Inside The Huskies

DeBoer Makes Husky Rounds, Visits with Mayor, Carol James

The new Husky football coach continues to connect with people important to the program.
Dan Raley|
DeBoer Makes Husky Rounds, Visits with Mayor, Carol James
DeBoer Makes Husky Rounds, Visits with Mayor, Carol James

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Washington Huskies

Kalen DeBoer continues to make friends in high places.

This week alone, the new University of Washington football coach has been to the office of the mayor and that of a Husky legend.

DeBoer, the man who promises to introduce a wide-open, pass-first offense this coming season, also recently met with some of the greatest UW receivers in school history.

It's all part of a well-calculated effort on behalf of the new Husky football coach to fully connect with the people who helped make the program great while he firmly establishes himself as the next leader in Montlake.

On Wednesday, DeBoer was photographed standing in the well-preserved Kirkland, Washington, office of the late Don James, amid all of the keepsakes and memorabilia on display from the coach's 18 seasons in charge, while visiting with James' wife Carol.

Good move on his part. To embrace the James legacy is for DeBoer to go all in to install his own football standards. It's a true barometer for each Husky coaching successor to recognize and be measured against James' lofty accomplishments.

On Tuesday, DeBoer stopped by City Hall and met with newly elected Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell, a starting Husky linebacker for some of James' earliest teams who played from 1976 to 1979.

"I let Coach know that I'm around to help the Huskies however I can (including if they need me to suit up on defense)," Harrell, 63, wrote in a social-media posting.

Dante Pettis, the former Husky wide receiver and record-breaking punt returner, was a Wednesday visitor to the UW football facilities. He's played four NFL seasons for the San Francisco 49ers and most recently for the New York Giants.

Pettis posed for an outdoor photo with a bundled-up DeBoer and new Husky receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard at the east-end practice field.

The week before, former UW wide receiver Jermaine Kearse came through the coaching offices to acquaint himself with DeBoer and the new coaching staff. 

Kearse played from 2008 to 2011 for Husky teams coached by Ty Willingham and Steve Sarkisian, and followed up with a successful seven-year NFL career for the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets. 

He retired from pro football following the 2018 season and last year agreed to some sort of consulting of support position with the Jimmy Lake staff.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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