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Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 31, 2002
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke Issues Rose Bowl Challenge to Governor of Oklahoma

OLYMPIA – Dec. 31, 2002 – Gov. Gary Locke today made a friendly wager with Gov. Frank Keating of Oklahoma on the outcome of tomorrow’s Rose Bowl contest between the No. 7-ranked Washington State Cougars and the No. 8-ranked Oklahoma Sooners.

The 89th annual Rose Bowl will be played in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year’s Day.

Locke has offered a box of Washington apples while Keating has countered with a bushel of Oklahoma peanuts and pecans. Locke’s Chief of Staff Fred Kiga and Keating’s Chief of Staff Howard Barnett negotiated the friendly wager today on behalf of the governors. Locke made the initial call to Keating’s office before Christmas.

“I am making this bet with great confidence that the Cougars will come out on top,” Locke said. “If, by chance, the Sooners win, we will honor our end of the deal by delivering some delicious Washington state apples.”

Locke has made similar Rose Bowl wagers in recent years. The governor won a tub of Hoosier popcorn when the University of Washington beat the Purdue Boilermakers in the 2001 Rose Bowl. He had offered up a Chinook salmon. In 1998, Locke donated books to a literacy program after WSU lost to the Michigan Wolverines.

The governor has not yet decided what he would do with the bushel of peanuts and pecans, if the Cougars win this time around. He would most likely donate them or share them with his staff.

If the Sooners win, the Washington Apple Advertising Commission would donate the box of apples, which would contain several varieties.




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