Don James on Husky Stadium: An excerpt from Go Huskies!: Celebrating the Washington Football Tradition

It has been an emotional week for Husky fans reflecting on the life and coaching career of Don James. It is hard to put into words what Don James meant to program, the Pac-12 and college football, but one thing that is probably for sure is that Washington would have never been able to renovate Husky Stadium if it weren't for the outstanding years that Don James put together over the course of three decades. It's hard to think of a big game at Husky Stadium without thinking of Coach James and I'm one who believes that a statue of the man should be somewhere around the facility sooner rather than later.

It is sure to be an emotional night Saturday when the Huskies take the field at Husky Stadium and the kind of spectacular scene that James described so well in the foreward of W. Thomas Porter's newly released book Go Huskies!: Celebrating the Washington Football Tradition.

Here in full, is the foreward from the book, written by the late Coach James:

On Husky Stadium

There are numerous things that make Washington football special. I can think of none greater than Husky Stadium. Every morning, as I drove to work from my home in Bellevue, it rose magnificently from the horizon as a monument to the Husky program. Now, with its extensive renovation completed, the stadium will continue to provide a beautiful setting and a much more fan-friendly venue.

I think Husky football has different meanings to different people. It means something different to each fan, player, and coach. In my 18 seasons of coaching at the University of Washington, I was associated with some of the greatest teams and players in college football history. Washington is truly one of the finest academic institutions in the world and provides an outstanding environment in which to learn, grow, and mature as an individual.

I have been greatly impressed with the commitment, the determination, and the pride of the men who wear the purple and gold. They are very tough competitors, and they play at the very highest level in collegiate football. A classic matchup with a big opponent on a Saturday afternoon in Husky Stadium is one of the best in all of sports.

Husky Stadium is an incredible place to play a football game. Its adjacency to the water and the mountains, its upper decks rising to the sky, the walk down the tunnel and onto the field, and the passion of the Husky fans combine to make it one of the greatest venues in college football.

Husky football excites, inspires, and rallies students, faculty, alumni, and the community around the program. All of them are proud of the Huskies tradition. Go Huskies!: Celebrating Washington's Football Tradition is a complete chronicle of the history of Husky football. The book focuses on the major eras in Husky football history. It also spotlights the best teams, the greatest games, the biggest comebacks, and the greatest players-unsung heroes and fan favorites-in Husky history.

Go Huskies! helps all of us to relive the big games and big seasons and rekindles our memories of Husky legends.

-Coach Don James

You can check out the full book on Amazon.

This excerpt from Go Huskies!: Celebrating the Washington Football Tradition by W. Thomas Porter is printed with the permission of Triumph Books. For more information, please visit www.triumphbooks.com/GoHuskies."