Stars on BSU, Showcase, and the Kingdome

Mark Rypien is no stranger to celebrity golf tournaments, whether it be here during The Showcase Golf exhibition at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course or the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe.

The Showcase has raised over $10 million in its five years of existence for the Community Cancer Fund has brought in celebrities from the NFL, NHL, MLB and Hollywood.

SO WHEN asked to compare the two, Rypien was honest. The one in Coeur d’Alene is a little more fun.

“It’s really laid back here,” Rypien said. “It kind of reminds me of No. 17 in Tahoe with the music and people on the course. The boats pull up and everything. The Showcase is more of a fun event and you’ve got guys that come out and play at Gozzer (Ranch) and really enjoy it. You talk to the guys after the round, and they really love it here. They make it their mission to come up and play.”

Some of those players Rypien referred to are retired players from the NHL including Wayne Gretzky, Ray Whitney — who won this year’s event — and Brenden Morrow — who won the event in 2016 and ’17.

This year’s event even had recording artist Kelley James singing as golfers approached the green on the final hole of Saturday’s round.

“I wish Kelley would have followed me around all nine holes today,” Rypien said. “I started the day out feeling good, but then missed a couple of shots and just couldn’t get it going. He did a great job of making me laugh afterward. He really did a great job.”

Speaking of following, Rypien will keep a close eye on his nephew Brett, who is the starting quarterback for the Boise State football team.

“I’m definitely looking forward to watching him this year,” Rypien said. “Not many guys in college football can say coming into their senior year that they’ve got 30 career wins, and he’s one of them. It’s been a storied career for him. I’m really proud of him.”

Rypien pointed to a pair of road games, at Troy on Sept. 1 and at Oklahoma State on Sept. 15 as key games for the program this year.

“Hopefully it’s going to be interesting,” Rypien said. “If they can get those games against Troy and Oklahoma State, and take care of business in the Mountain West Conference, they could end up in a big bowl game. He could be front and center in college football, and it’s well deserved.”

MAKING HIS first appearance at The Showcase this year was Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen, who played for the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs before retiring in 1997.

Allen’s time in the Northwest often found himself in the Kingdome during his playing days.

“There was always noise in that place,” Allen said. “The games were always competitive. Despite the outcome of the game — and I think for the most part we won — it was very difficult playing there.”

And as for the fans?

“The fans were always great,” Allen said. “They were very respectful. I think I had a lot of fans in the Northwest, even though I played for the Raiders.”

The Raiders plan to move from their current home in Oakland to Las Vegas for the start of the 2020 season.

“I think it was a good move on their part,” Allen said. “They made every effort they could to make it work in Oakland, but it just didn’t work out. Their fans deserve a great venue and stadium and they’re getting that in Vegas.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.