Husky Stadium: What Makes It Unique

In the next month, the Washington Huskies will begin practicing and eventually move into their newly renovated Husky Stadium.  Over this same time period, we will be writing a few posts about Husky Stadium.  Some will be on the technical side of the stadium and some with be based on opinion.  Here is the first post in the series.  We hope you enjoy!

College football is full of pageantry and tradition.  Each school has something that they try to make unique.  They do this to get a step ahead in recruiting and for the fans.  These traditions turn into what they’re known for.  There’s the checkered end zones in Tennessee and the gator chomp in Florida.  There’s the buffalo in Boulder, Colorado and the War Eagle in Auburn.  The University of Washington has their own traditions.  In this post, I’ll take a quick look at a few of the traditions and landmarks that are unique to the school and Husky Stadium.

The Lake 

Husky Stadium from Lake Washington

As you cross the 520 bridge, the stadium comes into vision.  The view is quite stunning, as you can see from above.  Husky Stadium is one of two places that you can tailgate on a boat, dock and then walk into the game (the other being Tennessee).  The view inside the stadium is just as beautiful.  From the north, south, and west side of the stadium you can look to the east.  If you look over, or to the side, of the (new and improved) video board, the lake will supplement a view that you won’t get at any other stadium in the country.  When talking about Husky Stadium, Lake Washington is one of the first topics that comes to people’s mind.

The Cascades

Lake Washington isn’t the only scenic aspect of Husky Stadium.  The Cascade Mountain range is also part of the stadium’s allure.  Depending on where you sit you’ll be able to see the surrounding mountains and while walking around it’s easy to spot Mt. Rainier.  Seattle locals know how blessed the city is to be surrounded by water, beautiful architecture and an amazing mountain range.  If you have forgotten or aren’t from around here, then Husky Stadium will feature all of that beauty.

The Siren

Most football teams have something that happens when they score.  A certain song blares through the PA or some people run around with flags (ASU promotes chants of U-S-A! Very patriotic).  At Husky Stadium, a siren goes off.  You could take away other things from Husky home games and it will be a little off, but if the siren was to go away I think this would be the weirdest feeling.  It’s something I, and most fans, take for granted.  I’ll try to stop.

Tequila! 

In the second half, during a break in the action, the band will bust out ‘Tequila’.  The song is what the Husky Marching Band is known for.  The stadium turns from a crowd of people ready to make a quarterback go deaf to a crowd celebrating a day off.  If the siren is the intensity of Husky Stadium, ‘Tequila’ is the fun of Husky Stadium.

Husky Legends

Between the third and the fourth quarter of every home game, U-Dub brings back a former player who was a Husky great.  They show highlights of the former player and then introduce him to the crowd.  In the dark ages of He Who Shall Not Be Named (it started with a T), the Husky Legends were what would give us hope.  It’s great that the school and team pays homage to their past, every game.

The Barking

On any given Seattle Saturday in the Fall, around 70,000 people bark all at once, as a teenager tackles another young man who didn’t run as far as normally expected.

Andrew

A year ago today, Matthew wrote this post on the blog.  It’s still my favorite thing we’ve ever had on here.  If you have a few minutes, go read it.