Big win comes with nice scenery
SEATTLE — Cruising across Lake Washington on Saturday morning, about 200 Nebraska boosters aboard the “Lady Mary” caught a glimpse of Mount Rainier — the snow-capped 14,000-foot peak some 50 miles south of the city in the Cascade Mountains — set against a clearing sky with Husky Stadium in the foreground.
You don't get that every week en route to a Nebraska football game.
Three boats, chartered by the Nebraska Alumni Association, transported fans to the docks on the east side of Husky Stadium, arriving about 3½ hours before kickoff. They formed a fraction of the large NU delegation that filled about one-quarter of the 72,500-seat stadium.
Nebraska fans packed the majority of the seats in both end zones and many of the lower seats on the south side behind the NU bench. They made more noise than the UW fans even at the 20-minute mark before kickoff as both teams left the field after warmups.
Before the game, The World-Herald got a seat aboard the “Lady Mary” for the 75-minute ride from the Argosy Marina on Lake Union. Washington and Tennessee are the only major-college venues that allow fans to reach a football stadium by boat.
Among the sailing fans Saturday was Marilyn Retzlaff of Palmer, Neb., who lived in the area more than five decades ago with her husband, William, and three of their four daughters — Teresa Baumert of Kearney, Neb., and Stephanie Leeding and Susan Deitrick of Doniphan, Neb.
All three daughters left their husbands at home.
“They were not asked to come,” Baumert joked.
Said Leeding: “Really, when we're all together, they don't like to partake.”
William Retzlaff was stationed at the U.S. Army base in nearby Fort Lewis, Wash., from 1957 to 1959 before returning to farm in Nebraska. The Retzlaffs have had season tickets at Memorial Stadium since 1972. He died in 2008 at age 73.
The trip to Washington — Marilyn Retzlaff's first since she lived here — was made in honor of her late husband.
“It's a dream for me that I never thought I'd experience,” Retzlaff said.
They visited Fort Lewis and Seattle's Pike Place Market, ate fish and bought army sweatshirts. Marilyn's only regret: that her daughters couldn't see majestic Mount Rainier, shrouded by clouds Friday and for the first portion of the morning boat ride. Minutes later, it emerged.
But we have Runzas
Here's something you don't see at Memorial Stadium — clam chowder.
Concession stands throughout Husky Stadium included Ivar's clam chowder. Either $5.50 for a 12-ounce bowl or $8.50 for a sourdough bread bowl.
“Want to try some?” says Carrie Schneider, with a big smile.
Schneider can understand a Midwesterner's curiosity. The general manager of Ivar's is a 2003 University of Nebraska graduate and a North Dakota native.
Schneider said a sellout crowd Saturday would mean sales of about 900 cups and 800 bowls. Roughly 300 gallons.
Two other tidbits: Visiting fans tend to buy it more often, and the chowder usually sells best on cold and rainy days.
That's worse than wax
It seemed a rather harmless week for bulletin-board material. But a Bo Pelini comment Tuesday generated quite a buzz in Seattle. Pelini said he didn't anticipate the crowd being an issue for freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez.
Talk-radio hosts in Seattle ripped Pelini for the comment last week. And the student newspaper didn't like the comment, either. “With 70 percent of the seats located within the end zones,” reporter William Dow wrote, “the only way they won't be affected is if they have corn in their ears.”
Tom Terrific
Tom Osborne coached his last game 13 years ago, but he still has fans across the country. A girl in her 20s who works for Washington's radio network shared an elevator with Osborne on Saturday and told him, “I'm a big admirer of yours.”
Nebraska won at Washington, 27-14, in Osborne's last season, 1997.
Kindly Huskies
It was a friendly environment in the large tailgating lot north of Husky Stadium.
Washington and Nebraska fans parked their cars and set up their tents next to one another on the massive plot of concrete designated for pregame festivities. And not so surprisingly, the interactions seemed mostly harmless. Both fan bases are hoping that their programs can return to the glory days of the '90s, which seemed to create a feeling of mutual respect.
One Husky fan even commented to his purple-clad buddies that he wanted Husker supporters as tailgate neighbors because he was interested in rehashing past games.
NU and UW last played in 1998.
— Rich Kaipust, Dirk Chatelain, Jon Nyatawa and Mitch Sherman
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