Five years ago, Jake Locker set foot on the UW campus and energized the fan base with his lightning-quick speed and million-dollar smile. On Thursday, Nov. 18, Locker and 16 other Washington seniors will play their final game at Husky Stadium. It is the first Thursday night game at home for the UW since 1939.
It’s been a rough go for this group, but they are helping to right the ship and Locker, in particular, has given us reason to hope. His work ethic, passion for Husky football and all-around character epitomize what this university is all about. In recognition of Jake’s last game at home, here are a few quotes left over from my pre-season interview with the UW quarterback.Read the full story in the December issue of Columns.
What were your thoughts upon signing with the UW in 2005?
This program was comfortable being at the top of the Pac-10. If you weren’t winning it you were second and playing for it at the end of the season. Year in and year out you were competing for a Pac-10 title, and then you have your really good teams that are competing for national titles. Everybody who’s signed their letter of intent in the last five years has had that belief. This is a program that can be in the top of the Pac-10 and in the top of the country. That’s where I wanted to end up when I got done, and that’s where I thought this program realistically could go.
Can you compare the program now to where it was when you first arrived?
We’ve taken a big step forward. It was obviously tough the first couple of years. We didn’t do what we wanted to. We’ve always had the talent to win, but some guys were going different ways and buying into different things. Some were with the program and some weren’t. I think for the first time since I’ve been here, everybody believes in the same thing, believes in the same idea, the same goals, and is working together to achieve them. To me, that’s what’s going to make us successful. That’s why this year and going forward feels a lot different than it has in the past.
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