Washington Arrives for Freedom Bowl

The University of Washington football team arrived at the Anaheim Marriott Saturday afternoon to begin preparations for its Dec. 30 Freedom Bowl game against Colorado at Anaheim Stadium.

The Huskies, who finished third in the Pacific 10 with a 5-3 record and are 6-5 overall, will practice this week at Golden West College. It will mark the seventh straight season that Washington, under Coach Don James, has appeared in a bowl game. The Huskies defeated Oklahoma, 28-17, in the Orange Bowl last season.

The Buffaloes, who went from 1-10 in 1984 to 7-4 this year, will be making their first bowl appearance since 1977, when Colorado lost to Ohio State, 27-10, in the Orange Bowl. They are scheduled to arrive at the Westin South Coast Hotel Wednesday night and will be practicing at UC Irvine.

James, who was recruiting in Southern California Saturday, was unable to attend a news conference marking the Huskies’ arrival, but assistant Skip Hall, offensive captains Hugh Millen and Dennis Soldat, and defensive captains Vestee Jackson and Joe Kelly all said they were happy to be playing in a Southern California bowl game--even if it wasn’t the Rose Bowl.

“We would have liked to have been in the Rose Bowl, but this is still a lot of fun for me,” said Kelly, an inside linebacker who played at Jefferson High in Los Angeles. “I’m home and I’m honored to be here.”

Added Millen, one of the Huskies’ quarterbacks: “At 6-5, we didn’t reach all the goals we had set, but that, by no means, discounts any honors we’ve had by coming here. We recognize that there a lot of teams in the NCAA and we should feel honored to be at any bowl game.”