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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hawks Upbeat About Return To Cheney For Training Camp

Facing an uncertain future, the Seattle Seahawks are taking it one training camp at a time.

The Hawks’ selection of Cheney as site of their preseason training camp was made official Wednesday at a press conference on the Eastern Washington University campus.

Both parties seem interested in a longer relationship. That possibility relies somewhat on whether Paul Allen moves forward with his option to buy the team, which is dependent on the success of Allen’s push for a new stadium to replace the Kingdome.

So, selecting Cheney, the Hawks’ training camp home from 1976-85, meets political protocol by reaching fans statewide.

But Seattle coach Dennis Erickson said there was another important consideration: Training in Cheney should improve the team.

That, after all, is Erickson’s duty.

“I want to get to a place where we can just focus on football, where it’s our place, our training camp and our players can concentrate on what we need to get done,” he said.

“Any support we can get for a new stadium, regardless of what part of the state it’s from, is good. Coming over here isn’t really a political thing. We want to bring the team back to the state of Washington. Politically, obviously, it’s going to help, too.”

Coaches and players will report to Cheney by July 15. About 170 Hawks’ personnel will be on site. Practices will run from July 17 to Aug. 15.

The Hawks open their preseason schedule against Minnesota in the Hall of Fame Game, July 26, in Canton, Ohio.

Practices will be open to the public.

Hawks officials didn’t rule out the possibility of playing an exhibition game at nearby Albi Stadium, but scrimmages against other NFL teams are more likely.

“It gives us the opportunity to showcase our athletic programs and facilities,” said Michael Stewart, EWU’s vice president for business and finance. “It provides some continuity in our labor force and it also provides some dollars to grow and improve our facilities.”

Stewart said it hasn’t been determined how much it will cost the Hawks to use EWU’s facilities.

No structural improvements are necessary to accommodate the Hawks, he said. “We already had a project under way with our weightroom. It was divided by a hallway and we’re combining it.

“We’re trying to give them a turn-key package so they can bring their group over and all they have to worry about is passing, kicking and tackling. The rest we’ll take care of.”

EWU football coach Mike Kramer, who played at Idaho in the mid-1970s when Erickson was a Vandals assistant, said, “There’s more spin-off (benefits) than you can imagine as far as recruiting and the exposure to major media markets in Seattle. It will do us innumerable good.”

And the negatives? “The traffic is going to increase in Cheney, but I think those guys in their Mercedeses can dodge me on my bike,” Kramer joked.

Erickson is counting on Cheney’s warm summer temperatures to improve conditioning. Cheney’s relative isolation in comparison to Kirkland, the previous training camp locale, should bolster team chemistry.

“I really believe the camaraderie of spending time together is a key to team unity,” he said. “That’s a key to winning, whether it’s high school, college or the NFL.

“They’re not going to go home, or do some of the other things (they did in Kirkland) when they have time off.”

Most of the players, anyway. Quarterback John Friesz is a native of Coeur d’Alene and makes his off-season home there. Erickson recently purchased a home near Kidd Island Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Friesz graciously declined becoming the team’s entertainment chairman.

“I have no desire to have the entire team over to my summer house,” he said as he signed autographs.

Friesz sees the move to Cheney as the latest in a string of wise management decisions.

“This will be neat for parents to bring their kids over and for the everyday fan to come over and become excited about the Seahawks again,” he said. “The things that have happened since the start of free agency (the signing of Chad Brown and Willie Williams) and what will continue to happen really has everybody excited about how far the team can go this year.

“I’ve been on teams in the past where people say, ‘Geez, did you see how much money he got?’ in a down sense. Or, ‘He took my money,’ that kind of stuff. That’s not the feeling I’m getting. It been, ‘More power to him, he’s a great player.’ Our players are tired of losing.”

So are the coaches.

“Paul Allen’s group has opened the pocketbooks a little bit and given us an opportunity to get some players. There are a lot of positive things happening,” Erickson said.

“Things kind of depend on how well we play during the season. If we go to the Super Bowl, we might stay here permanently.”

, DataTimes