Nov. 15, 2005

SEATTLE - The Hail Mary pass that the University of Washington was looking for fell short this morning.

The Space Needle announced in a press conference that Washington State University won the "Tackling Hurricane Relief" contest, raising more money for Habitat for Humanity's efforts to rebuild homes in the Southeastern United States than the University of Washington. Together, the two teams raised $164,293.62.

To the victor go the spoils. The Cougars dominated the Huskies going 11-2 over the course of the 13-day program. As a result, the Space Needle will paint the roof crimson and gray, along with the Washington State University logo and the message, "Go Cougars!" The Cougars' colors will remain on the rooftop through Apple Cup weekend.

"This is a terrific example of a real grass-roots effort where Cougars communicated with Cougars," Executive Director of Alumni Relations Tim Pavish said. "They were all motivated to help a worthy cause; to have the Cougar flag fly above the Space Needle is icing on the cake."

"Although we'll probably get more than a few phone calls about the roof being crimson and gray this week, we're very proud of this program and what the Huskies and the Cougars accomplished together," said Dean Nelson, president and CEO of the Space Needle. "Raising more than $160,000 in two weeks is no small feat. The real winners here are the thousands of people who contributed generously to this cause and, ultimately, the people in the Gulf Coast region who will get new homes as a result of this effort."

All of the money raised during the "Tackling Hurricane Relief" program will be donated to Habitat for Humanity's "Operation Home Delivery." This program is focused on long-term recovery and rebuilding in the Gulf Coast. A core element of "Operation Home Delivery" is a nationwide house-building project that "pre-builds" parts of houses across the country that are then shipped to the devastated areas and assembled as complete homes.

Program Stats:
• Total amount raised - $164,293.62
• Washington State University - $97,947.05
• University of Washington - $66,346.57
• Largest donation day - Monday, Nov. 14 with $51,000 raised in 24 hours
• Largest donation - $3,000 (University of Washington)
• Total number of donations - 2,764
• Average donation - $59
• International effort - Contributions from 32 states and 3 different countries