New filmmaker finds labor of love in WSU

OLYMPIA — For 14 years, Jeff McQuarrie worked as president and marketing director of an Alaskan fishing resort, pulling in famous faces such as golfer Phil Mickelson while pulling in a cool, six-figure salary.

He was living the American dream.

But something was missing. The passion was gone. He had tired of his trade.

So, he quit. Now, McQuarrie is chin deep into his new profession — filmmaking. He is several months, 50 hours of interviews and about $20,000 into his first project, a documentary on Washington State University football. A 1987 WSU graduate, he has passion about the subject and his new career.

“I’ve taken a huge risk, and I should probably have my head checked,” said McQuarrie, who has based his film production company in Olympia.

“I basically had tenure and ruled the Alaska fishing resort industry, but it was no longer challenging.”

Thus the career change.

McQuarrie, a public relations director turned filmmaker, is about halfway through an ambitious project. What began as a look at WSU’s four Rose Bowl appearances has evolved into an Herculean project, detailing the life of Cougars football from the start — 1894 — to the present team coached by Bill Doba that is coming off a Holiday Bowl win over Texas.

Among the 40-plus Cougars who McQuarrie has interviewed are Jack Thompson, Keith Jackson, Dennis Erickson, Mike Price, Mark Rypien, Bobo Brayton, Keith Lincoln, Jim Walden, Ammon McWashington and Timm Rosenbach.

The star of the documentary is Babe Hollingbery, the legendary Cougars football coach who did not lose a home game for his first 9 1/2 years in Pullman. Nearly half of the documentary is devoted to the Cougars coach who finished 93-53-14 from 1926 to 1942. Hollingbery started the East-West Shrine Game and coached it for 30 years.

Recently, in a locker room at Olympia’s downtown YMCA, re-enactments of three of Hollingbery’s halftime speeches were filmed.

The scenes included 12 players from Olympia High School’s football team who played the part of Hollingbery’s team. Bill Beattie, Olympia’s coach, played the part of a trainer.

Curt Vaniman, a WSU graduate and an Olympia resident, played the part of the fiery Hollingbery.

“Coach Hollingbery was a master psychologist,” McQuarrie said.

The first scene dealt with Hollingbery being upset about a decision prior to a 1942 game played at Oregon State. Beavers’ coach Lon Stiner refused to let Hollingbery’s players wear their crimson jerseys and the WSU players were forced to wear white T-shirts with black numbers painted on them.

“They’re trying to humiliate you guys,” Vaniman said in the reenactment.

Hollingbery’s pregame pep talk inspired a 26-13 victory.

The two other scenes were about Hollingbery reading an inspiring letter from a player’s father and about Hollingbery’s indignant response to Stanford’s ticket prices.

Stanford didn’t charge the same price for each of its home games for the 1941 season. The Cougars game tickets were far less than other games. Rod Giske and Earl Brenneis, who played on that 1941 team and now live in Chehalis, told that story earlier for the documentary.

George Hollingbery, Babe’s grandson and a Lacey resident, is the film’s narrator.

The documentary features a star player every five years from the start of the team and also includes footage of games as far back as the Cougars’ 14-0 win in the 1916 Rose Bowl against Brown.

McQuarrie tracked down and interviewed several older players, including George Rowswell, who played for Hollingbery in the 1930s and still coaches track at North Thurston. McQuarrie flew to Florida to interview Bob Griese, the NFL Hall of Famer who did the TV color for the WSU’s 1998 Rose Bowl game against Michigan.

McQuarrie’s documentary also includes interviews with Buster Hollingbery, Babe’s son; Duke Washington, the first black to play in Texas Memorial Stadium against the University of Texas; John Bohler, the son of Doc Bohler, the longtime WSU athletic director; and Rod Giske, an All-American who played in 1940s.

McQuarrie’s target date for completion is October, and he is uncertain how he will distribute his documentary.