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Don't understate importance of Axe game BEHIND THE DESK BARRY ALVAREZ • UW DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS I didn't know much about Paul Bunyan's Axe until I got here in 1990. And I really didn't make a big deal out of the rivalry until Jim Hueber joined my coaching staff. Huebs coached at Minnesota and talked about what they did as far as bringing different people in to talk to the players about how important the game was. That sent a message to me. When you do something a little bit differently, it puts a focus on the game for the kids. That made sense to me because now they realize it's an important game. We made it a big game. We had the highlights running on a loop all week. We also the put the trophy case in the locker room. I wanted the players to know that's where the Axe stays for the year. If you lose, there's an empty case. So that sends a message. More often than not, we paraded the Axe around the field. Earlier this season, Glen Mason was a color analyst for one of our nonconference games. He came up to see me Friday and he said that he had just been at the football office. He said, "Barry, you won't be- lieve the first guy I ran into – Ben Strickland.'' Ben is now a full-time assistant on Bret's staff. In the 2005 game, he fell on the ball in the end zone after Jonathan Casillas blocked a punt with less than a minute remaining. We ended up winning 38-34 and 12 » VARSITY OCTOBER 18, 2012 I remember meeting Glen at mid- field afterwards and saying, "Just when you think you've seen it all … you haven't.'' I was smiling, he wasn't. I was really proud of our guys. It just shows you that if you stick with it – if you don't quit and keep battling – good things will happen eventually. That was the most unlikely win that I had; the most unbelievable. But one loss also stands out from the Minnesota series. I was remind- ed of it again the other day when the Big Ten Network aired the "Big Ten Elite'' which was a documen- tary on our 1993 season. Our only loss was in the Metro- dome. Darrell Bevell set a school passing record and we had over 600 yards of total offense. But we had six turnovers and we were down 21-0 at halftime. We lost 28-21, and we had our tight end Mike Roan running free on the last play of the game. I've never forgotten that. Overall, I thought the "Big Ten Elite" was very good. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback and we're going through the W Club and sending a copy to everyone who was on our roster. They interviewed a lot of play- ers: Darrell Bevell, Terrell Fletcher, Brent Moss, Chris Hein, Rick Schnetzky, Yusef Burgess, Carlos Fowler, Sammy Veit, and Kenny Gales. I told Cindy that you hear a common thread going through all of them. They all talked about the team and not being intimidated and playing with chip on their shoulder. That was absolutely gratifying. They're all grown men now, and they're living in all parts of the country and they're still saying the same things today. That's how you know that you have a team. Our guys will have to be pre- pared Saturday for a Minnesota team that is fighting to go to a bowl. Every game is critical for them. They will be coming in here with an attitude. What do they have to lose? You can never take a rivalry game for granted. That '93 game is a prime example.