The October 9th, 1982 UW Huskies vs Cal Game Program
Posted on February 25, 2008 - Filed Under Football, General, Life, Sports
October 9th, 1982 I was 13 years old and living in Tacoma, Washington.
The UW Huskies were 4-0 heading into a home game against Cal and would go on to a 10-2 season including a 21-20 win over Maryland in the first ever Aloha Bowl.
My mothers friend Sue was like another mother to me growing up, her parents were an extra set of grandparents and always fun to be around during the holidays, and they had lots of connections at UW.
I don’t know how they had it done, but somehow they were able to have several UW Husky coaches and players sign the UW vs Cal State game program from the October 9th game and they gave this to me as a Christmas gift that year just as the Huskies were getting ready for the Aloha Bowl.
Here is a scan of the cover:
Coach Signatures include then Offensive Coordinator Bob Stull, who is now the current Athletic Director at UTEP and Running Back coach Al Roberts, currently the special teams coach for the St. Louis Rams. No autograph from Don James but as a kid I was happy with what I had.
Player autographs are all over the map including players that made it to the NFL and some that were lucky to have been on the UW roster, let alone make it to the pros. Here is a list of the players that I have signatures for and a little bit of history included for fun.
Anthony Allen
Anthony Allen was a wide receiver who made it to the NFL and played for the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers. In 1987 Allen played for the Washington Redskins in the first game played during the players strike. Allen set a franchise record with 8 catches for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns. The achievement was overlooked due to the players strike. Anthony Allen is now coaching football at Garfield High School in Seattle.
Ray Horton
Defensive Back Ray Horton played a solid 10 years in the NFL with the Bengals and Cowboys, winning a Super Bowl with the Cowboys. Ray has coached for 13 years in the NFL and is currently the defensive backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, credited with developing Troy Polamalu into one of the best safeties in the league.
Jim Mora
Jim Mora is the current assistant head coach and defensive backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks, and will assume the head coaching role for Seattle after next season when Mike Holmgren retires. Jim Mora has had a lengthy coaching career including a short stint as the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons. He lost the Falcons job after a controversial radio interview with KJR AM where he told host Hugh Millen that he would leave the Falcons to coach UW if asked.
Vince Newsome
Cornerback Vince Newsome was drafted in the 4th round of the 1983 draft by the LA Rams. The Rams used their first pick, the number 2 pick of the draft, on Eric Dickerson. Vince played in the NFL for 10 years with the LA Rams and ended his career with the Browns. He is currently the Assistant Director of Pro Personnel for the Baltimore Ravens.
Fred Small
Linebacker Fred Small was drafted by Pittsburgh in 1985, traded and then played 3 years for the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons before moving into a career as a law enforcement officer with the Inglewood Police Department. In 2003, Fred Small was killed while on duty when a young woman lost control of her vehicle, hitting another car sending it into the motorcycle that Fred Small was riding. He later died at the hospital. You can read about his law enforcement career career here.
Dan Eernissee
Offensive Guard Dan Eernissee played in the 1985 Orange Bowl, known as the “Sooner Schooner Game“. The Huskies had come into the game as an underdog going against names like Brian Bosworth and Tony Casillas. Dan Eernissee had to line up against Tony Casillas and try to open up running lanes for UW tailback Jacque Robinson. Not an easy task. Dan ended up winning the battle that night allowing Jacque to rack up 135 yards rushing with 1 TD. Here’s a youtube link with highlights.
Those are the notable autographs in the program. The rest are all players that have gone on to probably lead somewhat normal lives. There are famous players in this group that I don’t have autographs of, like Paul Skansi and others but I’m happy with what I have and the stories behind them. One of the most interesting things about the program is the advertising. I’ve scanned a few images in to show you how was paying big money to get their products listed in the 1982 game programs and will post them below.
First we have an ad for the 1982 Pontiac Trans Am.
The base price? $9,659!!! I’m pretty sure this was around Knight Rider time with David Hasselhoff.
Next we have some competition from Datsun. I present the Datsun 280-ZX! “Come and see the new face of awesome” is the tag line at the end of the ad.
Of course, in order to drive around and look awesome in your new ride you have to have a sporting wardrobe to compliment your car. Have no fear because the GAP was going to welcome you with open arms and try to sell you some AWESOME sweat suits!
That’s all I had time to scan from the program. There are some funny ads for Dennys and a few other alcohol related adverts but nothing more. If I have time later I’ll scan those and post.
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