Bow Down 115 Years of Husky Football: Mighty Are the Men Who Wear the Purple and the Gold The Washington football program is one of the in the classroom, having been recognized by the most successful in the nation. Need some proof? America Football Coaches Assocation in 2002 for a Consider one of the most impressive streaks in col- graduation rate of higher than 70 percent. The Huskies lege football: Washington has won a conference title were the only Pac-10 team honored by the AFCA. and made a trip to the Rose Bowl in each of the last Husky fans, too, play a significant role in the nine decades. Huskies’ rich tradition, helping Washington lead the Washington made Rose Bowl trips in 1923 and Pac-10 in attendance in 13 of the past 15 years, 1925, and won the 1936 title to cover those decades. In despite having just the Pac-10’s sixth-largest stadium the 40’s, Washington earned the trip in 1943 and then capacity. barely made it in the 50’s when it won the 1959 title. The With four Pac-10 titles, three Rose Bowl appear- Huskies earned two Rose Bowl berths in the 1960s – ances and a national championship, Washington es- 1960 and 1963 – and one in the 1970s (1977). Titles in tablished itself as the pre-eminent college football 1980 and 1981 did it for that decade and three straight program in the west during the decade of the ’90s. The trips to begin the 1990s covered that 10-year span. Huskies won Pac-10 championships outright in 1990 Washington extended the streak in 2000 by winning the and 1991 and shared the crown in 1992 and 1995. Pac-10 and defeating Purdue in the Rose Bowl. Twice the team turned in second-place finishes. The latest Rose Bowl appearance was the 14th by Washington’s 82-35-1 record (.700) in the 1990's a Washington team. The Huskies have now made 29 ranked 15th among Division I-A programs and led all all-time bowl appearances. Pac-10 schools. Washington’s 58-21-1 league record After dominant performances in the decades of between 1990 and 1999 was the best in the Pac-10. the 80’s and 90’s, the Huskies show no signs of slowing The Huskies made eight bowl appearances in the in the new millennium. 1990s, the most among Pac-10 schools. Washington’s 2000 team went 11-1, finishing third Husky players received numerous awards in the Kaufman and Jason Chorak all earned Pac-10 Player in both major college football polls. The Huskies de- ’90s. Steve Emtman was named the Lombardi and of the Year honors, while offensive guard Chad Ward feated the Big Ten champion (Purdue) in the Rose Bowl, Outland Trophy winner in 1991 and went on to be the top won the Morris Trophy as the league’s top offensive beat the Big East and Sugar Bowl champion (Miami) and pick in the NFL draft. Four Huskies — Emtman, Mario lineman in 2000. He became the eighth Husky since handed the Fiesta Bowl champion (Oregon State), its Bailey, Lincoln Kennedy and Lawyer Milloy — were 1990 to be honored with the award. only loss. Washington played its1,000th game in 2000, unanimous All-America selections. A total of 12 Wash- The current decade has picked up right where the only the 39th Division I program to hit that mark. ington players were named to at least one first-team All- previous one left off, producing a whole new crop of The 2003 season was the Huskies’ 27th-con- America squad. Washington’s 44 first-team All-Pac-10 Husky stars. secutive non-losing season, and marked the fourth selections was the most among any league school. Quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo joined the list straight season in which the Huskies defeated a top-10 During the 1990s, Greg Lewis, Steve Emtman of Husky greats in 2000 when he led UW to its Rose ranked team. Washington’s players have also excelled (twice), Mario Bailey, Dave Hoffmann, Napoleon Bowl win. He was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and the Pop Warner Award winner as the West Coast’s top player. In 2002, quarterback Cody Pickett and wide re- ceiver Reggie Williams established themselves as the most prolific pass-catch combo in Pac-10 history. Pickett’s 4,458 yards passing crushed the previous Pac-10 season record of 3,637, while Williams’ 1,454 receiving yards were just two shy of the Pac-10’s single-season record. Both completed their careers in 2003, with Pickett’s 10,220 yards fourth in Pac-10 eams history, and Williams’ 243 receptions and 3,598 yards both second-best all-time by a Pac-10 receiver. T Teams from the NFL have drafted 67 Huskies since 1990, including eight first-round picks. Last year, four Huskies were drafted to NFL teams, including first- round selection Reggie Williams, taken eighth overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 1998 the Huskies led all college teams with 10 draft selections. In spring 2004, Washington had six former quarterbacks on NFL ros- ters, the most of any college team. Washington players have continued another trend this decade by reaping several academic honors. Washington reached three-straight Rose Bowls from 1991-1993. The Huskies’ 1991 Tuiasosopo was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate win over Iowa, pictured above, sparked the UW’s run to the national title the Scholarship – one of just four Division I players to Great following season. receive the grant – and, in 2001, center Kyle Benn was WASHINGTON Players UW Information Great named a regional Academic All-American, the 17th By 1903 Washington had won its first Pacific From NFL Hall of Famer Hugh McElhenny Husky so honored since 1990. Coast title and, the following season, the team began (left), to record-setting quarterback Warren In 1999 the Huskies became the 16th team to to draw the attention of the traditional football powers. Moon (center), to first-round NFL draft pick record 600 all-time victories. Washington’s all-time In a showdown with California, then the West Reggie Williams (right), some of college winning percentage of .637 is the 14th-best mark Coast’s top team, the Golden Bears made the sug- football’s greatest players have passed among active programs. The Huskies’ success, how- gestion to shorten the periods to make it easier on through the Husky Stadium tunnel. ever, is certainly not limited to the decade of the ’90s. Washington. That thought only served to motivate The Washington program has a rich history that the Huskies to a 6-6 tie. While not a victory, it served son was selected to the same All-America backfield can be traced back to a strong founding father – a trait notice another school was ready to join the elite as Grange and Nevers in 1925. It was a sportswriter common to many of today’s top college programs. programs of the time. named Grantland Rice who took notice of Wilson and What would Michigan have been without Fielding Prior to the 1920s, college football’s top teams selected him to the same Collier’s Magazine squad Yost? Imagine Notre Dame if Knute Rockne had actu- were principally located along the Eastern Seaboard. as the "more-heralded" players. ally decided to pursue chemistry instead of the backfield During the roaring ’20s, however, stars began to Wilson was the one who led Washington to a 22- shift. Where would USC be without Howard Jones? emerge in the nation’s heartland and on the West 0 victory against USC in the first meeting with the The list goes on. Coast. Knute Rockne built Notre Dame into a national Trojans. He also guided the Huskies to Washington’s It takes more than a legendary coach to foster juggernaut. Red Grange was a sensation at Illinois, first Rose Bowl appearance, and led the UW to a 13- success. Outstanding players, dramatic victories, a and Stanford had a standout running back named 0 win against Nevers and Stanford in 1925 before a pinch of luck and the ability to overcome adversity all Ernie Nevers. Washington was also producing its first record crowd of 35,000. fit into the formula. superstar — George Wilson. Wilson was the first in a long line of outstanding The success of Washington’s football program can Without an outpouring of national attention, Wil- Washington players. Take a look at today’sGreat NFL be traced back to one man — Gil Dobie. In the history of sports, Dobie accomplished something at Washington that is truly astonishing. During his nine-year stint as the head coach, Dobie never lost a game. Three times opponents managed to tie the Sun Dodgers (as the Huskies were known at the time), but no team ever pinned a loss on one of Dobie’s squads. Washington’s teams of that era ran off a streak of 63 games without tasting defeat, a record that still stands in the NCAA record books as the longest all-time unbeaten streak. It Rivalries is hard to imagine it will ever be surpassed. Dobie’s tradition rolled straight through the next three decades. Between the time he headed up the program in 1908, until 1941, the Huskies produced a 194-68-18 record — a winning percentage of .725. It took a World War to slow down Washington’s success on the football field. From 1942 to 1956 the Huskies managed just a 65-68-7 (.489) record and never won the Pacific Coast Conference.