Saturday, November 22, 2025
Lest we forget . . .
62 years ago today, the 35th President
of the United State, John F. Kennedy,
was assassinated in Dallas, Texas
For those of us of a certain age, you remember exactly where you were when you first heard the devastating news.
I was in Coach Friedman's U.S. History class at St. Francis H.S. Coach was late for class which was not normal. As I sat in the front of the class, I often noted that Coach wore a JFK PT-109 tie clasp as he was a big Kennedy supporter. The announcement of the assassination came from our Rector, Father Emilian, about ten minutes into that long ago period.
Coach Friedman never showed up to class on that horrible day.
On to happier thoughts . . .
On tap was American football game #64 of the 2025 calendar year for me having either watched or coached in Spain, California and South Carolina.
It was a Washington Huskies
game to boot!
The game was at the Rose Bowl
hosted by the UCLA Bruins
The buzz all day long was the question, "Was this UCLA's last home game at the Rose Bowl before a possible contract breaking move to Inglewood's SoFi Stadium?"
Time will tell.
We had ourselves a
Big-10 Conference match-up
Two old West Coast rivals from the
old Pacific Coast Conference days
They first met on the gridiron in Los Angeles in 1932, a Huskies 19-0 victory.
The Bruins entered tonight's game leading the series 40-35-2.
Let's take a closer look at our combatants . . .
Washington Huskies
7-3 overall, 4-3 Big-10 Conference
Tied for Sixth Place in the Big-10 Conference
2025 Results
vs. Colorado State (2-8) – Won 38-21
vs. UC Davis (7-3) – Won 70-10
at Washington State (5-5) – Won 59-24
vs. Ohio State (10-0) – Lost 24-6 *
at Maryland (4-6) – Won 24-20 *
vs. Rutgers (5-5) – Won 38-19 *
at Michigan (8-2) – Lost 24-7 *
vs. Illinois (7-3) – Won 42-25 *
at Wisconsin (3-7) – Lost 13-10 *
vs. Purdue (2-9) – Won 49-13 *
* Big-10 Conference Game
at
UCLA Bruins
3-7 overall, 3-4 Big-10 Conference
Tied for Eleventh Place in the Big-10 Conference
2025 Results
vs. Utah (8-2) – Lost 43-10
at UNLV (8-2) – Lost 30-23
vs. New Mexico (7-3) – Lost 35-10
at Northwestern (5-5) – Lost 17-14 *
vs. Penn State (4-6) – Won 42-37 *
at Michigan State (3-7) – Won 38-13 *
vs. Maryland (4-6) – Won 20-17 *
at Indiana (11-0) – Lost 56-6 *
vs. Nebraska (7-3) – Lost 28-21 *
at Ohio State (10-0) – Lost 48-10 *
* Big-10 Conference Game
It was also Senior Night,
lots of celebrations tonight
The best part, by far, of going to a college game is the pre-game tailgate and we had been invited to a good one with several Husky friends.
Our high energy tailgate hostess,
Diane Claridge, on the right
Diane's husband, Dan, on the left
Dan has become a master tailgate BBQ chef over the years.
Dan's father, Peter, a.k.a., "Spear," was a teammate of ours on late 1960s Husky football teams.
We sadly lost Peter a few years ago.
Good man.
Just the early start of our tailgate
the BBQ portion would a tad later
One of many Bruins fans showing
their displeasure at any move to SoFi
It was a BEAUTIFUL afternoon
for Laurie to give Michael some
words to live by!
A neighboring tailgate party
starting to grill
The Claridge tailgate was all
decked out in Purple and Gold
Another disgruntled Bruin
With former UW DB Carl Sweet
Carl would go on to a fine career as a high school football coach and Athletic Director after college.
One of many Tailgate Alleys
We had never seen the iconic
Rose Bowl sign in these UCLA colors
Traditionally, it is red and green.
Scott Altenberg with Mark McMahon
Scott joined us from the UCLA tailgate next to us. He was a fine UCLA receiver back in the day and is now the highly successful Head Football Coach at Gardena's Serra H.S.
Mark teamed up with Carl Sweet to patrol the Huskies secondary in the late 1960s. He also had a distinguished career as a high school coach in Orange County.
After lots of food, adult beverages and camaraderie, it was time to head on into the Rose Bowl.
A big THANK YOU to Dan and Diane for hosting the great tailgate today, let's do it again soon!
Statue of U.S. Women's Soccer star
Brandi Chastain
This statue commemorates her iconic slide after scoring the winning goal against China in the 1999 World Cup Finals played at the Rose Bowl. The United States won the Gold Medal by a score of 5-4.
The Sabolić, D'Antuono and Contreras
Families on the Washington section
of the Rose Bowl's Honor Court
About to enter the Rose Bowl
Statue of Ohio State's two-time
Heisman Trophy winner who
played in four Rose Bowl games
from 1973-1976
In 1990, Archie Griffin was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
Fifteen minutes before Kickoff
the crowd was sparse
At least there was the four of us
The crowd was better as
the game started
The Huskies sweeping to the left
This is about as good as the crowd got
The announced attendance was 38,201.
The Rose Bowl's current configuration allows for a seating capacity of 89,702.
We were only at 43% capacity, sad for any Power-Five conference like the Big-10.
The First Quarter was rather pedantic
Still, the Huskies had a lead
after 15 minutes of play
Close, but no cigar
After 30 minutes of play, we were
relieved but still not overly
impressed by the Huskies
As for the Bruins, they looked like a truly poor team so far.
Now, THAT'S more like it!
The Huskies took firm control
of the game in the Third Quarter
Decision time for us
The game was well in hand as UCLA continued to offer minimal resistance.
It was getting late and we still had a one hour drive back to Camarillo.
Thus we decided to leave the game after the end of the Third Quarter.
In our absence, I relied on the Huskies' Facebook page to provide some photos from the Fourth Quarter action.
It was still physical late in the game
Life in "The Pit" is always hectic
Total Dominance
The Huskies are now 8-3 on the season and 5-3 in Big-10 Conference games, tied for 6th place in the conference with Iowa. The Huskies play Oregon Ducks (10-1, 7-1 Big-10) at home next Saturday to end the regular season.
UCLA falls to 3-8 and 3-5 in the Big-10 which puts them in 12th place in the conference. UCLA ends their season next Saturday against their crosstown rivals, the USC Trojans (8-3, 6-2 Big-10) at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Now, as for our drive home, it was my second fastest exit ever from the Rose Bowl's notoriously treacherous parking lots, surpassed only by a mid-1960s Cal Tech game that had a crowd in the multi-dozens in the Arroyo Seco's Grand Old Stadium.
This weekend's Adventure continues on Sunday with Game #65 . . .
It is also Aaron Donald
Bobblehead Giveaway Night
Jacob should be excited on many levels at SoFi Stadium tomorrow.
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