Dylan Axelson

44 Jersey Recipient (2015)

What Is Your Favorite Falcon Memory?

My favorite Falcon football memory happened during my senior year against Bothell. We had lost to Bothell every single year I had attended Woodinville High School. This game also happened to fall 2 or 3 days after Bothell’s sophomore, superstar QB got an offer to multiple D1 schools, including UW. On one of the first drives of the game, Bothell’s QB broke the pocket and checked down to an RB. Seeing this happen, I broke on the ball, intercepted the pass, and ran easily into the endzone. Up 7-0, we then started to dominate the game. We ended up with 5 or 6 interceptions and beat Bothell by four touchdowns. This is easily one of my favorite sports memories of all time. 

What Did It Mean To Wear The 44 Jersey?

Wearing number 44 was a great honor. Parker was a person I looked up to since my first day of freshman football. He was huge, worked extremely hard, was cool with everyone. He encouraged everyone on the team, no matter their age or grade. These may not seem like huge ordeals today, but at the time, Falcon football did not have the same family values that it has today. 

Parker was truly different from his peers. His selflessness challenged me as I became a leader on the team and wore his number 44. There was a level of responsibility, not only to be the hardest worker on the team, but also to bring the people up around you. It’s easy to focus on yourself and make yourself better as a player, but wearing #44 isn’t about that. It’s about making the people around you better. You should take extra time to assist the younger guys in developing into football players because one day, they will probably be standing next to you, fighting for the same goal. 

What Are You Doing Today? (written 10-31-22)

After graduating from WSU with a Political Science and Criminal Justice degree, I decided I wasn’t ready to go to law school. I began working at a digital marketing startup called Integrity Marketing Services in Kirkland. I am now the Senior Project Manager and a partner at the business. At Integrity, we work with small- to medium-sized businesses, helping to provide digital marketing solutions. On top of that, I specialize in process and workflow development as we try to scale the business. 

For fun, I train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (blue belt) and compete a few times a year. I also spend a lot of time snowboarding, playing poker, and hanging out with my girlfriend of 3 years.