Once Upon a Potato Bowl

My husband, Dan, attended the University of Idaho, and I attended Boise State University (BSU). These were known as rival schools during our college days, but things changed after BSU's football program took off, and the two colleges ended up in different conferences.

Of course, Dan never misses an opportunity to mention, "U of I is called the Ivy League of the West, you know."

(I don't know who actually calls U of I the "Ivy League of the West," maybe just Dan.)

Dan's "Ivy League of the West" Alma mater is also widely accepted as Idaho's party school, with a more active Greek system than the other state universities.

This year, the University of Idaho had its first winning season since 2009, and it was invited to play in the Idaho Potato Bowl, on BSU's very own blue Smurf Turf. (These titles, Potato Bowl, Smurf Turf, are absolutely, 100% accurate. Welcome to Boise.)

"Idaho is going to play in the Potato Bowl!" Dan said the night it was announced. "Should we get tickets?"

It was the most excited Dan has been about college football in a long time.

The day before the bowl game, I braved the Vandals Store downtown (U of I's mascot is a Vandal) and bought Dan a Potato Bowl shirt. In the store, I heard at least five different conversations about getting drunk that night, the next day before the game, during the game, and after the game. I am 99.9% certain most of the people involved in the discussion were not college-age, unless U of I students look really old. Once a Vandal, always a Vandal, I guess.

"Glad to see you're living up to your Ivy League of the West's reputation," I said in my head . . . not out loud. 

Dan loved his shirt. He wore it for three days in a row.

U of I graduates are proud of their party school status. As my dad, Dan, and I made our way through the metal detectors at the game, a red-faced, middle-aged man, who smelled a bit like beer, leaned over to me and said with a chuckle, "This is the only bowl game where tailgating is more important than the game itself."

Dan had bought us tickets in the middle of the Vandals section. My dad was wearing a Boise State hat. Twenty years ago, when the two schools were true football rivals, this might have gotten us killed. Interesting fact: Lots of Vandals fans also wear BSU gear nowadays. 

When my dad posted on Facebook that he needed hot chocolate while watching this game, some of his friends suggested adding Peach Schnapps or Irish Cream. There was plenty of that to go around. I've never seen so many mini bar bottles smuggled into a game. People all around us were adding stuff to coffee cups, hot chocolate, Sprite bottles.


It wasn't a bad idea, the hot toddy thing. It was fifteen degrees by the time the game ended. The football players were sliding all over the icy field.

The game was an exciting one and not just because it looked like an ice skating rink out there. 2017 is Idaho's last season in the Sun Belt Conference, its last chance to play in a bowl game, and Colorado State is in the Mountain West, the same conference as BSU.

Translation: U of I is a smaller school and wasn't expected to win.

When it looked like Idaho might win, Vandal fans started to say things like, "We weren't expecting this! I don't think anyone expected this!" and "There's still time. We've lost with less time," and "We might win this!" and "I don't drink hard liquor anymore." (I had to throw in that last one. All true.)

By the fourth quarter, the Vandal fans were turning around and high-fiving Dan every time Idaho scored a touchdown.

“Dan’s being social,” I told my dad in surprise.
 
Even I got excited at one point and shouted out, "Idaho, Idaho, go, go, go!"

Dan stuck his index finger in my face and shouted, "Ha ha!"

Before the game started, my brother texted Dan and me, "At least there will be proof that there are still Vandal fans," to which I responded, "Ooh, burn, Dan!"

Yes, Virginia, there are Vandal fans, and they are fun, mostly because alcohol is involved. A few of them almost sat on me. Toward the end of the game, the guy next to Dan fell down the bleachers, and his family and friends carried him off. But the man still looked happy.

U of I beat Colorado State 61-50. One blogger described Idaho's season as a "big middle finger to the rest of the college football world." I'd say, after this bowl game win, that's two big middle fingers to you, FBS. 

My dad, still clad in his Boise State beanie and sweatshirt, commented, "Had fun with the Vandals. Never thought I'd say that."

I knew differently, however. I am married to one after all.

P.S. At least one Idaho team won a bowl game . . .

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.

Duggan Family Christmas Card 2016

Season’s Greetings from Dan and Becky Duggan! We hope this Christmas holiday finds you in good health and spirits.

I am happy to say I survived two successful months of holiday programs and concerts at Grace Jordan Elementary in Boise, where I serve as Choir Director and General Music Specialist. This spring, my school presented an adapted version of Annie with over one hundred fifth and sixth graders. 

Dan is still busy working as a software engineer at HP. This year, he also raked yards for Rake Up Boise and volunteered for the Hour of Code, helping kids learn how to code at a Treasure Valley elementary school.

I spent much of the summer rehearsing and performing in the Music Theatre of Idaho’s production of Oklahoma, in which I had the honor of portraying the role of Laurey Williams alongside a very talented cast of actors.

In between school and community productions, Dan and I were able to take a road trip through Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota. We saw Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, and did some mountain biking in Big Sky. (We almost ran across a bear! I’m not exaggerating! For a more detailed account, see "Time For Another Mountain Biking Post.")

Dan and I participated in the Race to Feed the Hungry over Thanksgiving break, while visiting his family in Eastern Idaho.

As I write this annual card of ours, Dan and I are trying to warm up after running in the single digits with my elementary school students in Boise’s YMCA Christmas Run. Brrr!

So far this holiday season, we plan to take a few cross-country skiing trips, and Dan will probably go snowboarding. The snow has been good in the mountains the last couple of days! We also have tickets to the Idaho Potato Bowl since Dan’s alma mater, the University of Idaho, is playing in it this year.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,
Becky and Dan

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.

Thanksgiving Funnies 2016

This year, my husband, Dan, and I spent Thanksgiving with his family in the eastern part of the state. We were running in a race in Idaho Falls on Thanksgiving morning, but Dan and I arrived a half-hour too late to pick up our packets and bib numbers. We went to dinner and a movie instead.

We were waiting in line to get our movie tickets when a little girl, around age three or four, barreled through the door with her family. She ran around the ticket booths, chattering up a storm. All of a sudden, she froze right in front of Dan.

“Long hair?!” she exclaimed, staring at him in shock.

I looked around the theater. She was right. A man with long hair and a beard was an anomaly in that place. We fit right in when we visit Seattle or Portland, and even Boise has quite a lot of long hair and beards. Not so in eastern Idaho, I suppose.

Dan and I decided on an R-rated movie after we saw how many young kids were running around. I would have suggested Moana, but thought better of it when I noticed a child lying on the ground, being dragged by the arm by his mom into that movie.

(I need to borrow a kid so that I can see Moana, preferably a child who won't need to pee every five minutes or talk to me at all during the movie. Let me know if you have any practically comatose children with large bladders I could borrow, for like, two hours.)

Thanksgiving morning, we headed to the race. We had been sent several e-mails stating that late registrants would not be receiving commemorative shirts. We hadn't registered that late, but we already own around five hundred fifty-one race shirts. In other words, that was fine with us.

Due to our "late" packet pick-up the next morning, we also ended up with bibs that said, "I Run Utah" on them.

"Why do you have a different bib?" one runner asked us. "Are you doing the 10K or something?"

"We didn't get into town on time last night . . . so this happened . . . " I told her.

The runner started talking about how the race starts late every year. They were already fifteen minutes past the start time. She said the previous year, it was worse. The runners had to stand around in the snow for thirty minutes.

"People started yelling 'Start the race!' at the officials," she said.

I did finally see a few guys, other than Dan, with long hair and beards at the race. You've gotta stay warm if you're going to run in the winter.

In case you were wondering, the race did begin eventually.

I have this issue when I run in the winter. My ears tear up . . . big time. I am not talking about a bit of moisture around the lashes either. Waterfalls cascade from my eyes, people.

I am pretty sure the volunteers who were cheering us on as we approached the finish line thought, "Look at this woman, so emotional about finishing the race! She must have overcome some obstacles to do this."

I didn't. My eyes are just weird.

I have to brag about our finish though. Dan and I were at the old end of our age group, and Dan got fourth out of the males, ages 35-39, and I got sixth out of the females, ages 35-39. And, before you ask if only ten people were running, there were over five hundred participants.

At the end of the race, everyone tried to give us their coffee mugs. We must look like we drink a lot of coffee. They guessed right.

We drove through a lighting display in one of the local parks our last evening in town. The ticket seller must have been used to families with young kids coming through because she said, "Stop at the tent up top and you can see Santa . . . or . . . " she looked at us again and gave a chuckle . . . "I guess you could take your own pictures instead . . . "

But the best part . . .

The local museum was hosting a traveling exhibit of the American Revolution which we visited with Dan's family. I bet you can imagine what I was doing the entire time . . . (Dan can't take me anywhere.)

"Alexander Hamilton . . . my name is Alexander Hamilton . . ."
"Here comes the GENERAL!"
"One last time . . ."
"LAFAYETTE!"

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.