Washington State’s flag Ol’ Crimson officially made it on ESPN’s College GameDay for the 243rd straight week on Saturday despite the coronavirus pandemic creating some obstacles.
Former Washington State tight end Tony Thompson, who is the son of Cougs legendary quarterback Jack Thompson, waved the flag virtually for the show.
It was his first time waving Ol' Crimson for the streak, and he took the responsibilities seriously. He didn't want to be the reason the streak came to an end.
“I was freaking out a little bit," he said.
College GameDay started at 8 a.m. Thompson woke up at 4:50 a.m. to make sure everything on his end was perfect.
He didn't travel anywhere like one normally has to do to wave Ol' Crimson on College GameDay. However, that came with its own complications.
Thompson first and foremost wanted to make sure his WiFi connection was strong and that his house was clean. Thompson wanted to represent WSU well on the national stage.
“It’s another part of the cast of characters on GameDay," he said.
There was barely a hiccup in his plan. Even if it was virtually, if didn’t matter to this former WSU football player. Thompson has been waving Ol’ Crimson his whole life growing up as a die hard Cougs fan.
It meant a lot to him to represent Washington State on the national stage.
“I’ll admit, my wife walked by and she said are you getting ready eyes? Because it was cool," Thompson said.
