Washington Huskies football

Conference history

Washington played its first 26 seasons of college football from 1889 to 1915 as an independent. In 1916, Washington became one of the four charter members of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), which later evolved into the modern day Pac-12 Conference after going through several iterations: the PCC (1916–1958), Athletic Association of Western Universities (1959–1968), Pacific-8 (1969–1978), Pacific-10 (1979–2010), and Pacific-12 (2011–present). The Pac-12 claims the history of each of these preceding conferences as its own. Washington and Cal are the only founding and continuous members in each of these successive conferences.

Head coaching history

*Member of College Football Hall of Fame

Early history (1889–1907)

Ten different men served as Washington head coaches during the first 18 seasons. While still an independent, the team progressed from playing 1 to 2 games per season to 10 matches per season as the sport grew in popularity. The school initially used a variety of locations for its home field. Home attendance grew from a few hundred to a few thousand per home game, with on-campus Denny Field becoming home from 1895 onward. The 1900 team played in-state rival Washington State College to a 5–5 tie, in the first game in the annual contest later known as the Apple Cup.

Gil Dobie era (1908–1916)

Gil Dobie left North Dakota Agricultural and became Washington's head coach in 1908. Dobie coached for nine remarkable seasons at Washington, posting a 58–0–3 record. Dobie's career comprised virtually all of Washington's NCAA all-time longest 64-game unbeaten streak (outscoring opponents 1930 to 118) and included a 40-game winning streak, second longest in NCAA Division I-A/FBS history. In 1916, Washington and three other schools formed the Pacific Coast Conference, predecessor to the modern Pac-12 Conference. In Dobie's final season at Washington, his 1916 team won the PCC's inaugural conference championship. Dobie was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 as a charter member.

Hunt-Savage-Allison era (1917–1920)

Following Dobie's tenure, Washington turned to a succession of coaches with mixed results. Claude J. Hunt (1917, 1919) went a cumulative 6–3–1 highlighted by the school's second PCC championship in 1919, Tony Savage (1918) 1–1, and Stub Allison (1920) 1–5.

This era concluded with the team's move from Denny Field to its permanent home field of Husky Stadium in 1920. Washington athletics adopted the initial nickname of Sun Dodgers in 1919 used until 1922, before becoming the Huskies from 1923 onward.

Enoch Bagshaw era (1921–1929)

Enoch Bagshaw graduated from Washington in 1907 as the school's first five-year letterman in football history. After leading Everett High School from 1909 to 1920, including consecutive national championships in 1919 and 1920, Bagshaw returned to Washington as the first former player turned head coach in 1921, ultimately overseeing the program's second period of sustained success.

Bagshaw's tenure was marked by 63–22–6 record and the school's first two Rose Bowl berths, resulting in a 14–14 tie against Navy in the 1924 Rose Bowl and a 19–20 loss to Alabama in the 1926 Rose Bowl. His 1925 team won the school's third PCC championship. Bagshaw left the program after his 1929 team had a losing season, only the second such season in his tenure. Bagshaw died the following year at the age of 46.

James Phelan era (1930–1941)

James Phelan succeeded Bagshaw for the 1930 season. The Notre Dame graduate guided the Huskies to a 65–37–8 record over 12 seasons. His 1936 team won the school's fourth PCC championship, but lost in the 1937 Rose Bowl to Pittsburgh 0–21. Phelan guided the Huskies to their first bowl game victory, beating Hawaii 53–13 in the 1938 Poi Bowl. In later years, he became the first former Husky head coach to take the same role in professional football. Phelan was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.

Welch-Odell-Cherberg-Royal era (1942–1956)

Following Phelan, Washington fielded a succession of teams under four coaches without either great success, or failure. Washington participated in one bowl game and tallied no conference championships during this period with an overall record of 65–68–7.

Ralph Welch played at Purdue under head coach James Phelan, whom he followed to Washington to become an assistant coach in 1930. In 1942, Welch was promoted to succeed Phelan as Washington's head coach and served until 1947, compiling a record of 27–20–3. World War II limited both the 1943 and 1944 seasons of the PCC, reducing team participation from ten team down to just four. Welch's 1943 team accepted the school's third Rose Bowl bid, but lost to PCC champion USC 0–29 in the 1944 Rose Bowl. Welch's first five teams all fielded winning records, but final 1947 team did not.

Howard Odell joined Washington in 1948 from Yale. In his five seasons from 1948 to 1952, he compiled a record of 23–25–2 with two winning seasons.

John Cherberg, a Washington player and then assistant from 1946 to 1952, became head coach in 1953. He compiled a 10–18–2 record from 1953 to 1955, before being removed due to a payoff scandal. Cherberg went on to become Washington state's longest serving Lieutenant Governor, from 1957 until his death in 1989.

Darrell Royal was retained and led the 1956 team to a 5–5 record, before leaving to coach at Texas where he won three national championships, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983, and had the school's football stadium renamed in his honor as (Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium).

Jim Owens era (1957–1974)

In 1957, Jim Owens came to Washington after stints as an assistant with Paul "Bear" Bryant at Kentucky and Texas A&M. According to legend, after the 1956 season, when the Huskies were looking for a head coach, Bryant indicated to reporters that Owens "will make a great coach for somebody some day." Over 18 seasons, Owens would compile a 99–82–6 record.

After a pair of unremarkable initial seasons, Owens led his 1959, 1960, and 1963 teams to three AAWU championships and associated Rose Bowl berths: a 1960 Rose Bowl 44–8 win over Wisconsin, a 1961 Rose Bowl 17–7 win over Minnesota, and a 7–17 loss to Illinois in the 1964 Rose Bowl. The Helms Athletic Foundation named the 1960 team the national champions, the school's first such title in football.

Owens' later teams would never match this level of success, partly owing to a conference prevention of a second bowl team representative until 1975. Owens concurrently served as the athletic director at Washington from 1960 to 1969. Owens resigned as head coach of the Huskies following the 1974 season, as the Pac-8's third winningest coach of all-time. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1982.

Don James era (1975–1992)

Don James came to Washington from Kent State. During his 18-year tenure, James' Huskies won four Rose Bowls and one Orange Bowl. His 1991 team shared the national championship with Miami. The Huskies won 22 consecutive games from 1990–1992. James' record with the Huskies was 153–57–2. James won national coach of the year honors in 1977, 1984 and 1991 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

During the 1992 season, it was revealed that several of James' players received improper benefits from boosters, most notably starting quarterback Billy Joe Hobert. Although James and his staff were not personally implicated in any NCAA violation, James resigned on August 22, 1993 in protest of the harsh sanctions the Pac-10 imposed on top of the NCAA's sanctions against his team. A few weeks later, at the Huskies' first home game of the 1993 season vs Stanford and Coach Bill Walsh, the entire team, led by their captains, stood before the game at the center of the field facing the south stands, holding their helmets high in one hand, in a salute to Coach James, who was in attendance. In that fired-up atmosphere, the Cardinal never had a chance. Final score: UW 31 Stanford 14.

Jim Lambright era (1993–1998)

Jim Lambright was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach following the sudden and surprising departure of James. Lambright led the Huskies to four bowl appearances in his six seasons. Despite these bowl appearances and a 44–25–1 overall record, Lambright was fired by athletic director Barbara Hedges following the 1998 season after going 6–6.

Neuheisel and Gilbertson era (1999–2004)

Rick Neuheisel was hired away from Colorado to take over as the Huskies' head football coach. During his tenure, the Huskies went 33–16, highlighted by a victory in the Rose Bowl in January 2001 over Purdue. Neuheisel also led the Huskies to two berths in the Holiday Bowl and to the Sun Bowl during his four-year tenure.

Neuheisel was fired in June 2003 after he admitted to taking part in a calcutta pool for the 2003 Men's NCAA basketball tournament. Neuheisel sued for wrongful termination, ultimately settling the case in March 2005 for $4.5 million, paid by the NCAA and Washington athletics department.

Keith Gilbertson was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach following Neuheisel's termination. The 2004 season, Gilbertson's first, ended with a 6–6 record but no bowl appearance. A 1–10 record the next year resulted in his firing. The 1–10 mark in 2005 was only Washington's second since the end of World War II. In two seasons, Gilbertson's record was 7–16.

Tyrone Willingham era (2005–2008)

Former Stanford and Notre Dame head coach Tyrone Willingham was hired as the next head football coach of the Washington Huskies. The Huskies failed to post a winning record in any of Willingham's four seasons, the best being 5–7 in 2006. Willingham's record at Washington was a dismal 11–37, the worst winning percentage (.229) of any head football coach in Washington football history. Willingham was fired after a winless 2008 season.

Steve Sarkisian era (2009–2013)

USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was named the 23rd head football coach at Washington following the firing of Willingham. Sarkisian, known as an offensive mind and quarterbacks coach, led the Huskies to a 34–29 record over five seasons, never winning more than eight games in a year but recording just one losing season. Sarkisian departed after the 2013 regular season to return to USC as the head football coach, becoming the first head coach to voluntarily leave Washington for another program since Darrell Royal in 1956.

Chris Petersen era (2014–present)

Washington hired Chris Petersen as head football coach on December 6, 2013. Petersen previously spent eight seasons as the head coach at Boise State.

National championships

Washington claims the 1960 and 1991 national championships, with the NCAA record book additionally recognizing the 1984 and 1990 seasons.

1960 National Champions

The 1960 team took an improbable road to the Rose Bowl and national championship. After suffering a 1-point setback to Navy in the third week of the season, the team reeled off eight straight league wins capped by a triumph over Associated Press #1 Minnesota in the Rose Bowl. Because the final Associated Press and United Press International polls were conducted after the final game of the regular season, Minnesota was named the AP and UPI national champion for 1960. The postseason poll conducted by the Helms Athletic Foundation recognizes Washington as national champions.

1984 National Champions

The Huskies opened the 1984 college football season with a 9–0 record which included a 20–11 win at #4 Michigan in Michigan Stadium. While being ranked #1 in the AP poll, the Huskies dropped a 16–7 game to eventual Pac-10 champion USC, which cost Washington a chance at the Rose Bowl. The Huskies instead were invited to play in the Orange Bowl against the #2 Oklahoma Sooners. The game is famous for the Sooner Schooner incident. After Oklahoma kicked a field goal to take a 17–14 lead in the fourth quarter, a penalty was called on the Sooners which nullified the score. The Sooner Schooner driver, who didn’t see the flag, drove the wagon on the field and was immediately flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The ensuing field goal attempt was blocked and led a momentum shift which saw Washington score two touchdowns in less than a minute en route to a 28–17 victory. Senior Jacque Robinson rushed for 135 yards and was named MVP, the first player in history to be named MVP of both the Orange and Rose Bowls.

In winning, the Huskies became the first team from the Pac-10 to play in and win the Orange Bowl. The Huskies finished the year ranked #2 in the polls, behind the WAC champion Brigham Young (13–0–0), 24–17 victors over the unranked Michigan Wolverines (6–5–0) in the Holiday Bowl. BYU's title was notable for being the only time since the inception of the AP poll that a team was awarded the national title without beating an opponent ranked in the top 25 at the season's end. The Huskies were given the opportunity to play BYU in the Holiday Bowl but chose a larger bowl payout over playing a higher ranked opponent in BYU which carried a 22-game win streak into the bowl season. The B (QPRS), FN, and NCF polls awarded Washington the national championship, which the school does not claim.

1990 National Champions

The Huskies started out the season with two solid wins against San Jose State and Purdue, then welcomed 5th ranked USC and won 31–0. The next week they had a close loss to eventual AP national champion Colorado. After that loss, Washington went on to finish the season averaging over 40 points a game while only giving up 14. Also, during this time Washington would end up beating two more ranked teams on their way to the Rose Bowl. However, in the second to last game Washington lost to UCLA. Washington subsequently entered the Rose Bowl with a record of 9–2 looking for a victory over highly ranked Iowa. During the game, the Huskies won in dominating fashion with a final score of 46–34, displaying its trademark defense including a NCAA-best run-defense which allowed 66.8 yards per game.

The AP awarded the National Championship to the University of Colorado, while the UPI chose the only undefeated team Georgia Tech. Washington was ranked #5 in the AP poll, receiving no first place votes. The Rothman/FACT, active from 1968 to 2006, stated that the Washington Huskies were National Champions for 1990, sharing the honor with Colorado, Georgia Tech, and Miami. The school does not claim this championship.

1991 National Champions

The Huskies opened the 1991 season on the road, with a 42–7 victory over the Stanford Cardinal. Following a bye week, Washington traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska for a showdown with #9 Nebraska. Trailing 21–9 late in the third quarter, Washington staged a rally, scoring 27 unanswered points to claim a 36–21 victory. The Husky offense, led by junior QB Billy Joe Hobert, gained a total of 618 yards. The 618 yards given up by the Cornhuskers was the most in 35 years. The following week saw the return of QB Mark Brunell, the 1991 Rose Bowl MVP who had suffered a knee injury in the spring, as the Huskies beat Kansas State 56–3, while holding the Wildcats to minus-17 yards on the ground. The Huskies followed with back-to-back shutouts of Arizona and Toledo. The Huskies then traveled to Berkeley to face #7 California. Washington won a wild game that was decided on the final play when Walter Bailey broke up a pass on the goal line to preserve a 24–17 win. Oregon and Arizona State visited Husky Stadium next and each left with a loss. The Huskies went on their final road trip of the season, first to USC, where they won in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time since 1980. Needing a win over Oregon State to clinch a Rose Bowl berth, Washington rolled to a 58–6 victory. Washington State visited Seattle for the Apple Cup but were no match for the Huskies, as Washington won 56–21, setting up a showdown with Michigan in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1992.

The Washington defense, led by Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy winner Steve Emtman, held Michigan to only 205 total yards and limited 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard to only one catch. The Husky offense, led by quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Billy Joe Hobert, racked up 404 yards of total offense in leading the Huskies to a 34–14 Rose Bowl victory. Hobert and Emtman shared MVP honors.

The Huskies were voted national champions by the USA Today/CNN Coaches Poll, while the Miami Hurricanes topped the AP Poll. The 1991 team averaged over 41 points per game, only once scoring fewer than 20 points, and held opponents to an average of less than 10 points per game, including two shutouts.

Conference championships

Washington has captured a total of 16 conference championships, which includes four PCC, three AAWU, one Pac-8, seven Pac-10, and one Pac-12 title, and at least one in every decade except the 1940s since joining a conference. Washington won the inaugural PCC championship in 1916. Washington's 16 Pac-12 championships rank third in league history, behind USC's 38 and UCLA's 17 as of 2016. The conference did not allow participation of a second bowl team beyond the conference champion until 1975.

Rose Bowl championships

Washington has been continuously affiliated with the Pac-12 Conference and its predecessors, which have contractually agreed to send a representative (typically the conference champion) to participate in the Rose Bowl. The Big Ten Conference was similarly contracted following World War II. This pairing made the Rose Bowl the most prestigious Bowl Game available to Pac-12 teams, prior to the BCS era.

Current coaching staff

Bowl games

The Washington Huskies have a long history and tradition of playing in the Rose Bowl. The Huskies' 14 Rose Bowl appearances are second only to USC in the Pac-10 and third overall (behind USC with 30 and the Michigan Wolverines with 19). The Huskies' seven victories are also third behind USC (21) and Michigan (8). In addition, Washington is also in an elite group of only seven schools to make three consecutive appearances in the Rose Bowl, a feat they accomplished in 1990–1992. The other schools are Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin from the Big 10 and California, Stanford and USC from the Pac-10. Washington has won at least one Rose Bowl game in every decade since the 1960s. The Pac-8 did not allow a second bowl team from the conference until 1975.

1975 Apple Cup

In the 1975 Apple Cup, Washington State led 27–14 with three minutes left in the game. WSU attempted a 4th-and-1 conversion at the UW 14-yard line rather than try for a field goal. The resulting pass was intercepted by Al Burleson and returned 93 yards for a touchdown. After a WSU three-and-out, Warren Moon's tipped pass was caught by Spider Gaines for a 78-yard touchdown reception and sealed a dramatic 28–27 win for Washington. WSU Head Coach Jim Sweeney resigned a week later, leaving with a 26–59–1 record.

1981 Apple Cup

When 14th-ranked Washington State and 17th-ranked Washington met in the 1981 Apple Cup, it was billed as the biggest meeting in the series since the 1936 game when the winner was invited to the Rose Bowl. Washington's defense was the best in the conference, while the Cougars ranked high in offensive categories. Along with a win over WSU, the Huskies needed USC to upset UCLA, in a game that kicked off 40 minutes before the Apple Cup, to clear the way for a Rose Bowl bid.

With his team trailing 7–3 late in the second quarter, Husky quarterback Steve Pelluer fired a low pass towards wideout Paul Skansi. Washington State cornerback Nate Brady looked as if he would smother the ball when Skansi dove over the defender for a catch in the endzone.

Washington State drove the ball 69 yards to open the second half and tie the score at 10. From that point Washington, behind the fine play of their offensive line, took control. Ron "Cookie" Jackson capped an 80-yard drive by running 23 yards to put the Huskies ahead 17–10. Following a Cougar turnover, All-American kicker Chuck Nelson kicked his second field goal of the game to increase the Huskies' lead to 10 points.

The fate of the Cougars was sealed when the score of the USC-UCLA game was announced- the Trojans had engineered the upset. Nelson added a field goal with less than three minutes to play, and the Huskies were off to the Rose Bowl.

1990 – "All I Saw Was Purple"

Heading into the 1990 season, the winner of the USC-Washington game had gone to the Rose Bowl in 10 of the previous 13 seasons. The 1990 match would continue that trend. Washington's All-Centennial team was introduced at halftime of the game, while two members of the historic team, Hugh McElhenny and Nesby Glasgow, delivered inspirational talks to the current players. On a bright, sunny day with the temperature reaching 92 degrees Fahrenheit, the crowd of 72,617 witnessed one of the most memorable games in program history.

Washington shut out USC for just the third time in 23 seasons, handing the Trojans their worst conference defeat in 30 years. "Student Body Right" was held to only 28 rushing yards as the Husky defense dominated the line of scrimmage. Greg Lewis the Doak Walker Award winner as the nation's top running back gained 126 rushing yards and sophomore quarterback Mark Brunell threw for 197 yards as the Huskies rolled to a 24–0 halftime lead.

The Husky defense, led by All-American lineman Steve Emtman, stopped everything the Trojans attempted. The defense would hold USC to 163 total yards and seven first downs for the game. They would record three sacks and put so much pressure on Todd Marinovich that after the game, weary and beaten, he famously said: "I just saw purple. That's all. No numbers, just purple."

1992 – "A Night To Remember"

Playing in their first night game since 1985, #2 Washington posted a victory against #12 Nebraska that provided the loudest recorded moment in the history of Husky Stadium.

Late in the first quarter, Husky punter John Werdel pinned Nebraska on its three yard-line. Crowd noise caused the Husker linemen to false start on consecutive plays, only adding to the frenzy of the crowd.

When Nebraska quarterback Mike Grant dropped back to his own end zone to attempt a pass, Husky roverback Tommie Smith blitzed Grant from his blind side and tackled him for a safety. The deafening roar following the play reverberated off the twin roofs of the stadium. An ESPN sideline reporter equipped with a noise meter reported that the clamor reached 133.6 decibels, the loudest decibel level ever recorded from a college football stadium.

Holding a 9–7 lead, the Husky offense went into quick-strike mode at the close of the second quarter. Speedy running back Napoleon Kaufman ended an 80-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring run. Walter Bailey intercepted Grant to start the second half, and the Huskies extended their lead when quarterback Billy Joe Hobert threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to a diving Joe Kralik to boost the lead to 23–7. Kicker Travis Hanson later made a pair of field goals second half to cinch a 29–14 win. The victory propelled Washington to the #1 ranking in the AP poll the following week.

1994 – The "Whammy in Miami"

The 'Whammy in Miami' was a college football game played between the Huskies and the Miami Hurricanes on September 24, 1994 in Miami's Orange Bowl. The game was the first football contest between the two schools. During the 1991 season, both teams finished the year with identical 12–0 records and both teams were crowned National Champions by different polls. The teams were unable to settle the championship on the field, as both teams were locked into their respective bowl games (Washington in the Rose and Miami in the Orange). As a result, both schools agreed to schedule the other for a series of games.

Entering the game, Miami had an NCAA record home winning streak of 58 games and was ranked 5th in the nation with a 2–0 record. The Hurricanes had not lost at the Orange Bowl since 1985 and not to a team from outside of Florida since 1984. The Huskies were 1–1, having lost to USC and beaten Ohio State. Odds makers placed the Huskies as a 14-point underdog. The Hurricanes appeared to be on their way to a 59th consecutive home victory in the first half, leading the Huskies 14–3 at halftime. After the half, the Huskies came out firing by scoring 22 points in five minutes. Key plays included a 75-yard touchdown pass, 34-yard interception return, and a fumble recovery. The Huskies dominated the second half on the way to a 38–20 victory.

2002 Apple Cup

With the game in Pullman, #3 Washington State entered the game poised for BCS National Championship game consideration, behind QB Jason Gesser. Gesser was injured by DT Terry "Tank" Johnson late in the game. The Cougars led 20–10 with less than 4 minutes left in the game, with Matt Kegel having replacing Gesser. UW used a timely interception from freshman cornerback Nate Robinson to force overtime. The teams traded field goals in the first two overtime periods, and John Anderson converted another kick to start the third overtime. During the Cougars' possession, umpire Gordon Riese controversially ruled that Kegel threw a backward pass, which was knocked down and recovered by defensive end Kai Ellis. The fumble recovery ended the game as a Washington victory. The Martin Stadium crowd erupted angrily in response, and some individuals threw bottles on the field as Washington players and fans celebrated. Then UW athletic director Barbara Hedges said at the time that she "feared for her life."

2009 – "Miracle on Montlake"

Entering the game, the #3 Trojans had the national spotlight after their defeat of Ohio State in Columbus the week before. Washington, meanwhile, had just won its first game in 16 contests with a victory over Idaho.

Southern California opened the game with 10 unanswered points, marching down the field with ease. USC was playing without starting quarterback Matt Barkley, who had injured his shoulder the week before at Ohio State, but despite playing with backup QB Aaron Corp, the Trojans were able to lean on an experienced running game and veteran offensive line.

Washington worked its way back into the game with a 4-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jake Locker, trimming the score to 10–7. Late in the second quarter, placekicker Erik Folk kicked a 46-yard field goal to tie the score at 10.

The scored remained tied as the game entered the fourth quarter. After swapping field goals, the Huskies took possession with four minutes left in the game. Locker maneuvered the Huskies down the field, converting on two key third downs, including a 3rd-and-15 from his team's own 28 where Locker threw across the sideline to Jermaine Kearse for 21 yards. The Huskies would eventually drive to the USC 4-yard line before Folk kicked the game-winning field goal for the 16–13 victory, Washington's first conference win since 2007.

2010 – "Deja Vu"

On October 2, 2010 the Huskies went on the road to face #18 USC at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a place where they had not won since 1996. They hadn't won on the road period since November 3, 2007 against Stanford, a streak of 13 consecutive games. The Huskies led for parts of all four quarters but never put the game away, including a play in which Jake Locker had the ball stripped out of the end-zone on what was a sure touchdown run.

Locker left the game for one play after taking a knee to helmet on a quarterback sneak. Keith Price, a redshirt freshman from Compton, California, came in to make his Washington debut and completed a touchdown pass on his only play of the game, putting the Huskies ahead 29–28. The Trojans made a field goal on the following possession to retake the lead, 31–29. The Huskies' final drive started with two incomplete passes and a near fumble, but on a 4th-and-11 Jake Locker completed a pass to a leaping DeAndre Goodwin. The Huskies continued to push the ball into field goal range in a similar situation to the previous year when playing USC. With 3 seconds left, Erik Folk kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired, giving the Huskies their first road win in three years.

Logos and uniforms

Since the 1970s, the Huskies have worn gold helmets with a purple block "W" on both sides. During Jim Lambright's tenure, the Huskies wore purple helmets with a gold "W."

During Jim Owens' tenure, he would award an outstanding defensive player the honor of wearing a purple helmet during the game. Rick Redman, an All-American linebacker in the 1960s, wore one. It was rather intimidating for the opposing quarterback to stand behind his center and see this lone purple-helmeted player staring him down before each play.

On November 18, 2010, in the final home game of the season against UCLA, the Huskies unveiled a "blackout" theme. The end zones of Husky Stadium were painted black, while the team debuted all-black jerseys and pants and encouraged the home crowd to dress in black as well. During the Apple Cup later that year, the Huskies wore the black pants with the usual white road jersey. Black jerseys and pants were worn again for the 2010 Holiday Bowl.

On September 28, 2013, the Huskies debuted metallic gold helmets with a metallic chrome finish. They wore these helmets with purple tops and bottoms in a rain-soaked match against Arizona. On October 12, 2013 against Oregon, the Huskies debuted matte black helmets featuring a purple "W" and two truncated purple stripes.

On April 18, 2014, Nike revealed a new set of uniforms for the Huskies. These included gold, white, black, and chrome gold helmets; purple, white, and black jerseys; and purple, gold, white, and black pants.

Future schedules

Announced schedules as of November 3, 2016

Husky Stadium

Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium has served as the home football stadium for Washington since 1920. Located on campus and set next to Lake Washington, it is the largest stadium in the Pacific Northwest with a seating capacity of 70,083. Washington has led the modern Pac-10 Conference in game attendance 13 times, including nine consecutive seasons from 1989 to 1997.

With nearly 70 percent of the seats located between the end zones, covered by cantilevered metal roofs, Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium is one of the loudest stadiums in the country and is the loudest recorded stadium in college football. During the 1992 night game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, ESPN measured the noise level at 135 decibels, the loudest mark in NCAA history.

In 1968 the Huskies became the first major collegiate team to install an Astroturf field, following the lead of the Astrodome. Prior to the 2000 season, the school was among the leaders adopting FieldTurf, trailing only Memorial Stadium's installation by one season.

A $280 million renovation of Husky Stadium began on November 7, 2011. Home games were moved to CenturyLink Field for the 2012 season while construction took place. The newly renovated Husky Stadium reopened on August 31, 2013 in a game in which the Huskies defeated Boise State by a score of 38–6.

Dempsey Indoor

The Dempsey Indoor is an 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m²) facility opened in September 2001. The building is used as an indoor practice facility for Washington's football, softball, baseball and men's and women's soccer teams.

Retired numbers

The program has retired three jersey numbers, though some have been re-issued for use.

Consensus All-Americans

21 different Washington players have been recognized as consensus All-Americans, by virtue of recording a majority of votes at their respective positions by the selectors.

† Unanimous selection

Heisman voting

Top finishes of Washington players in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

College Football Hall of Fame

15 former Washington players and coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend, Indiana.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

3 former Washington players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, located in Canton, Ohio.

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

As of 2010, Warren Moon (Edmonton Eskimos 1978–83) is the only player to be a member of both the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame (NFL).

Rose Bowl Hall of Fame

The Rose Bowl has inducted seven Washington Huskies into the Rose Bowl Game Hall of Fame. Inductees by year: