Willamette Going National, But Being Ignored At Home

It’s not that Willamette University students aren’t proud of their football team playing in the NAIA championship game, they say, it’s just that they’re more concerned with final exams.

“I came from a small high school, so it’s been really exciting to watch our team,” said Brian Hofft, “but finals come first.”

Hofft said he’ll take a break long enough to watch part of the game on television Saturday morning before an economics final in the afternoon.

Willamette chartered two 118-seat airplanes to carry players and fans to Tennessee, where the Bearcats face Findlay, Ohio, on Saturday. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. PST.

But only one fan - Dory Lerner - is booked on the first flight, and she’s not even going to the game. She’s taking advantage of the $288 one-way fare home to Memphis.

“It’ll be me, the football players and the coaches,” Lerner said.

Another Tennessee native said she won’t get home, but her family will make the 3-hour drive to attend the game in Savannah.

“I try to go to every game. This time, my family’s going, and I’m going in spirit,” Elizabeth Crouch said.

Despite the glare of media attention, it really was “dead week” on the Willamette campus. All was quiet except for rally signs on the student center railing and scoreboard.

“There’s a quiet pride that the teams have put themselves where they are as champions and a quiet confidence that they know what the job is and will get it done,” interim President Bryan Johnston said.

Some point to the $20,000 for a year of schooling at Willamette, a college of 2,100 students. Others simply say Willamette is a liberal arts school, not a sports college.

“I wouldn’t expect them to be excited or jacked-up about our football team,” said Bill Trenbeath, Willamette’s athletic director.

“It’s not that they don’t care,” he said, “they have more important things to do.”