It was a cool late afternoon in Stanford Stadium when the Cardinal and the Huskies took the field on October 11, 1986. Caydance was wearing blue jeans and a white cardigan Aran sweater over a red silk tee-shirt. She had let her hair grow a little longer; Griff had demonstrated that he liked it that way. The delicate gold-set heirloom ruby earrings she was wearing would be assumed not real. But actually, they had been a birthday gift from her Boston Grandmother.

Washington was the first of the PAC10 teams ranked ahead of them that Stanford would play; the tense mood on the Stanford sidelines was tempered by Coach Elway's resourceful team-centered guidance. Back this year, number 92, linebacker big Dave Wyman, looked formidable. But, a screw had been surgically implanted in Cornerback Toi Cook's broken wrist, and he was not expected to play until the Cal game.

Standing directly below Caydance, Griff looked across the field to where the solid, purposeful presence of Coach Don James exuded confidence, then turned to the stands and looked up at Caydance. She returned his gaze as if he was the only man in the world. Griff smiled. The game was about to begin.