Former Huskies Bring Passion To Apple Cup Week
November 25, 2016 | Football, General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Michael Jackson didn't get much sleep. The former Washington linebacker was one of seven Huskies from the program's past who had been asked to speak to the team about what it means to play in the Apple Cup.
The night before Jackson's talk, well, it felt like he was getting ready for a game.
"My gut was just churning the whole time I was sitting here waiting to go over and talk to the kids," he said. "Finally, I just had to give up and get over there early, because I just couldn't stand it anymore. There is this energy that just swells up in you."
With every member of Washington's program seated in front of him, Jackson delivered a motivational speech the Huskies won't soon forget.
What did he say?
"It's not fit for publication," he said with a laugh.
However, the message was well received.
"Michael Jackson is my dude," running back Lavon Coleman said after the game. "I love hearing him talk. He is unfiltered. He lets you know his passion. I would have loved to see him as a player, because he's got that intensity."
It was the second year in a row that Jackson was invited to speak to the team and, for the second straight year, he left an impression.
"There is intense buy in," he said. "I'm so passionate about what I do, not just football, but everything I do, so I look into the eyes of the kids, I see them looking at me, I see them buying in to that passion.
"They're getting revved up. They're getting fire up. There are kids whose knees are shaking, they're rocking up and down, they're about to jump up and down. They want to go outside. They want to go hit somebody."
And that was just one of the talks the team was treated to this week. Nesby Glasgow, Zach Tuiasosopo, Randy Hart, Antowaine Richardson, Dane Looker and Lawyer Milloy were also on the guest list.
"It definitely fires you up a little bit, because it shows you all the passion and love of the game, for this game in particular," left tackle Trey Adams said. "It was fun to see all those guys bring the juice. It's fun to watch them get fired up.
"It's cool to see an older guy have so much passion for the game."
For Jackson, sharing his passion for the game, the program and the annual rivalry game is simply a way to give back to the university that means so much to him. He considered it an "honor" to be invited.
"That's something that just fills you with pride," he said. "You want to give so much back to the university, back to the kids to let them know what's going to happen, not two years after the game, but 10-20 years after the game, 30 years after the game. It's important you give your best, give your all, because certainly the Cougars are doing that as well."
When he was finished speaking, as he looked around the room, he thought: "We are ready for battle."
And, when asked about his expectations for the game on Thanksgiving, he said, "This is going to be magical."
It was. The Huskies won 45-17, secured a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game and treated players past and present to a moment to savor.Â
