Steve Gleason was honored on the field at Martin Stadium following the first quarter of Saturday night's Apple Cup as he was inducted into the Washington State University Athletics Hall Of Fame as the lone member of the 2014 class. The ceremony came after Gleason flew into town on Friday and spent time around the football facilities before the game.
He gave a speech to the team, which wore No White Flags decals on their helmets, and was accompanied on the field by his wife, Michel, and his young son Rivers. Meeting him for the ceremony was Bill Doba, Mike Price and Bill Moos -- former coaches of Gleason's and the current athletic director.
It wasn't shown on television, but the video above is from Myk Crawford in the stands. It captures the recorded video Gleason prepared, as well as the ceremony and ovation.
Below is a quick transcript with a few short parts missing that I couldn't make out on the video.
Hey there Cougar fans. It is a tremendous honor to be here tonight. Thank you for recognizing me. This is my third Apple Cup as a spectator. My first Apple Cup was in 1992 ... Snow Bowl. My second Apple Cup, I came to watch the Cougs ... the Huskies in 1994. I plan to keep my undefeated spectator status tonight. It feels like yesterday that I played in the 97 Apple Cup, beating the Huskies in their house to win the Pac-10 Championship and make our way to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl. Living in New Orleans for the past 14 years, I've gained a nostalgic perspective on the state of Washington. To put it very simply, I love this place. I'm here to thank the entire state, both Cougars and Huskies .. the university, thank you again for the honor tonight. Go Cougs.