Cougar football plays host to dads, Arizona this weekend

NCAA Football: Washington State at StanfordPULLMAN, Wash. – It’s Dad’s Weekend at Washington State University, where the Cougars will be coming off a bye week to take on the University of Arizona Wildcats Saturday in a sold-out Pac-12 football matchup beginning at 3 p.m. in Martin Stadium. About 180 remaining standing-room-only tickets for the game went on sale Wednesday morning and were expected to sell out before week’s end.

The weekend is jam-packed with special events for Cougar enthusiasts of all ages. And even though football takes center stage at Martin Stadium on Saturday, it will be far from the only game in town this weekend, with the Cougar women’s volleyball team and the Cougar women’s swimming team both taking on Pac-12 opponents at home on Friday and the volleyball team returning to the court again on Sunday.

Cougar women’s volleyball will host the Buffaloes of the University of Colorado in a contest starting at 7 p.m. Friday in Bohler Gymnasium then return to the court at 11 a.m. on Sunday for a matchup against the University of Utah Utes. Game tickets start at $3 and are available by calling 1-800-GOCOUGS.

Cougar women’s swimming will go up against the Sun Devils of Arizona State University at 5 p.m. Friday at Gibb Pool, on the lower level of the Physical Education Building, which is located on Cougar Way between the Bohler Athletics Complex and Smith Gym.

Fans arriving Friday may want to begin the festivities by attending the ever-popular Feast of the Arts, a popular sellout dinner series which starts with a reception at Museum of Art/WSU, then progresses to a four-course gourmet meal prepared by WSU’s School of Hospitality Business Management students and faculty. Each course is expertly paired with premium wines from Wine-By-Cougar wineries located across the region. Tickets for the event, which begins at 6 p. m. are available online at http://feast.wsu.edu.

Other Friday events include the fifteenth annual Dad’s Weekend Nuthouse Improv Comedy Show Celebration, at 8pm Friday at Daggy Hall, and the WSU Vocal Extravaganza, featuring choral offerings by the WSU School of Music, beginning at 8 p.m. in Bryan Theatre.

Saturday

As always on home game weekends, Saturday’s events will include Kickoff at the CUB, an event featuring delicious food and family friendly entertainment in a festive atmosphere, in the M.G. Carey Senior Ballroom of the CUB beginning three hours before game time. Attendees can enjoy a breathtaking view of the Palouse from the ballroom balcony, watch football games from around the country, enjoy Butch and the Cougar Marching band and participate in numerous giveaways and activities.

Also, on Saturday, the general area of Rogers Field to the west of Martin Stadium will be the site of a number of activities that open three hours prior to game time. Cougar Mania, the corporate tent area, remains located on Rogers Field. Just adjacent to the west, Cougar kids will find Cougville, a play area complete with activities and inflatables. To the east, toward the Martin Stadium scoreboard, fans can meet and socialize in the Cougar Den. Food and refreshments are available in all three locations.

Parking

General parking for home football games is available on campus in designated parking areas on the eastern side of campus. General parking permits can be purchased online prior to game day for $15 or at the entrances to the lots on game day for $20. General parking lots are filled on a first come, first served basis. Game Day parking information and a link to a campus general parking map are available online here. For additional information regarding general parking, call WSU Transportation Services, 509-335-PARK (7275).

For the convenience of those who might wish to park off-campus, WSU has teamed up with Pullman Transit to establish Park and Ride locations where fans can park vehicles for free and catch a Cougar-themed Pullman Transit bus for the ride to Martin Stadium. Buses are scheduled to arrive and depart from each location at approximately 15-minute intervals. The Park and Ride lots will be opened three hours prior to each home game.

A map of Park and Ride locations is available at http://bit.ly/ZibJxZ.

Overnight RV parking permits for this weekend’s game have been sold out. Additional RV parking information is available online at http://bit.ly/1tCs3T0.

Fans should also note that Stadium Way will be closed from three hours before kickoff until 1½ hours after the end of the game. Find helpful Gameday Traffic and Travel information at http://bit.ly/1whpyHS.

Cougar Corridor

In an effort to give fans from Spokane a faster and more enjoyable route to the game, WSU and local community and law enforcement officials will establish the Cougar Corridor, a marked diversion route from Highway 27 at Rosalia, which will provide fans a faster route south through a number of towns to Pullman. Volunteers will keep businesses (and bathrooms) open along the way and offer food and beverages to fans.

For a complete list of activities on campus, see www.footballweekends.wsu.edu.

For a complete list of athletic related information: www.wsucougars.com/gameday/.

Media contact:

Robert Strenge, WSU News, 509-335-3583, rstrenge@wsu.edu