Washington Huskies

Infobox college athletics
name = Washington Huskies
university = University of Washington
founded = 1889
conference = Pac-10 | division = Division I
director = Scott Woodward
city = Seattle |Seattle
state = Washington
stateabb = WA
teams = 23
stadium = Husky Stadium
arena = Bank of America Arena
mascot = Harry the Husky
nickname = Dawgs
fight song = Bow Down to Washington | color1 = Purple
color2 = Gold
hex1 = 3A3D71
hex2 = EAD7AF
pageurl = http://gohuskies.cstv.com/
pagename = www.gohuskies.cstv.com

Washington Huskies is the mascot of the University of Washington. The school is a member of the NCAA Division I-A and the Pacific-10 Conference. The athletic program is made up of 11 men's sports (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, rowing, swimming, soccer, tennis, track) and 12 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), Husky Ballpark (baseball), softball stadium, the Nordstrom Tennis Center, the Dempsey indoor practice facility, and the [http://gohuskies.collegesports.com/facilities/shellhouse.html Conibear Shellhouse] (rowing). The golf team plays at the [http://www.washingtonnationalgolfclub.com Washington National Golf Club] in Auburn and the swimming team calls the Weyerhaeuser Aquatic Center in Federal Way and the Husky pool home.

UW students, sports teams, and alumni are called Huskies, and often referred to metonymically as "Montlake," due to the campus's location on Montlake Boulevard N.E. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/thiel/300600_thiel22.html] 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," "When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee."

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.cite web|url=http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/football/football_records_book/2006/2006_d1_football_records_book.pdf | title=Official 2006 NCAA Divisions I-A and I-AA Football Record Book | publisher=NCAA | pages = p.110 | format=PDF | accessdate=2007-12-07] 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 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, 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 seventh Rose Bowl under the leadership of Marques Tuiasosopo.

;National Championship (2):1960 (Helms), 1991 (CNN and FWAA);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:15 wins, 14 losses, 1 tie

References