Before Each Game, Huskies' Cook Offers Recipe for Success

The UW safety was volunteered to conduct a pregame pep talk.

Before each Husky home game, University of Washington football players enter Husky Stadium at the west end and together traverse the length of the field, arm in arm, in the Dawg Walk.

Moments prior to the opening kickoff, they run on to the field through purple smoke unleashed just outside of the tunnel, siren wailing and cheerleaders scurrying.

These are game-day rituals for Kalen DeBoer's players, meant to get everyone in the right mood to play a football game.

Oh, there's one more, as well. Between the walk and the smoke, safety Alex Cook gathers everyone around him in the west end zone and he proceeds to give an impassioned talk to his teammates. 

For lack of a better description, call it a Husky Cook-out. And there's only one cook in this kitchen. 

Helmet off, the veteran defensive back can be seen challenging, goading and exhorting his fellow Huskies to play their best, to play inspired, to let it all hang out. 

"Just getting the minds right for the game, that's really all we're trying to do," Cook said. "Hitting those last details of what we need to do, the keys to victory and emphasize those, just getting the guys hyped and getting them ready." 

Someday the 6-foot-1, 195-pound sixth-year senior from Sacramento, California, might become a politician, maybe a public speaker of some kind, for sure someone who continues to make people sit up and listen to him. 

In this case, he was elected to this leadership role on what might best be described as a mail-in ballot. 

After the Huskies converted a final field goal to close out warm-ups before the season opener against Kent State, the players milled around, unsure what to do next. 

Without implicit instructions, a UW coach volunteered Cook to make the next move, to take over the motivational part of the program, to set a tone. 

"A.C., you've got it," Cook said, repeating the instructions given him. "OK cool, I guess I've got it. It became a thing I guess."

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