The Details: Thank You And Goodbye
January 25, 2017 | General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
They sat behind a curtain. Lined up along the wall outside of a ballroom in a downtown Atlanta hotel, Washington's football team waited, a hallway filled with focused faces.
Several hours before last month's semifinal matchup with Alabama, the Huskies were minutes away from boarding the busses that would take them down the street to the Georgia Dome.
As I looked around the room, I thought about Budda Baker. Not the star he has become, but the quiet, lightning-quick sophomore in high school who was just beginning his journey, one that will continue in the NFL next season.
I thought about Kevin King and Darrell Daniels. We both joined the program the same year, when they were freshmen and I was pivoting to a career telling stories from just behind the curtain.
From Jake Eldrenkamp and Cameron Van Winkle to Psalm Wooching and Keishawn Bierria, we shared the journey to college football's biggest stage. They invested the hard work and I was fortunate to help celebrate every success.
Over the past four years, we fed the homeless in San Francisco, went to Alcatraz, had a walkthrough in a downtown park in Chicago, went through a coaching change, experienced the true meaning of "Built For Life" while working to be "O.K.G.s." We went to Hawaii, snapped that obnoxious losing streak and never lost an Apple Cup. We won a Pac-12 championship and visited "hallowed ground" at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
So, after walking past those players before the CFP Semifinal in Atlanta, once I stepped into the elevator, a wave of emotion washed over me. All of those moments smacked me in the face, because I realized, like Washington's seniors and those moving on to the NFL, the matchup with Alabama might be my last game with the Huskies.
After four seasons filling several roles in the athletic department, it is time to say goodbye. I am moving to Florida and, while I don't yet know what's next, I can say with certainty I will miss sharing the stories of Washington's student athletes.
I can't think of another job that includes the opportunity to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef with the Washington women's basketball team – the most interesting squad in America – a trip to Australia that came after Mike Neighbors and the Huskies brought me along on their journey to last season's Final Four.
I am thankful for each athlete and every coach who took the time to share a story.
But, for all the stories and photos, the truly memorable moments will be those that happened behind the scenes, experiences shared during the weekly staff noon hoops games or conversations shared in the hallway.
If you've been following along the past four years, thank you for reading. I hope you've enjoyed the content.
And now, as I prepare for the cross-country drive, I can only hope I raise my son – he is due in May – to be as passionate and thoughtful as the athletes I've worked with the past four seasons.
Hopefully, in some small way, I helped fuel the bandwagon. It has been a privilege trying.
Go Dawgs.
