Purple Pak Has Big Shoes to Fill

Dave Baker on the Left poses with Cody Olson at Rice Eccles Stadium Last year


As a new athletic season at Weber State is upon us, Wildcat fans will be paying close attention to new faces and missing last year's seniors who no longer are with us. While Weber State fans and students will be missing last year's senior athletes such as former football players, Marcus Mailei and JD Folsom (Both of which are currently on NFL rosters) and basketball stars, Kellen McCoy and Daviin Davis, they are surely going to miss one David Baker, Chair of the student Purple Pak organization.

At every basketball game one could see Baker in the front row of the student section, clad all in purple, leading students in cheers, heckling opponents, and screaming at referees. For years Baker has been one of the biggest student fans the Wildcats have known. So it was not a surprise when a couple of years ago he was named as Chair of the Purple Pak.

Bev Rudd, Director of Alumni Relations and advisor for the Student Alumni Association and Purple Pak said Baker's enthusiasm as a fan also carried over to the way he carried out his responsibilities as Purple Pak Chair. Rudd said that under Baker's leadership Purple Pak enrollment increased as well as student attendance to games. She also said Baker was instrumental in beginning a tradition of taking students on road trips. "Never in the history of the school has Purple Pak attended so many away games. Dave was instrumental in filling the buses. He will be greatly missed."

Baker also said he will miss his association with the Purple Pak, "I will miss the association with the students and meeting new people on the various road trips we went on."

Now that Baker has graduated from Weber State, Rudd knows that finding someone who can build on what Baker has started will be difficult. Perhaps that is why she has named two Purple Pak Chairs to take Baker's place. Bryan Weir will be Chair of football and Louis Anderson Skillman IV will be the chair of basketball. Rudd is very impressed with both Skillman and Weir and says they are just as passionate as Baker and bring with them some great ideas for Weber State students. With these two in place as Purple Pak Chairs Rudd said, "The passion for Weber basketball lives on. We have some great guys to keep Purple Pak on track."

One of Rudd's focuses for this year is to keep the tradition of student road trips going. She already has a trip planned to go to Laramie for the Wildcats' football season opener, and she is working on other road trips for both football and basketball.

While Baker is no longer a WSU student or Purple Pak chair, he said that won't make him any less of a fan. He plans on being a season ticket holder for both football and basketball as well as attending several games on the road. "I will continue to bleed purple until the day I die. Weber state will always be near and dear to my heart."

Wildcats have rich history

I am a huge fan of Weber State basketball. I hold season tickets, I often attend the coach’s luncheon at Ligori’s and I write a blog for a fans website. It really bothers me when I tell someone how my number one hobby is Weber State basketball and they give me a funny look or make a snide comment like, ‘Weber State? Don’t you mean Harrison High?’ I just don’t get it. I’ve attended most of the home games this year and have been disappointed to see it filled over half-capacity only three times. I think most residents of the greater Ogden area just aren’t aware of what they have up on the hill. Maybe they are not aware of the history and success of Weber State basketball.

In the last 10 year the ‘Cats have gone to the NCAA tournament three times. In 1999 they stunned the nation by upsetting third seeded University of North Carolina. I’m pretty sure that is more appearances and wins in the tournament than other division 1 programs in Utah.

On March 10-11, because the ‘Cats became Big Sky champions, Weber State will host the Big Sky Championship where the winner will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. The Dee Events Center holds 11,666 people. Let’s get the community excited about our amazing basketball program and get them to come to the game and fill the Dee to capacity.

I am proud to say I live in Ogden, home of the Weber State Wildcats. I hope the community is too. And I hope we can all show up to the tournament and help our team make it to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.

wsu v psu

My Daughter Loves WSU!

I was at my parent's house the other day and my daughter came up to me with this wildcat claw on. I thought it was pretty awesome that she wanted to show me how she loves the 'Cats too.

Mahoney is the Man

It’s been a while since I was able to attend a WSU basketball game, but yesterday (Valentine’s Day) I convinced my wife that we should celebrate our love by attending the Portland State game. The game was one of the most fun games I’ve seen in a long time. Lilliard, Panos, and Davis got a dunk a piece; we got to chant “Waters Sucks”; and the student body had a half dozen hilarious sings poking fun things such as Dominguez’ run in with the law in Mexico and PSU’s poor 1-15 record at the Dee.

But the most entertaining part of the night to me was Weber’s tenacious defense. I especially enjoyed watching freshman, Darin Mahoney. The dude had two blocked shots, two steals, and nine points.

It is so cool to see how good we are this year and at the same time see how many promising freshman and sophomores we have. Needless to say, I think Weber State basketball is going to be good for a long, long time. And Mahoney and his tough defense are going to be a big reason why.

Coach Rahe at the Wildcat Luncheon

Every other week Wildcat Club members and other Weber State University supporters meet inside Lagori’s restaurant in Ogden to listen to WSU coaches report on the teams they coach. Today at the luncheon five coaches addressed supporters. The coach that stole the show—Men’s basketball coach Randy Rahe.

I paid $6.75 for my lunch and to hear the coaches. I would have paid $10.00 just to hear Rahe, even if that price didn’t include a meal. Rahe was awesome. Besides reporting on the Wildcat’s improbable road victories over Portland State and Eastern Washington, he was chuck full of hilarity. Among other things, he shared a personal conversations he had with a referee during the road trip, and he also detailed for those in attendance the pathetic state of Portland State’s basketball facilities. (Last year the ‘Cats actually had to share a locker room with a bunch of naked PSU professors. Yikes.) He talked about his superstitions as a coach. He said he has a lucky road tie and a lucky home tie. “The guys are getting tired of seeing them,” he said. He also said he finally found a hotel to stay at in Washington as he will not return to a hotel if the previous time his team stayed there they lost.

Besides being quite hilarious, Rahe was also very impressive. He makes sure his team stays hungry, prepared and humble. During the lunch he said there are no stars on his team. “We just have a bunch of good basketball players who play well together,’ he said. He expressed concerns about his team getting too confident and comfortable with the recent road sweep. “We’re going to get after them these next two days to make damn sure that doesn’t happen.”

Rahe also said that he enjoys coaching in the Big Sky because for his team there is no margin for error. Any team can beat any team on any given night. That is, according to Rahe, what makes every week so much fun.

First Time Ever-By Rod Eyre

On November 22, 2008 you might be able to witness something that has never been seen before. An event of this magnitude can only be compared with Haley’s Comet, or the reincarnation of the Buddha. It’s even as exciting as the streaking incident of 2004. 40 years of Weber State football misery will transform into bliss this Saturday afternoon as the Weber State football team will be aiming for their first ever sole Big Sky Championship.

A win will, in all likelihood, ensure the Cats of a FCS playoff seed, the likes of which has never been experienced by the Weber State faithful, nor the Ogden community. Will you be there to watch witness it?

Granted, Utah and BYU will be playing, but lets be honest with ourselves, does either team have a shot at claiming an NCAA Championship through a legitimate Playoff? Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding no (by the way, I hope the Utes win). The Holy War will happen again next season; unfortunately for many, being able to watch Weber State, for the first time, claim a perfect record against Big Sky foes will not.

Weber eventually will match this feat again some season- it might come as soon as next season. Instead of wishing your would have been there in years to come, JUST BE THERE. Wouldn’t you rather be one of the faithful fans in the crowd this Saturday to watch the Cats do it for the first time claim a spot of history! I know I do, and I will be there.

Much like the Dee, Stewart Stadium has been more empty than full lately. For the first time in history Weber State University can boast a student body of over 20,000, but what’s the purpose of bragging about such a fete if none of them support the institution? Ogden city, for the first time in decades, is vibrant and growing, but where is the community? Don’t they know that there is a university in their midst that is clamoring for their support? Ogdenites and Wildcats: students, alumni, or hapless dropout, support your school. Fill the stands this Saturday at noon and honor the accomplishments of this team, they have earned your support, and need it desperately to continue their run towards a National Championship! BE THERE!!

Weber State: Playing to Make History

This Saturday Weber State plays host to Eastern Washington in a game, that if Weber wins, will ensure the Wildcats stand alone as Big Sky Champions. WeberHoops founder sent out an email to some website loyalists that does a good job of summing up Weber State’s football season and outlaying the importance of this Saturday’s game.

Here is the email:

Your Weber Update:

Weber State's football team is having possibly or already the greatest season in school history with 1 game to go before the playoffs. Weber has already won the Big Sky title which was the first since 1968 (back when John L Smith was on the Weber football team.)

WSU is 7-0 for the first time ever, having never even gone 5-0. 9-2 overall with losses to Hawaii (36-17 final after being up 17-7 at the half) and Utah (37-21). In the Utah game, WSU's QB Cam Higgins threw for over 300 yds, 2 TD passes and 0 INT's. This yr against Utah's D, only Oregon State has been able to do as good as Weber's QB. TCU didn't even score 21 in Salt Lake. Higgins is just a soph but is a candidate for the Walter Payton Award, its the Heisman of Div I FCS aka I-AA.

If WSU wins out they have a chance to get one of the 4 seeds of the 16 team playoffs starting Nov 29. Currently Weber is ranked 8th in the nation in Div I FCS.

National championship game is in Chattanooga, TN, Dec 19.



Cody O


Wouldn’t it be great if Weber was able to host a playoff game and go on to become national champions? But first thing is first, in order to increase their chances of a top four seed in the playoffs and of hosting a game, they need to take care of Eastern Washington.

And people from the greater Ogden area have no excuse not to come:

1- Tickets are half off for adults and only $1 for kids.
2- The game is at noon. The Holly War starts at 4:00 PM, so there is no conflict of schedule with that.
3- If we win, everyone is going to rush the field! How often have Weber football fans been able to do that? This is a once-in-a-forty-years opportunity!
4- The first 2500 fans to show up at the stadium will receive free Wildcat t-shirts.

So no excuses not to come. If you are not a Weber State fan, it is time to become one. Weber State football is on the verge of making history, and I want to say I was there to see it happen.

Good Week For Weber. Bad Week For Me.

What a depressing week it was for me! More specifically, what a depressing weekend it was for me! Last Saturday could have become one of the greatest Weber State sports memories of my life, but alas, it wasn’t and won’t be.
I had the chance to make two great memories for myself, but instead found myself buried under books and papers, trying to get caught up with my classes.

First of all, I could have made the trip with two of my brothers, several friends, and over 2,000 fans to Idaho State to see the Wildcats rip the Bengals to pieces, clinching their first Big Sky Championship if a very, very long time. As I watched the highlights on the news, read the stories in the papers, and watched Cheese’s highlight video on weberhoops.com (That video is seen below), I became irate at the fact that for some reason Weber State chose this year, when I’m too busy to even sleep, to be good at football! It just sucks. And it depresses me. However, there is some hope as Weber’s offense next year looks to return almost everybody and Mac extended his contract another four years. Maybe they’ll win the Big Sky next year at home and I will be able to rush the field like a mad man.

Since I wasn’t able to make the trip to Pocatello and was at home with my one-year-old daughter, I thought maybe if I could dig in and get my papers written, I’d have the chance of taking my daughter to see her first Weber State basketball game at the Dee that night. Unfortunately, that memory never happened. I just had too much to do. We will have to make that memory another day. The good news here is I did buy season tickets and I will have a whole month of no classes in December, where I will surely be able to take her to a game and witness the miracle of purple slowly filling her veins.

Weber State Whips Poor Portland State at Home

Cheese made it out to the Weber-PSU game and edited up his footage a bit and added some sweet music from Taking Back Sunday. He also made the trip the Pocatello, where he caught some great footage of the blowout game and the Big Sky Championship celebration! He should be done with that video in a few days.

Victory Dew--By Rod Eyre

It was an unseasonably warm January night, in 2003. Fresh off another basketball victory, just one in a string of 17, a group of Wildcat fans gathered obsequiously in a circle by a tree with a small purple spot on it. The tree looked inconspicuous and common, but this tree was no ordinary tree, it was special. Much like the Liberty Tree, this tree signified reverence and awe, as it represented the achievements of Weber State and the common student.

Next to the tree sat a dilapidated red cooler, a circle formed round it, while a giant of a man, one of Weber’s most rigid and loyal, eagerly started plucking, what could have passed as manna to the Israelites, chilled cans of Mountain Dew. Fervently each fan gripped their dew, and keenly opened the can in the midst of the mild night air. Something great was on the horizon, one could sense it in the air, as a breeze of anticipation and optimism surged past them. Slowly each person heaved their green treasure upward into the night sky, as words of praise and approbation were uttered towards Supaman and the Pride of the Purple and White. With the toasts complete, and under the chant of “WEBER STATE, WEBER STATE, Great, Great, Great,” each fan with ravenous delight guzzled their Dew. A tradition had been born! The Victory Dew had arrived!

Zealously Weber fans assemble round the red cooler, at the conclusion of each home victory, as students, fans, and Dave Baker form a circle, in the hallow area in front of the Victory Tree, and salute the accomplishments of the WSU basketball team with words of adulation; devouring Dews. Under such humble beginnings this proud and lasting tradition was conceived. Since that time it has been erected into a lasting tradition treasured by numerous fans and devotees of the Purple and White. As the underlings of the Big Sky, Bengal fans, jealously watch in disarray and impotence. GO CATS!!!

Changes to Weberhoops Website

This year has been a big year of big (and hopefully good) changes for Weber State’s number one fan-run website. First off, as you have probably noticed, we changed our name from wsubball.com to weberhoops.com. This was an effort to come up with something easier to remember. Plus we wanted to get Weber’s name in the URL.

Weberhoops has also changed the name of Berger’s Blog to Wildcat Wall. This was done for two reasons. First, we wanted a name that would be more associated with Weber State. (But don’t worry. Though name is no longer in the title of the blog, I will still be providing my insight on Weber State sports on a regular basis.) The second reason for changing the blog name is because Weberhoopos has acquired the talent and insight of two new Weber State sports enthusiasts who will be contributing to the blog. Eric Neff will join me in blogging, and Phil (mostly known as Cheese) will be creating videos to include on Wildcat Wall.

I’d like to quickly introduce these two Weber Fans to Weberhoops’ visitors.

It is no exaggeration to refer to Eric Neff as the true Weber State insider. I challenge anyone out there who knows someone who is associated with Weber State to ask that person if he or she has heard of Eric. I can guarantee you if they don’t personally know him, they have at least heard his name, or know someone who has. Not only did Eric graduate from Weber, he was also involved in Student Government, the fraternity scene, and many other school organizations. We are very much looking forward to the news and insight he will be able to provide us through his many contacts on campus.

Cheese is one of the biggest Weber State sports fans I know. He is currently attending Weber State, pursuing a degree in Business Administration. He recently obtained a camcorder and began making videos, highlighting Weber State sports and Ogden, Utah. Here is a link to his first video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOXzDlcFHGw It’s a highlight of Weber’s recent trouncing of Montana. It will be great to not only get his videos on Wildcat Wall but to also see them available on YouTube.

I hope you enjoy the new entertainment and information available from Eric and Cheese! They should have plenty to write about and record as this is turning out to be the best football season in years and as WSU basketball is looking just as promising.