Washington Huskies

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Washington Huskies
Logo
UniversityUniversity of Washington
ConferencePac-12 Conference
NCAADivision I (FBS)
Athletic directorJennifer Cohen
LocationSeattle, Washington
Varsity teams22
Football stadiumHusky Stadium
Basketball arenaHec Edmundson Pavilion
Baseball stadiumHusky Ballpark
Softball stadiumHusky Softball Stadium
Soccer stadiumHusky Soccer Stadium
Other arenasDempsey Indoor
Lloyd Nordstrom Tennis Center
MascotDubs, Harry the Husky
NicknameHuskies
Fight songBow Down to Washington
ColorsPurple and gold[1]
   
Websitegohuskies.com

The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference.

Washington students, sports teams, and alumni are called Huskies. The husky was selected as the school mascot by student committee in 1923.[2] 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 Dubs II, traditionally leads the 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[3]

On-campus facilities include Husky Stadium (football), Hec Edmundson Pavilion (basketball, gymnastics and volleyball), Husky Ballpark (baseball), Husky Softball Stadium (softball), the Nordstrom Tennis Center, the Dempsey Indoor practice facility, and the Conibear Shellhouse (rowing). Recently added was the Husky Track located just north of the Husky Ballpark. The golf team's home course is at the Washington National Golf Club in Auburn. "Montlake" is used as a metonym for the athletic department and its teams.[4][5], with most on-campus facilities located north of the Montlake Cut and on or near Montlake Boulevard in Seattle.

Sports sponsored[]

Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Beach volleyball
Cross country Cross country
Football Golf
Golf Gymnastics
Rowing Rowing
Soccer Soccer
Tennis Softball
Track and field† Tennis
Track and field†
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

The University of Washington sponsors teams in ten men's and twelve women's NCAA sanctioned sports, primarily competing in the Pac-12 Conference with rowing in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, and both track and field programs in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

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 64 consecutive games, an NCAA Division I-A record.[6] During this period, Washington won 40 games in a row under coach Gil Dobie, currently the second longest winning streak in NCAA Division I-A history.[6] In 1916, Dobie finished his remarkable coaching career at Washington with an 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, under coach Jim Owens, 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). Coach Owens served from 1957 to 1974. 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 1981 Rose Bowl, a 23–6 loss. 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. Following a two-year hiatus during which cross-state rival WSU prevented the Huskies from Rose Bowl appearances by defeating them in the last game of the 1982 and 1983 seasons, 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, winning against 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 seventh Rose Bowl under the leadership of Marques Tuiasosopo.

Washington officially claims two national championships in football: 1960 and 1991.[7] Washington was selected in 1960 by the Helms Athletic Foundation and in 1991 by the Coaches Poll and other selectors.[8][9][10]: 107–109 

National Championships (2)
1960, 1991
Pac-12 titles (17)
1916, 1919, 1925, 1936, 1959 (tie), 1960, 1963, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1990, 1991, 1992 (tie), 1995 (tie), 2000 (tie), 2016, 2018
Bowl history
18 wins, 17 losses, 1 tie

Men's basketball[]

Main article: Washington Huskies men's basketball
NCAA Championships
National Champion: (None)
Final Four: 1953
Sweet 16: 1984, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2010
Pac-12 Regular Season Titles (12)
1931, 1934, 1943, 1944 (tie), 1948, 1951, 1953, 1984 (tie), 1985 (tie), 2009, 2012, 2019
Pac-12 Tournament Championships (3)
2005, 2010, 2011

Women's basketball[]

Main article: Washington Huskies women's basketball
NCAA Championships
National Champion: (None)
Final Four: 2016
Elite Eight: 1990, 2001, 2016
Sweet 16: 1988, 1991, 1995, 2001, 2016, 2017
NWBL (Coast Division) Regular Season Titles (1)
1978
NorPac Regular Season Titles (2)
1985, 1986
Pac-10 Regular Season Titles (3)
1988, 1990(t), 2001(t)
NorPac Tournament Championships (1)
1985

Softball[]

Main article: Washington Huskies softball
NCAA Championships (1)
Championships: (2009)
Title games: 1996, 1999, 2009, 2018
Pac-12 Championships (4)
1996, 2000, 2010, 2019

Baseball[]

Main article: Washington Huskies baseball
Pacific Coast Conference Championships (2)
1919, 1922
Pacific Coast Conference North Division Championships (8)
1923, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1952, 1959
Pac-10 North (6)
1981, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
Pac-12 Championships (2)
1997, 1998

Women's cross country[]

NCAA Championships (1)
2008
NCAA West Region Championships (5)
1989, 1992, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Pac-12 Championships (2)
2008, 2009

Men's cross country[]

Pac-12 Championships (1)
1993
West Regional Champions (1)
2015
8th NCAA National Championships
2015[11]

Men's soccer[]

Main article: Washington Huskies men's soccer
Pac-12 Championships (13)
1968, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2013

Men's tennis[]

Pac-12 Championships (39)
1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005

Swimming[]

Photograph of the 1921 swim team by Webster and Stevens

The University of Washington had a swimming team. It was disbanded in 2009 due to lack of funding.[12]

Women's tennis[]

Pac-12 Championships
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997

Volleyball[]

Main article: Washington Huskies women's volleyball
NCAA Championships (1)
2005
Pac-12 Championships
1980, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2015, 2016

Rowing[]

The University of Washington rowing is a longstanding tradition at the UW dating back to 1899.[13] The Washington men's crew won the gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, defeating the German and Italian crews.

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

Men's crew competing in the 2011 Windermere Cup at the Montlake Cut, Seattle
Women's Collegiate National Champions (pre-1997 NCAA designation; note men's rowing has never been an NCAA sport)[14][circular reference]
Team Championship 1987, 1988
Varsity Eight
1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988
Junior Varsity Eight
1987
Varsity Four
1987
Women's NCAA Championships (1997, 1998, 2001, 2017, 2019)
Varsity Eight: 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2017, 2019 (Plus eight more before the NCAA took over jurisdiction for women's rowing, including 5 in a row from 1981-1985)
Junior Varsity Eight: 2002, 2017, 2019, 2021
Varsity Four: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2017, 2019, 2021
Women's Pac-12 Championships
Varsity Eight: 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
Junior Varsity Eight: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
Freshman Eight: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2017
Varsity 4: 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017
Men's IRA Championships
Varsity Eight: 1923, 1924, 1926, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1970, 1997, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Junior Varsity Eight: 1925, 1926, 1927, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
Freshman Eight: 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1961, 1969, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Men's National Collegiate Rowing Championship (1982-1996)
Varsity Eight: 1984
Men's Pac-12 Championships
Varsity Eight: 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
Junior Varsity Eight: 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017
Freshman Eight: 1961, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Varsity 4: 1978, 1979, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017

Men's golf[]

The men's golf team has won six Pac-12 Conference championships: 1961, 1963, 1988, 2005, 2009, 2010. James Lepp won the NCAA (individual) Championship in 2005.

Women's golf[]

The women's golf team won their first NCAA national championship in 2016 by beating Stanford 3–2.[15] In 1961 won the women's national intercollegiate individual golf championship (an event conducted by the Division of Girls' and Women's Sports through 1981, the first year of the rival NCAA women's golf championship).

Notable non-varsity sports[]

Boxing[]

Both the men's and women's boxing teams compete in the National Collegiate Boxing Association. The Huskies won the very first NCBA national women's championship in 2014, and won again in 2015 and 2016.[16][17][18]

Rugby[]

Founded in 1963, the University of Washington Husky Rugby Club plays college rugby in Division 1 in the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference against local rivals such as Washington State and Oregon. The Huskies won the Northwest championship in 1996, 2002, 2004 and 2005 and the D1AA Varsity Cup in 2014.[19] The Huskies are led by head coach Brian Schoener, who formerly played for the U.S. national rugby team,[20] by former U.S. national team player Kevin Swiryn, and by Director of Rugby Mike Alfstad. The Huskies rugby team is partially funded by an endowment from the alumni association.[21]

Lacrosse[]

The University of Washington Husky Lacrosse Club plays college lacrosse in the Division 1 of the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) against local rivals such as Washington State, Oregon, Oregon St. and Western Washington. The Huskies have made the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) playoffs 5 of the last 6 years.[22] The Lacrosse team plays their home games on the IMA fields, and are regularly attended and popular amongst UW students; especially when in-state rival, Washington St. comes into town.[23] The Husky's Lacrosse team is funded by annual dues paid by the players, as well as assistance from the IMA, and fundraisers.

Live mascot[]

Unveiling image for Dubs II, UW Mascot

Before 1920, The University of Washington had two mascots, the Indians and Vikings. In 1920, the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) voted to approve "Sundodger" as its official mascot. The mascot consisted of a smiling figure holding an umbrella, which was probably ahead of its time for 1920. The Sundodger was likely chosen as a tongue-in-cheek allusion to the city of Seattle's rainy weather. In 1922, after deciding that Sundodger was probably a poor idea, the student body held elections for a new mascot.[24]

The issue with the Sundodger name lingered into 1922, when the student body felt that it held little to no meaning, nor was is truly representative of the state of Washington. In 1922, The Husky mascot (a previous runner up in the 1920 election) emerged as the winner.

The Husky was likely chosen due to its relative ease to draw, short name for use in newspapers at the time, and it represented the ferocity of the athletic program. The ASUW felt that The Husky was a true representation of the Seattle area because many viewed Seattle as the "Gateway to the Alaskan frontier", a phrase dating back to the Alaskan Gold Rush.

Dubs[25] (who is the first of his name) became the Husky mascot in 2009.[26] He is an Alaskan Malamute from Burlington, Washington and was born in November 2008. Following tradition, an online vote was conducted at GoHuskies.com for the name. With more than 20,000 votes cast, "Dubs II" was chosen.[27]

Dubs II was officially unveiled as Dubs' successor on March 23, 2018 (National Puppy Day).[28] He had been selected from a group of 90 puppies to become the 14th live mascot for the University of Washington.[29] Dubs continued to fill in as mascot during the 2018 season, with his final performance leading the team out of the tunnel during Senior Day 2018 (though he later reappeared in a home game against the Oregon Ducks in 2019). Dubs II took over at halftime leading the football team out against the Oregon State Beavers.[30]

Dubs II is present before every home Husky football game as seen in this video[31]

Dubs II is highly active on social media, and has his own Facebook, Twitter Instagram and Blog.

References[]

  1. ^ Color Palette (PDF). University of Washington Athletics Brand Identity Guidelines. April 6, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Kugiya, Hugo (June 7, 1994). "Cloud Of Mystery Shades Sunny Boy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "University of Washington Official Athletic Site - Traditions". University of Washington Athletics. February 3, 1998. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  4. ^ "Petersen To Step Down, Lake Named New Huskies' Head Coach". Washington Huskies. Retrieved December 2, 2019. I will forever be grateful, honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to coach our fine young men on Montlake for these past six seasons.
  5. ^ Allen, Percy (February 19, 2019). "The Huskies have returned to prominence in the Pac-12, and so has the roar on Montlake". The Seattle Times (in American English). Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "2014 NCAA Football Record Book" (PDF). NCAA. p. 117. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  7. ^ "UW Football National Championships". gohuskies.com. University of Washington Athletic Communications Office. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020. Washington officially claims two national championships in football: 1960 and 1991.
  8. ^ Condotta, Bob (September 27, 2007). "1960 Huskies recognized as champs, at last". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 8, 2021. the Helms Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles that assembled a panel of experts to name national champs for football and basketball before dissolving in 1982.
  9. ^ Jenkins, Dan (September 11, 1967), "This Year The Fight Will Be in the Open", Sports Illustrated, Chicago, IL: Time Inc., 27 (11): 33, retrieved March 16, 2016, In between the two wire-service polls, in 1948, the Helms Athletic Foundation decided to name a national champion. It also chose to pore back through the years, as Parke H. Davis had done, and name past champions. The director of Helms since its beginning, Bill Schroeder, did the work, and he now heads the committee that selects No. 1 after the bowl games. 'A committee of one – me,' he says.
  10. ^ 2017 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  11. ^ Bruscas, Mike. "Historic Pair Of Top-10s For Huskies At Nationals". gohuskies.com. University of Washington Athletics.
  12. ^ University of Washington | Swimcloud
  13. ^ Lange, Greg. "Rowing begins at University of Washington on December 15, 1899". History Link. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  14. ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_rowing_(United_States)#Women's. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ "Julianne Alvarez's clutch play propels Huskies to first NCAA title". ESPN. Associated Press. May 26, 2016.
  16. ^ "2014 National Collegiate Boxing Championships". U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, United States: CBS Sports Network. April 5, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  17. ^ "2015 Tournament Champions". Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  18. ^ "2016 Tournament Champions". Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  19. ^ Husky Rugby Club, About, http://www.huskyrugby.com/p/about.html
  20. ^ ESPN Scrum, Players and Officials, Brian Schoener, http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/player/14838.html
  21. ^ This Is American Rugby, Interview with University of Washington coach Kevin Swiryn, December 4, 2012, http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2012/12/interview-with-university-of-washington.html#more
  22. ^ MCLA | Washington Huskies, http://mcla.us/team/washington/2013/schedule.html
  23. ^ UW-WSU Final Score, http://mcla.us/scores/games/12202/
  24. ^ "Washington Huskies". Washington Huskies (in American English). Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  25. ^ "Dubs | University of Washington". admit.washington.edu. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  26. ^ Goldenshteyn, Maks. "'Dubs' announced as new live UW mascot". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  27. ^ "Welcome, Puppy Dubs". Go Huskies. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  28. ^ "Say Hello To Dubs II, UW's New Mascot". Patch.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  29. ^ "10/10, would cheer with: UW introduces new live mascot, Dubs II, and he is adorable". Seattle Times. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  30. ^ "DAM RIGHT Seniors close out 2018 home slate with convincing win". Daily UW. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  31. ^ Pac-12 Networks (August 29, 2016), Washington's live mascot Dubs energizes Husky fans, retrieved June 30, 2017

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