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Tip your glass in memory of a rabid Coug fan tonite...

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rufffrider

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Apr 16, 2006
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Received a call a little bit ago that Tom Monahan passed away yesterday afternoon. Originally from the Tri-Cities, Tom was at Wazzu from 82 thru 86, and then relocated to the NE corner of the US for work where he's been ever since. If you met Tom during your time at Wazzu, you'd likely not forget him -- he was a heavyweight powerlifter, built like a red headed bowling ball, had a huge appetite for life, and there were few things he enjoyed more than Coug athletics (football being the top of the heap). For the past 15 years, Tom has lived Coug football vicariously thru me and my daughter -- swapping texts in the days leading up to games, a couple crowd and scoreboard pics from the games, and then usually a post-game evaluation a day or two later. I'm going to miss that.

And for any Betas out there (at least I think it was the Beta house) I can probably safely put to bed a mystery that may have been plaguing you since '84/85. I can't remember if it was fall or spring, but on his way back from the hill one early evening on a Friday, Tom noticed you had a freshly tapped keg on your back patio and nobody in sight. Tom was thirsty. Very thirsty. He helped himself to a beer off your patio, and when finished and there was still nobody around, decided you weren't giving the beer the attention it deserved, so took it upon himself to move the keg somewhere that it would be more appreciated (our kitchen). Not sure how he did it, but he ran like hell with a full keg under one arm for 4 of the 5 blocks it took to get to our place, thinking at any time he was going to have a pissed off frat in hot pursuit. I was outside in the parking lot and saw him turn the corner into our alley for the last block (at this time he was down to a fast waddle) so finished the final leg for him. I'm pretty sure Tom would want me to tell you "thanks for the beer", apologize for any inconvenience, and let you know that you can rest easy now knowing that the beer was put to good use.) I can only imagine the confused looks that took place on the patio shortly after Tom's departure.

Godspeed to Tom Monahan. Rest in peace buddy. (… and for one last time from Tom, Go Cougs!)
 
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rufffrider said:
Received a call a little bit ago that Tom Monahan passed away yesterday afternoon. Originally from the Tri-Cities, Tom was at Wazzu from 82 thru 86, and then relocated to the NE corner of the US for work where he's been ever since. If you met Tom during your time at Wazzu, you'd likely not forget him -- he was a heavyweight powerlifter, built like a red headed bowling ball, had a huge appetite for life, and there were few things he enjoyed more than Coug athletics (football being the top of the heap). For the past 15 years, Tom has lived Coug football vicariously thru me and my daughter -- swapping texts in the days leading up to games, a couple crowd and scoreboard pics from the games, and then usually a post-game evaluation a day or two later. I'm going to miss that.

And for any Betas out there (at least I think it was the Beta house) I can probably safely put to bed a mystery that may have been plaguing you since '84/85. I can't remember if it was fall or spring, but on his way back from the hill one early evening on a Friday, Tom noticed you had a freshly tapped keg on your back patio and nobody in sight. Tom was thirsty. Very thirsty. He helped himself to a beer off your patio, and when finished and there was still nobody around, decided you weren't giving the beer the attention it deserved, so took it upon himself to move the keg somewhere that it would be more appreciated (our kitchen). Not sure how he did it, but he ran like hell with a full keg under one arm for 4 of the 5 blocks it took to get to our place, thinking at any time he was going to have a pissed off frat in hot pursuit. I was outside in the parking lot and saw him turn the corner into our alley for the last block (at this time he was down to a fast waddle) so finished the final leg for him. I'm pretty sure Tom would want me to tell you "thanks for the beer", apologize for any inconvenience, and let you know that you can rest easy now knowing that the beer was put to good use.) I can only imagine the confused looks that took place on the patio shortly after Tom's departure.

Godspeed to Tom Monahan. Rest in peace buddy. (… and for one last time from Tom, Go Cougs!)
Click to expand...

May his ship land on Valhalla's shore to a large crowd of family and friends eagerly awaiting his arrival.
 
rufffrider said:
Received a call a little bit ago that Tom Monahan passed away yesterday afternoon. Originally from the Tri-Cities, Tom was at Wazzu from 82 thru 86, and then relocated to the NE corner of the US for work where he's been ever since. If you met Tom during your time at Wazzu, you'd likely not forget him -- he was a heavyweight powerlifter, built like a red headed bowling ball, had a huge appetite for life, and there were few things he enjoyed more than Coug athletics (football being the top of the heap). For the past 15 years, Tom has lived Coug football vicariously thru me and my daughter -- swapping texts in the days leading up to games, a couple crowd and scoreboard pics from the games, and then usually a post-game evaluation a day or two later. I'm going to miss that.

And for any Betas out there (at least I think it was the Beta house) I can probably safely put to bed a mystery that may have been plaguing you since '84/85. I can't remember if it was fall or spring, but on his way back from the hill one early evening on a Friday, Tom noticed you had a freshly tapped keg on your back patio and nobody in sight. Tom was thirsty. Very thirsty. He helped himself to a beer off your patio, and when finished and there was still nobody around, decided you weren't giving the beer the attention it deserved, so took it upon himself to move the keg somewhere that it would be more appreciated (our kitchen). Not sure how he did it, but he ran like hell with a full keg under one arm for 4 of the 5 blocks it took to get to our place, thinking at any time he was going to have a pissed off frat in hot pursuit. I was outside in the parking lot and saw him turn the corner into our alley for the last block (at this time he was down to a fast waddle) so finished the final leg for him. I'm pretty sure Tom would want me to tell you "thanks for the beer", apologize for any inconvenience, and let you know that you can rest easy now knowing that the beer was put to good use.) I can only imagine the confused looks that took place on the patio shortly after Tom's departure.

Godspeed to Tom Monahan. Rest in peace buddy. (… and for one last time from Tom, Go Cougs!)
Click to expand...
Was Tom married, and if so can you say what her name was? Thinking I may have met him but only knew them by first name.
 
fingerdisco said:
Was Tom married, and if so can you say what her name was? Thinking I may have met him but only knew them by first name.
Click to expand...
Tom's wife is Liana. I know they went to the Rutgers game and anywhere that Old Crimson got close in the NE.
 
rufffrider said:
Received a call a little bit ago that Tom Monahan passed away yesterday afternoon. Originally from the Tri-Cities, Tom was at Wazzu from 82 thru 86, and then relocated to the NE corner of the US for work where he's been ever since. If you met Tom during your time at Wazzu, you'd likely not forget him -- he was a heavyweight powerlifter, built like a red headed bowling ball, had a huge appetite for life, and there were few things he enjoyed more than Coug athletics (football being the top of the heap). For the past 15 years, Tom has lived Coug football vicariously thru me and my daughter -- swapping texts in the days leading up to games, a couple crowd and scoreboard pics from the games, and then usually a post-game evaluation a day or two later. I'm going to miss that.

And for any Betas out there (at least I think it was the Beta house) I can probably safely put to bed a mystery that may have been plaguing you since '84/85. I can't remember if it was fall or spring, but on his way back from the hill one early evening on a Friday, Tom noticed you had a freshly tapped keg on your back patio and nobody in sight. Tom was thirsty. Very thirsty. He helped himself to a beer off your patio, and when finished and there was still nobody around, decided you weren't giving the beer the attention it deserved, so took it upon himself to move the keg somewhere that it would be more appreciated (our kitchen). Not sure how he did it, but he ran like hell with a full keg under one arm for 4 of the 5 blocks it took to get to our place, thinking at any time he was going to have a pissed off frat in hot pursuit. I was outside in the parking lot and saw him turn the corner into our alley for the last block (at this time he was down to a fast waddle) so finished the final leg for him. I'm pretty sure Tom would want me to tell you "thanks for the beer", apologize for any inconvenience, and let you know that you can rest easy now knowing that the beer was put to good use.) I can only imagine the confused looks that took place on the patio shortly after Tom's departure.

Godspeed to Tom Monahan. Rest in peace buddy. (… and for one last time from Tom, Go Cougs!)
Click to expand...

That is a great story.(and great team work)

Sorry to hear about your buddy. I'm sure wherever he is, they will learn the hard way not to leave a keg unattended.

Hopefully he is up there tapping a keg with Dyko.
 
rufffrider said:
Tom's wife is Liana. I know they went to the Rutgers game and anywhere that Old Crimson got close in the NE.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I met a different Tom. Sorry to hear of his passing, he sounds like somebody I could’ve got into trouble with.
 
A big part of our lives are the friends that we make.

RIP to a good Coug.

God Bless.
 
Beer rustling would have been a hanging offense in my Beta Chapter. (At Roosevelt High as well.) Still, that’s an awesome heist!
 
rufffrider said:
Received a call a little bit ago that Tom Monahan passed away yesterday afternoon. Originally from the Tri-Cities, Tom was at Wazzu from 82 thru 86, and then relocated to the NE corner of the US for work where he's been ever since. If you met Tom during your time at Wazzu, you'd likely not forget him -- he was a heavyweight powerlifter, built like a red headed bowling ball, had a huge appetite for life, and there were few things he enjoyed more than Coug athletics (football being the top of the heap). For the past 15 years, Tom has lived Coug football vicariously thru me and my daughter -- swapping texts in the days leading up to games, a couple crowd and scoreboard pics from the games, and then usually a post-game evaluation a day or two later. I'm going to miss that.

And for any Betas out there (at least I think it was the Beta house) I can probably safely put to bed a mystery that may have been plaguing you since '84/85. I can't remember if it was fall or spring, but on his way back from the hill one early evening on a Friday, Tom noticed you had a freshly tapped keg on your back patio and nobody in sight. Tom was thirsty. Very thirsty. He helped himself to a beer off your patio, and when finished and there was still nobody around, decided you weren't giving the beer the attention it deserved, so took it upon himself to move the keg somewhere that it would be more appreciated (our kitchen). Not sure how he did it, but he ran like hell with a full keg under one arm for 4 of the 5 blocks it took to get to our place, thinking at any time he was going to have a pissed off frat in hot pursuit. I was outside in the parking lot and saw him turn the corner into our alley for the last block (at this time he was down to a fast waddle) so finished the final leg for him. I'm pretty sure Tom would want me to tell you "thanks for the beer", apologize for any inconvenience, and let you know that you can rest easy now knowing that the beer was put to good use.) I can only imagine the confused looks that took place on the patio shortly after Tom's departure.

Godspeed to Tom Monahan. Rest in peace buddy. (… and for one last time from Tom, Go Cougs!)
Click to expand...
What a great story and tribute. Those betas probably deserved it anyway...

Sorry for your loss, but glad you have many fond memories.
 
In an era of virtually indistinguishable lagers, beer branding and advertising was always a subject of study in my marketing classes.
 
Ahhh…. Beer memories!

I went through my late '70's "generic beer" phase, like many others. The first beer to clear the shelves at Dissmores when St. Helens blew.

I remember one of my fiancé's roomies taking her first sip, rolling it around a bit, and saying, "It smacks of Lucky".

I happened to agree with her, but it still got me laughing. I still remember that moment as though it was last week.

At the time I considered Lucky to be the absolute minimum example of drinkable beer...one small step below Ranier & Oly. All three had to be very very cold.

Next half step up was PBR. Along with Rolling Rock. Labatt's Blue & Coors a smidgeon above that.

A full step above that was Henry's, which up until the mid-80's was my "go to".

I moved from Tulsa to Corpus Christi in '87 and discovered that long necks were invented to properly accommodate a lime wedge, and I've never looked back. Other than for porter, stout and a black and tan (or as my Seattle friends used to call it, a "Stout Oly"). Lime just doesn't make it for me with a dark beer.
 
cr8zyncalif said:
Ahhh…. Beer memories!

I went through my late '70's "generic beer" phase, like many others. The first beer to clear the shelves at Dissmores when St. Helens blew.

I remember one of my fiancé's roomies taking her first sip, rolling it around a bit, and saying, "It smacks of Lucky".

I happened to agree with her, but it still got me laughing. I still remember that moment as though it was last week.

At the time I considered Lucky to be the absolute minimum example of drinkable beer...one small step below Ranier & Oly. All three had to be very very cold.

Next half step up was PBR. Along with Rolling Rock. Labatt's Blue & Coors a smidgeon above that.

A full step above that was Henry's, which up until the mid-80's was my "go to".

I moved from Tulsa to Corpus Christi in '87 and discovered that long necks were invented to properly accommodate a lime wedge, and I've never looked back. Other than for porter, stout and a black and tan (or as my Seattle friends used to call it, a "Stout Oly"). Lime just doesn't make it for me with a dark beer.
Click to expand...
You shove a lime in your Shiner?
 
cr8zyncalif said:
Ahhh…. Beer memories!

I went through my late '70's "generic beer" phase, like many others. The first beer to clear the shelves at Dissmores when St. Helens blew.

I remember one of my fiancé's roomies taking her first sip, rolling it around a bit, and saying, "It smacks of Lucky".

I happened to agree with her, but it still got me laughing. I still remember that moment as though it was last week.

At the time I considered Lucky to be the absolute minimum example of drinkable beer...one small step below Ranier & Oly. All three had to be very very cold.

Next half step up was PBR. Along with Rolling Rock. Labatt's Blue & Coors a smidgeon above that.

A full step above that was Henry's, which up until the mid-80's was my "go to".

I moved from Tulsa to Corpus Christi in '87 and discovered that long necks were invented to properly accommodate a lime wedge, and I've never looked back. Other than for porter, stout and a black and tan (or as my Seattle friends used to call it, a "Stout Oly"). Lime just doesn't make it for me with a dark beer.
Click to expand...
I’m pretty sure that Rainier, Oly, Hamms, and Lucky all came from the same vat, just at slightly different times. The generic black & white “BEER” was probably the remnants once it was tapped out.
And, when they replaced the vat they sold it to Canada. That’s how PBR, Black Label, and Schmidt were born.
They all had their time and place. The time was my teens and early 20s. The place was once wherever i could find it. Now, it’s exclusively in the woods somewhere with a large fire.
 
cr8zyncalif said:
Ahhh…. Beer memories!

I went through my late '70's "generic beer" phase, like many others. The first beer to clear the shelves at Dissmores when St. Helens blew.

I remember one of my fiancé's roomies taking her first sip, rolling it around a bit, and saying, "It smacks of Lucky".

I happened to agree with her, but it still got me laughing. I still remember that moment as though it was last week.

At the time I considered Lucky to be the absolute minimum example of drinkable beer...one small step below Ranier & Oly. All three had to be very very cold.

Next half step up was PBR. Along with Rolling Rock. Labatt's Blue & Coors a smidgeon above that.

A full step above that was Henry's, which up until the mid-80's was my "go to".

I moved from Tulsa to Corpus Christi in '87 and discovered that long necks were invented to properly accommodate a lime wedge, and I've never looked back. Other than for porter, stout and a black and tan (or as my Seattle friends used to call it, a "Stout Oly"). Lime just doesn't make it for me with a dark beer.
Click to expand...
One of my nephews is playing baseball at Texas A&M Corpus Christi next year. Do you know much about the campus?
 
I used to, Kurt, but that was 30 years ago.

Texas has put some money into their campus system that in WA would be the Western, Central and Eastern model. Each of them (like Eastern) carries a fair load of night classes for working folks who are out to improve themselves, and the CC campus is similar. A&M has always had an extension system, much like WSU, and in a few places (like CC) that relationship grew.

The best part of Corpus is going down to the city marina on a weekend and buying shrimp for the barbie. Up near the steps you get the pretty girls in the skimpy clothes selling the old shrimp out of the back of the boat. As you walk further out the pier you get the less gorgeous girls selling better shrimp. The trick is to look at the shrimp's black eyes. If the gold metalflake appearance is still there, there has not been any bleach in the water with them. As soon as they add bleach to extend life and kill odor, the metalflake goes away in the eyes. It isn't fresh if the eyes are solid black.

And he will be doing conditioning very early in the day. The gulf water there is 84 F at the peak of the summer, and the humidity level is brutal. At least there is an on-shore breeze if you are within a mile or so of the coast, and that helps. It is beautiful from Oct-April. Visit him then.
 
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95coug said:
I’m pretty sure that Rainier, Oly, Hamms, and Lucky all came from the same vat, just at slightly different times. The generic black & white “BEER” was probably the remnants once it was tapped out.
And, when they replaced the vat they sold it to Canada. That’s how PBR, Black Label, and Schmidt were born.
They all had their time and place. The time was my teens and early 20s. The place was once wherever i could find it. Now, it’s exclusively in the woods somewhere with a large fire.
Click to expand...
PBR has made a comeback with the millennials.
 
BleedCrimsonandGray said:
Feel like it was a phase, that has hopefully passed now. PBR is not good...
Click to expand...

You're just not using it right. By itself, I agree that it's not good. Used as the base for a red beer though (mixed with tomato juice or clamato juice) it's PERFECT. I have access to a lot of beer (my brother owns a craft brewery) and I probably drink more PBR than any other beer in any given year simply because it makes a perfect red beer. It's hard to beat a red PBR for mid-morning, noon, and mid-afternoon breaks on the ski hill in the winter or on the water in the summer.
 
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rufffrider said:
You're just not using it right. By itself, I agree that it's not good. Used as the base for a red beer though (mixed with tomato juice or clamato juice) it's PERFECT. I have access to a lot of beer (my brother owns a craft brewery) and I probably drink more PBR than any other beer in any given year simply because it makes a perfect red beer. It's hard to beat a red PBR for mid-morning, noon, and mid-afternoon breaks on the ski hill in the winter or on the water in the summer.
Click to expand...
The only thing worse than a bad beer is a bad beer mixed with tomato juice.

Tomato juice is one of the worst things ever created, right behind tomatoes, Illinois nazis, and UW.
 
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95, it takes a specially adapted taste to appreciate tomato juice in beer. I've never developed that taste. Or the tropical fruit in beer, or the honey in beer, etc.

However, you will have to take my lime from me when you pry it from my cold, dead hand. ;)
 
cr8zyncalif said:
95, it takes a specially adapted taste to appreciate tomato juice in beer. I've never developed that taste. Or the tropical fruit in beer, or the honey in beer, etc.

However, you will have to take my lime from me when you pry it from my cold, dead hand. ;)
Click to expand...
I don’t object to the lime in beer. For some brews, I’m ok with lemon or orange too. I object to tomato juice (it’s very existence) whether it’s in beer or not.

Tangentially related - I admit that I’ve turned up my nose at some less than conventional beers in the past. Several years ago I tried things I normally wouldn’t at the Oregon brew fest. Watermelon beer was not so good. But the grapefruit radler was, in a word, amazing. It doesn’t bottle well, but on tap it’s probably my reigning favorite.
 
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