had those bags in their house, even the dumb Cooger families. Don James had his own show on Sunday evening where he'd tell you how much better the Huskies needed to do, even if they'd just dismantled their opponent.

My old man watched Don James' show, and he was a guy that considered television a colossal waste of time - except for Hee Haw and Don James.

At least that's how I remember it. Years of drugs and alcohol may have blurred some of my memories, so keep that in mind.

Doog_de_Jour

I loved the Husky Fever stuff as a kid.

Our current marking campaign might as well be called “Husky Asymptomatic”.

GrundleStiltzkin

Doog_de_Jour said:

I loved the Husky Fever stuff as a kid.

Our current marking campaign might as well be called “Husky Asymptomatic”.

POTD