I was born and raised in Seattle, Wash., which means that I am fiercely loyal to my Washington Huskies. We've had a few tough seasons over the years, but my dedication has never wavered.
Here are 25 reasons that I love being a Huskies fan:
The Emerald City
The University of Washington is located in Seattle, which is a beautiful city. There are much worse places in terms of scenary.
The stadium
The view from Husky Stadium is unmatched. The renovation will make it even more breathtaking.
National champions
Washington fans can take pride in the fact that the Huskies won national championships in 1960 and 1991, prior to the BCS debacle.
Bowl wins
I love watching the Huskies in bowl games. Washington has won 16 bowls in its football history.
Rose Bowl wins
When it comes to bowl games, there is none better than the Rose Bowl. The Huskies have been in this game 14 times, and won seven.
The color purple
Let's face it, the color purple looks great on a football uniform. Add some gold and you have football royalty.
Inventing the wave
I am going to stick with the belief that "The Wave" should be credited to Husky Stadium. That makes being a Washington fan all the better.
Louie, Louie
What other marching band has a rendition of "Louie, Louie" that can be downloaded from Amazon? It's cool to be a Huskies fan.
Surviving a dreadful season
I stuck with my Huskies during a dreadful 0-12 season. I was still happy to be a Washington fan after that year.
Investing in youth
What other team is offering scholarships to 14-year-old quarterbacks? Granted, as I wrote previously, I am not necessarily a fan of this practice. However, I'll like it if the kid turns out to be a star.
Sark
Steve Sarkisian inspires confidence. He is a good reason to be a fan.
Don James
Washington used to have Don James. Those were the days. It is good to have coaching legends in your history.
The Whammy in Miami
Who snapped Miami's 58-game home winning streak in 1994? Washington did.
Warren Moon
Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon went to Washington. He is one of many great quarterbacks that have played in the Pacific Northwest.
Historical record
The Huskies have racked up 653 wins. That is good for 21st on the all-time list.
Fight song
The fight song is "Bow Down to Washington." Is there a more confident title?
Mascot
Who has a cooler mascot than an Alaskan malamute?
Record streak
The Huskies have the longest unbeaten streak in Division I-A history at 63 games.
Perfection
Washington has put together 12 unbeaten seasons, and five perfect seasons.
The band
You can keep the Stanford Band. I will take the Husky Band any day.
Spelling
Anyone can spell it "D-O-G-S." Husky fans get to spell it "D-A-W-G-S."
The school
Technically, it is the University of Washington. However, fans get to call it "U-Dub."
Tough fans
You have to be a hardy fan to follow the Huskies. It just might rain.
The Apple Cup
The Dawgs are 67-31-6 in the Apple Cup. Talk about dominance in the rivalry game.
Rivals
The Huskies aren't WSU. 'Nuff said.
The author lives in Los Angeles, but grew up in Seattle and still roots faithfully for the Dawgs. He took one class at the U-Dub, so that practically makes him alumni.
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