Washington State University honors rivals University of Washington marching band after bus crash
PULLMAN, Wash. -- The University of Washington marching band did not perform during the school's annual rivalry game against Washington State University on Friday, after one of its three charter buses rolled onto its side while traveling from Seattle to eastern Washington for the game. The Washington State band performed the Washington fight song "Bow Down to Washington" during a pregame performance on the field. The section of Martin Stadium where the Washington band would have sat was roped off and left empty.
The bus crashed Thursday evening on an icy stretch of Interstate 90 in central Washington. Of the 56 people on board, 47 were taken to hospitals for evaluation or treatment. The university said Friday morning that two remain under medical care for injuries that are not believed to be life threatening.
Athletics Director Jennifer Cohen said in a statement early Friday the band members decided they needed to recover and return home instead of continuing on to Pullman, where the teams were set to play in the Apple Cup.
On Friday morning, Washington State Cougars quickly decided the Huskies' fight song would still be played, CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO-TV reports.
"I think 'Bow Down to Washington' is going to sound really good, so I think it's going to be a good day today," Jazmine Edmiston, a Cougars trumpet player, told KIRO-TV.
Cougars athletic band director Troy Bennefield called it a "show of sportsmanship" and said they wanted to "support what those students and staff are going through, because it's a very traumatic event."
"No matter what happens in the rivalry, we're all Washingtonians, and we all care for the well-being of those kids," said Bennefield.