When Western Washington University defeated Colorado School of Mines 25-10 in the Dixie Rotary Bowl in December, many of the Viking underclassmen were participating in the last football game of their lives, not that they were aware of it.
It was one month later that Western decided to drop its football program because of financial problems.
Among the players left without a team were 11 young men from Snohomish County. “We had no prior warning,” said Casey Hamlett, a sophomore from Edmonds. “We were shocked.”
Now they had a major decision — to stay put or to transfer to a school where they could continue to play football.
As of the second week of April, six were transferring, four were staying and one was still waiting for a reply from another college. Of those who were leaving, five will be playing football this fall.
Kelley Neubauer, a redshirt-freshman defensive end, transferred to the University of Washington where he has resumed throwing the discus after a two-year layoff. As a senior at Shorewood High School, he placed sixth at state but hadn’t picked up a discus since.
Of the other five transfers, two will play football for the University of British Columbia in Vancouver this fall: freshman lineman Kelly Kurisu of Lake Stevens and redshirt freshman linebacker Hunter Spencer of Mill Creek.
“I didn’t even know they had a football team until Kelly went up there,” said Spencer, who attended Jackson High School.
It’ll be a different kind of football — three downs in a series “and a lot of people moving around,” he said.
Kurisu was attracted by UBC’s engineering school and has a scholarship that will pay his tuition, $25,000 a year for an international student.
One Viking will play for arch-rival Central Washington this year. Freshman defensive back Dustin Adams, who appeared in nine games last fall, already has transferred and is taking part in spring practice.
“Oregon wanted film and I sent it to them,” the Lake Stevens High graduate said, “but by the time they called back, I’d already signed with Central.”
Randall Eldridge of Lynnwood, Western’s top rusher last fall, is leaning toward Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo., an NAIA school with a rich football tradition, including one national title and two runner-up finishes.
Hamlett, a sophomore defensive lineman from Edmonds, got an invitation to walk on at Washington State and is receiving good reviews from coaches in spring practice.
One Viking player will stay at Western and get paid to play football. David Sinex, a redshirt freshman lineman from Archbishop Murphy, will don a uniform for the semi-pro Bellingham Blitz starting in May. “They’ll pay us,” he said, “but we don’t know how much.”
Ace Younggren, a junior place-kicker from Snohomish, has talked with coaches at the University of Hawaii and sent them tapes. “If nothing happens, I may try to play golf up here (at Western),” he said.
A fellow Snohomishite, sophomore tight end Nate Van Duine, didn’t contact anyone, primarily because he can graduate next spring.
David McMurray, a sophomore wide receiver from Granite Falls, will keep his scholarship and stay in school, as will Chris Miller, a junior lineman from Everett.
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