After the season opener at Fresno in 1996 (first OT game between two 1A/FBS teams), I listened to Sweeney's radio show. His comment on the Stubler defense? Bruuuuuhhhhhhther!

Jim Sweeney recruited me when he was at WSU and I was at Beaverton. My dad and I had dinner with him at the Benson Hotel. During the dinner he teared up as he talked about the "spartan existence that his Cougars lived in the Paloose Country of Eastern Washington"... He was certainly passionate about his team. Thank God I became a Duck, but years later I found myself sitting in his office on a campus visit when he was recruiting my son to play for the Bulldogs. As we sat there and listened to him talk passionately about
his team and his new OC Jeff Tedford, he caught me staring at a photo of a fake punt that Bernard Jackson took for a TD to beat us when we played the Cougs up in Spokane. The picture showed Jackson with the ball tucked behind his back and our linebacker, Steve Rennie, with his hand on Jackson's helmet looking to the flow to the outside. He thought that someone else had the ball and left to pursue. Jackson went untouched to the end zone...

Sweeney asked me what I was looking at and I told him, "I played in that game for the Ducks"... I reminded him of the dinner that night at the
Benson Hotel and he said, "just a minute" as he quickly opened his desk drawer, "I have the game film here and I'm gonna make you watch it!"...

He didn't, but I did get to really know him as my son did end up going there only to back up Trent Dilfer.

We lost a real character and a truly fine football coach. RIP coach.

I got to meet him a few times during college, as his granddaughter Lyndsay Dion was my neighbor in the UI. I had a great time listening to him tell football stories. As a side note, Lyndsay was one of the toughest athletes I have ever seen, guy or girl. I remember her knocking herself out on the floor at Mac Court diving for a loose ball against SC. She was tougher than a 2$ steak! Lost a great one in Coach Sweeney

bailes72 wrote: Jim Sweeney recruited me when he was at WSU and I was at Beaverton. My dad and I had dinner with him at the Benson Hotel. During the dinner he teared up as he talked about the "spartan existence that his Cougars lived in the Paloose Country of Eastern Washington"... He was certainly passionate about his team. Thank God I became a Duck, but years later I found myself sitting in his office on a campus visit when he was recruiting my son to play for the Bulldogs. As we sat there and listened to him talk passionately about
his team and his new OC Jeff Tedford, he caught me staring at a photo of a fake punt that Bernard Jackson took for a TD to beat us when we played the Cougs up in Spokane. The picture showed Jackson with the ball tucked behind his back and our linebacker, Steve Rennie, with his hand on Jackson's helmet looking to the flow to the outside. He thought that someone else had the ball and left to pursue. Jackson went untouched to the end zone...

Sweeney asked me what I was looking at and I told him, "I played in that game for the Ducks"... I reminded him of the dinner that night at the
Benson Hotel and he said, "just a minute" as he quickly opened his desk drawer, "I have the game film here and I'm gonna make you watch it!"...

He didn't, but I did get to really know him as my son did end up going there only to back up Trent Dilfer.

We lost a real character and a truly fine football coach. RIP coach.

Who was your son?

I remember Sweeney was the only coach to offer Dilfer as a QB. Everyone else wanted him as a linebacker. If that didn't happen, maybe your son could have been the starting QB.

Jeff Bailey, wore #11. The first time I met Trent, I thought he was a tight end... I got to know Trent quite well also. He was very nice and very humble. Excellent golfer as well. One day we played at Sunnyside CC. Coach Sweeney had a home off one of the fairways with a pool in the back yard. I had a Duck logo ball that I tossed into the pool to let him know the Ducks are everywhere... Jeff and Trent promised to let him know it was me, but I never heard anything further about it.