View From Above

Many Cougar fans had waited their entire lives for this. They embraced their moment in the Pasadena sun, even if it was viewed through a 13-inch TV screen.

Some journeyed early to Los Angeles to work on their tans and spread the Cougar gospel. Others struggled to escape the foggy Spokane airport only hours before game time. Lucky ticket-holders eye-witnessed the event, while scalpers’ prices that wouldn’t drop forced other fans to watch on a fuzzy big-screen in the shadow of the stadium.

For most, the Rose Bowl played out in the living rooms and bars of the Inland Northwest. One saloonkeeper refused to take customers’ food orders except during commercial breaks. The Cougar faithful exchanged high-fives during the early going, then grew apprehensive as Michigan protected a late lead.

Finally, they consoled one another after a controversial ending left them begging for a final play that never came.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo