Category:University of Washington History

The Washington Huskies are the athletic teams at the University of Washington. The term properly applies to any sports team at the school. The University of Washington is a member of the NCAA Division I-A and the Pacific Ten Conference. The athletic program is made up of 10 men's sports (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, rowing, swimming, soccer, tennis, track) and 11 women's sports (basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, rowing, swimming, soccer, softball, tennis, track, volleyball). Among its facilities on campus are Husky Stadium (football and track & field), the Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion (basketball), the Nordstrom Tennis Center and the Conibear Shellhouse (rowing). The golf team plays at the Washington National Golf Club and the swimming team calls the Weyerhaeuser Aquatic Center and the Husky pool home.

UW students, sports teams, and alumni are called Huskies. The husky was selected as the school mascot by student committee in 1922. It replaced the "Sun Dodger," an abstract reference to the local weather that was quickly dropped in favor of something more tangible. The costumed "Harry the Husky" performs at sporting and special events, and a live Alaskan Malamute, currently named Spirit, has traditionally led the UW football team onto the field at the start of games. The school colors of purple and gold were adopted in 1892 by student vote. The choice was purportedly inspired by the first stanza of Lord Byron's The Destruction of Sennacherib:

The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
And the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.

[edit] Football

Main article: Washington Huskies football

The University football team's first game was in 1889. From 1907 to 1917, Washington football teams were unbeaten in 63 consecutive games, an NCAA Division I-A record. During this period, Washington won 39 games in a row under coach Gil Dobie, the second longest winning streak in NCAA Division I-A history. In 1916, Dobie finished his remarkable coaching career at Washington with a undefeated 58-0-3 record. The 1925 team posted an undefeated record but lost to Alabama 21-20 in the Rose Bowl. The 1960 team finished 10-1, and won its second consecutive Rose Bowl by defeating national champion Minnesota 17-7 (the national champion was declared before the bowl games in 1960). Don James became head coach in 1975 and transformed the team into a national power while compiling a 153-57-2 record. James' first successful year was in 1977 with the team quarterbacked by Warren Moon culminating in a 27-20 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Washington and Michigan played again in the Rose Bowl in 1981 resulting in a Michigan win 23-11. The next year, the Huskies returned to the Rose Bowl and defeated Iowa 28-0, the last Rose Bowl shutout and the only shutout in the past half century. In 1984, Washington posted an 11-1 record and beat Oklahoma 28-17 to win the Orange Bowl. Senior running back, Jacque Robinson won the MVP award and was the first player to win MVP awards for both the Orange and Rose Bowls. The 1991 team is considered to be the best Washington Husky football team and among the best in college football history. The team went undefeated, steamrolling opponents by an average score of 42-9 in regular season, including wins over No. 9 Nebraska, No. 7 California and a 34-14 win over No. 4 Michigan in the Rose Bowl. In 2000, Washington finished with an 11-1 record, and won its eighth Rose Bowl under the leadership of Marques Tuiasosopo.

National Championship (1)

1991

PAC-10 Titles (15)

1916, 1919, 1925, 1936, 1959 (tie), 1960, 1963, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1990, 1991, 1992 (tie), 1995 (tie), 2000 (tie)

Bowl History

18 wins, 11 losses, 1 tie

[edit] Men's basketball

NCAA Championships (none)

Final Four: 1953

Sweet 16: 1984, 1998, 2005, 2006

PAC-10 Regular Season Titles (9)

1931, 1934, 1943, 1944 (tie), 1948, 1951, 1953, 1984 (tie), 1985 (tie)

PAC-10 Tournament Championships (1)

2005

[edit] Rowing

Rowing is a longstanding tradition at the University of Washington dating back to 1901. The Washington men's crew gained international prominence by winning the gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, defeating the German and Italian crews much to the chagrin of Adolf Hitler who was in attendance. In 1958, the men's crew furthered their lore with a shocking win over Leningrad Trud's world champion rowers in Moscow, resulting in the first American sporting victory on Soviet soil, and certainly the first time a Russian crowd gave any American team a standing ovation during the Cold War. In all, the Washington men's crew have won 12 national titles, 15 Olympic gold medals, two silver and five bronze. The women have 11 national titles and two Olympic gold medals.

The Crew team's traditional rival has been the other West Coast powerhouse, the University of California Golden Bears

Women's NCAA Championships (1997, 1998, 2001)

Varsity Eight: 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002

Junior Varsity Eight: 2002

Varsity Four: 1999, 2000, 2001

Men's IRA Championships

Varsity Eight: 1923, 1924, 1926, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1970, 1997

Junior Varsity Eight: 1925, 1926, 1927, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2005

Freshman Eight: 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1961, 1969, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2006

[edit] National championships

[edit] NCAA team championships

[edit] NCAA individual championships

Template:NavigationBoxda:Washington Huskies