A Link To Cougs’ Rose Bowl Past Myron ‘Mike’ Davis, 89, Was On The Field The Last Time WSU Played In The Granddaddy Of All Bowl Games
The memories come back slowly, but they’re there.
It’s been 67 years since Myron “Mike” Davis and the Washington State football team played in the Rose Bowl, so it takes time for Davis to warm up.
Given time, the 89-year-old former halfback will talk about teammates like Art Freeborg, who wasn’t part of the traveling squad early in his career, but managed to sneak along on road trips by hiding under the seats on the train.
Such memories are precious because only seven players remain from that 1930 team, which took a 9-0 record into its Jan. 1, 1931, meeting with Alabama. The Cougars lost that game, 24-0, but Davis thinks the current team will fare much better against top-ranked Michigan.
“I might be a little premature, but I think Washington State’s gonna take ‘em,” Davis said Friday, shortly after addressing the Cougars before their morning practice at the Coliseum.
Davis, who lives with his 85-year-old wife in nearby Studio City, cited WSU’s Fab Five receivers as key elements in the Cougars’ favor. He was also impressed by the team’s resolve.
“They don’t give up too damn easy,” he said. “I think that they’re a hard-working bunch of kids that are out there to win, not just to get their name in the paper.”
Over the years, Davis has lost some of his hearing, but his vision remains sharp, allowing him to follow the Cougars on television. Daily workouts on the treadmill help keep his body in working order.
“My heart doctor only allows me to go 20 minutes at a time,” Davis said, “so I go 20 in the morning and 20 in the afternoon. Sometimes my leg starts giving me fits, and then I have to rest for about 8, 10 seconds.”
With WSU in town, Davis can rest later. His son, Mike Davis, is equally busy, whisking his father around to various Rose Bowl-related events.
The younger Davis, fire chief for the City of Burbank, said his father is enjoying the attention, which will culminate with a New Year’s Eve gala at the Burbank Hilton Hotel.
“He approached this whole thing with a little bit of ambivalence at first,” the younger Davis said. “I didn’t think he really thought some of this would happen, just like he kept hoping for Washington State to go to the Rose Bowl for a lot of years, and that didn’t happen.
“He’s grateful for the attention.”
Davis won’t be the only old-timer on hand at the Hilton. Joe Hansen (‘30-31) and John Bley (‘33-35) have also been invited. Fans are invited to attend at a cost of $20 per person, with casual dress encouraged. (RSVP: (310) 720-1476.)
Basil Kimbrew, a defensive back at WSU from 1973-75, is organizing the event, which will feature Davis and roughly 400 other former WSU players, including Jack Thompson and Mark Rypien.
Kimbrew, who works for U.S. Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Carson) and also serves on the Compton School Board, has become absorbed by WSU’s return to the Rose Bowl.
Years ago, he and several other WSU players vowed never to attend a WSU bowl game unless it was the Rose Bowl. Now he’s making up for lost time.
“Who would have ever thought?” Kimbrew marveled.
Kimbrew expects the event to give former players a chance to reminisce and tell stories. He offered a sneak preview, divulging two stories from his playing days.
“Back then, I was the smallest one on the team,” he said, “and the story was, when I weighed in, I weighed in at 165 pounds - with a 10-pound weight on the inside of my pants.”
Kimbrew was afraid that if he weighed in too light, coaches would question his stamina and limit his playing time.
“I was a lightweight then, but I had 4.2 speed,” he pointed out.
Another story involved the ‘74 game against Washington, when quarterback Charlie Peck secretly traded places with kicker Joe Danelo on an extra point. Coach Jim Sweeney didn’t find out until later.
“Nobody knew it until they saw the game film,” Kimbrew said. “Sweeney had a fit.”
Peck made it, but the Huskies won the game 24-17.
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