Doris Zoebel Fraser: Some friendships begin with a spark, others with a surprise. Ours began with a kiss. It was 1955, and several of us new Alpha Phi pledges gathered in excited anticipation. Representing our brother fraternity, Sigma Chi, was junior class president, Dick Shorten — confident, charming, and full of Puget Sound spirit. After welcoming us, he came to each of us, shook our hands, and gave us each a kiss on the lips. It was certainly memorable.

Fans at this fall’s Homecoming football game witnessed a piece of Puget Sound history unfold. Twenty years after the original mascot’s debut, the university unveiled a new look for Grizz, the Loggers’ No. 1 fan.

The single most important piece of equipment in the world’s most popular game is less than nine inches wide and weighs just under a pound, yet its flight has brought euphoria to entire nations while plunging others into anguish. Such a crucial ingredient in soccer had better fly true. I am a physicist whose main research domain is sports, and investigating the aerodynamics of soccer balls, particularly those used in the World Cup, has been a true delight.

FIFA World Cup 2026 marks the first time in 32 years that the world’s biggest sporting event will be played on U.S. soil. Seattle will play host for the first time, with six of the tournament’s 26 matches to be played at Lumen Field. Loggers who love soccer say even if you’re new to the sport, you won’t want to miss the experience of a beautiful game played by the world’s top athletes. Here’s some advice on how to make the most of it, wherever you are watching.

There’s a lot to love about soccer — starting with the heroic saves, the graceful footwork, and the incredible athleticism players exhibit in a game that seldom stops.

But for Maya Mendoza-Exstrom ’03, there are even more reasons to love the sport often described as the beautiful game.

Matt McCully ’78 was an end-of-the-bench guard who took the court only for the final minute or so of the University of Puget Sound Loggers’ 1976 NCAA Division II men’s basketball national championship game victory over the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Yet, it was McCully who found himself on the shoulders of his teammates after the buzzer sounded on an 83–74 triumph that long-ago March evening at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Indiana. “They didn’t have ladders back in those days, apparently,” McCully recalled with a laugh.

Chelsea Herman says one of the best parts of her new job as Director of Athletics at the University of Puget Sound is getting to walk around practices and see the student-athletes in action, under the guidance of coaches she describes as “tremendous masters of their craft.” Her goal, she said, as they develop in the classroom and competition, is for them to know she is their No. 1 fan. Herman knows from experience how formative and fun intercollegiate athletics can be for scholar-athletes, their institutions, and their communities.

One of the university’s key initiatives is to advance a championship culture that empowers student-athletes to achieve at the highest levels academically and athletically, building on an enduring legacy that has shaped generations of Loggers. The Arches team asked President lsiaah Crawford to share some insights into why this is such an important goal. Here’s what he had to say: