2007 Washington Huskies Additional Information

[3yardsandacloud]

Additional Information




Coaching Staff

Head Coach:
Official School Bio - Tyrone Willingham

Assistant Coaches:
Official School Bios - Assistant Coaches
Kent Baer - Defensive Coordinator
Tim Lappano - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Charlie Baggett - Assistant Coach - Wide Receivers
Mike Denbrock - Offensive Line Coach
Randy Hart - Defensive Line Coach & member of the OSU 1968 National Chmpionship football team (played 67-69)
Trent Miles - Running Backs Coach
Bob Simmons - Tight Ends and Special Teams
Chris Tormey - Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
J.D. Williams - Secondary Coach
Anthony Gabriel - Graduate Assistant
Luke Huard - Graduate Assistant
Erica Genise - FB Operations Director​

Recruiting

Starters Returning: 12 (Offense 6, Defense 6, Special Teams 0)
Letterman Returning: 36 (Offense 17, Defense 18, Special Teams 1)
Notable Returners:
C Juan Garcia; RB Louis Rankin; DE Greyson Gunheim; LB Dan Howell

Starters Lost: 12 (Offense 5, Defense 5, Special Teams 2)
Letterman Lost: 26 (Offense 12, Defense 11, Special Teams 3)
Notable Losses:
QB Isaiah Stanback; OG Clay Walker; WR Sonny Shackelford; CB Dashon Goldson; SS C.J. Wallace; LB Scott White


Incoming Recruits:

2004 Recruiting Class
DE Greyson Gunheim (Analy HS) Sebastopol, CA 6-6/220
**S Chet Sanders (Carson SHS) Carson, CA 6-1/185
RB Johnie Kirton (Henry M Jackson HS) Mill Creek WA 6-3/240
TE Caesar Rayford (Bethel HS) Spanaway, WA 6-7/230
**CB Josh Okoebor (San Bernardino Valley JC) 5-11/180
DT Erick Lobos (Venice SHS) Los Angeles, CA 6-3/280
**QB Matt Tuiasosopo (Woodinville HS) Woodinville, WA 6-2/205
**DT Jasper Henry (Susan Miller Dorsey HS) Los Angeles, CA 6-2/255
**S Dashon Goldson (Coffeyville JC) 6-3/200
S Mesphin Forrester (Venice SHS) Los Angeles, CA 6-2/195
RB Dan Howell (William S. Hart HS) Newhall CA 6-2-210
RB Luke Kravitz (Olympia HS) Olympia, WA 6-1/210
OL Jovon O'Connor (Los Angeles SHS) Los Angeles, CA 6-5/295
**S Keauntea Bankhead (Ballard HS) Seattle, WA 6-0/220
S Darin Harris (Decatur HS) Federal Way, WA 5-11/200
DE Jordan White-Frisbee (Inglemoor HS) Kenmore, WA 6-7/290
LB Trenton Tuiasosopo (Mariner HS) Everett, WA 6-2/225
**OL Nathan Flowers (Chula Vista SHS) Chula Vista, CA 6-4/285
**OL Tyler Ashby (Ballard HS) Seattle, WA 6-4/290
OL Ryan Bush (Gov John Rogers HS) Puyallaup, WA 6-4/285
DE Walter Winter (Juanita HS) Kirkland, WA 6-5/230
OL Casey Bulyca (Woodinville HS) Woodinville, WA 6-7/285

**No longer with program

Fun Facts:
Washington's Class of 2004 was tabbed as the nation's 22nd best by Scout.com and as the 19th best by Rivals.com ...

The class was headlined by 4* QB Matt Tuiasosopo, who was ranked as the #8 QB in the country by Scout.com. Tuiasosopo never made it to Washington however, instead electing to pursue professional baseball with the Seattle Mariners who selected him with their 3rd round pick in 2004 (He is currently with AA West Tennessee) ...

Keauntea Bankhead and Dashon Goldson, neither of whom are still with the team, were also tabbed as 4* prospects by Scout.com (Goldson and Bankhead have used up their eligibility) ...

Matt Tuiasosopo is the brother of former Washington QB Marques Tuiasosopo and LB Zach Tuiasosopo, and is cousins with fellow 2004 commit Trenton Tuiasosopo ...


2005 Recruiting Class
OL Morgan Rosborough (Jordan HS) Long Beach, CA 6-7/350
**S Marlon Wood (Pasadena JC) 5-10.5/182
OL Ben Ossai (Stockdale HS) Bakersfield, CA 6-6/290
**CB Qwenton Freeman (Pasadena JC) 6-1/185
DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (Hawaii Prep Academy) Kamuela, HI 6-3/240
RB J.R. Hasty (Bellevue HS) Bellevue, WA 5-11/200
LB E.J. Savannah (Bellevue HS) Bellevue, WA 6-1/215
**TE Tim Williams (W F West HS) Chehalis, WA 6-6/235
LB Darrion Jones (Lynwood HS) Lynwood CA 6-3/240
**DE Tyrone Davis (Olympia HS) Olympia, WA 6-3/230
LB Chris Stevens (Mojave SHS) Mojave, CA 6-0/195
**QB Johnny DuRocher (Bethel HS) Spanaway, WA 6-4/205
K Ryan Perkins (North Thurston HS) Olympia, WA 6-0/185

Fun Facts:
The Class of 2005 saw change with the hiring of Tyrone Willingham in December of 2004. This small, 13-man class suffered through de-commitments to finish ranked 55th in the country by Scout.com and 66th in the country by Rivals.com ...

Class headliners were 4* prospects (and HS teammates) J.R. Hasty and E.J. Savannah. Hasty was rated as the #21 RB prospect by Scout.com and Savannah was rated as the #36 LB prospect ...


2006 Recruiting Class
**S Ashlee Palmer (Compton JC) 6-2/210
RB Matt Mosley (Corona Del Sol HS) Tempe, AZ 5-11.5/183
DT Derek Kosub (Hug HS) Reno, NV 6-4/300
OL Cody Habben (Skyline HS) Issaquah, WA 6-5/280
OL Sir Aaron Mason (Santa Monica JC) 6-6/265
WR D'Andre Goodwin (Antelope Valley HS) Lancaster, CA 6-0/170
OL Matt Sedillo (Orange Glen HS) Escondido, CA 6-3/290
LB Matt Houston (Dos Pueblos SHS) Goleta, CA 6-2/210
LB Paul Homer (Millard North HS) Omaha, NE 6-1/225
S Jason Wells (Mt. San Antonio JC) 6-2/200
**OL Brandon Jefferson (West Los Angeles JC) 6-5/310
**RB Leilyon Myers (Lynwood HS) Lynwood, CA 6-0.5/195
**LB Anthony Atkins (Compton JC) 6-3/252
DT De'Shon Matthews (Laguna Creek HS) Elk Grove, CA 6-5/253
OL Danny Morovick (Saddleback JC) 6-3/230
WR Marcel Reece (El Camino JC) 6-3/235
**S Jake Merrill (Gig Harbor HS) Gig Harbor, WA 6-2.5/200
CB Jordan Murchinson (CC of San Francisco) 6-0/184
LB Donald Butler (Del Campo HS) Fair Oaks, CA 6-1/230
QB Jake Locker (Ferndale HS) Ferndale, WA 6-2/210
DT Cameron Elisara (Joel E. Ferris HS) Spokane, WA 6-3/275
OL Ryan Tolar (Pasco SHS) Pasco, WA 6-6/335

Fun Facts:
2006 was Tyrone Willingham's first full recruiting class at Washington. It was ranked 35th in the country by both Scout.com and Rivals.com. Willingham decided to go for an influx of experience to help fill out the roster, as the class included eight players from the JUCO/CC ranks ...

The class was headlined by 4* commits Jake Locker, Cameron Elisara, De'Shon Matthews, Marcel Reece, and Ashlee Palmer. Locker participated in the US Army All-American Game and was rated as the nation's #7 QB by Scout.com ...

Jordan Murchinson was a teammate of OSU LB Larry Grant at the CC of San Francisco ...


2007 Recruiting Class
S Marquis Persley (Redlands East Valley HS) Redlands, CA 6-0/190
S Victor Aiyewa (Hightower HS) Sugar Land, TX 6-2/205
OL Tyrone Duncan (Westlake HS) Westlake Village, CA 6-2/290
LB Cort Dennison (Judge Memorial Catholic HS) Salt Lake City, UT 6-2/215
**WR Anthony Boyles (Junipero Serra HS) Gardena, CA 6-3/185
CB Byron Davenport (El Camino JC) 5-11/190
OL Mark Armelin (Bishop Alemany HS) Mission Hills, CA 6-4/305
DT Nick Wood (Poway HS) Poway, CA 6-2.5/275
RB Curtis Shaw (Lincoln HS) Stockton, CA 5-11/190
K Jared Ballman (Grossmont JC) 6-0/195
OL Skyler Fancher (Huntington Beach HS) Huntington Beach, CA 6-6/290
RB Brandon Johnson (Dominguez HS) Compton, CA 5-11/190
DE Kalani Aldrich (Kamehameha School) Keaau, HI 6-6/242
RB Willie Griffin (McClymonds SHS) Oakland, CA 5-9/190
LB Mason Foster (Seaside HS) Seaside, CA 6-3/226
LB Austin Sylvester (The Hun School) Princeton, NJ 6-3/245
**WR Devin Aguilar (Mullen HS) Denver, CO 6-1/180
WR Alvin Logan (Regis Jesuit HS) Aurora, CO 6-2/195
K Erik Folk (Notre Dame HS) Sherman Oaks, CA 5-10/190
RB Brandon Yakaboski (Mount Si HS) Snoqualmie, WA 6-0/190
RB Nate Williams (JFK Memorial HS) Burien, WA 6-1.5/205
OL Scott Shugert (Oregon City HS) Oregon City, OR 6-4/310
CB Vonzell McDowell (Rainier Beach HS) Seattle, WA 5-9.5/170
QB Ronnie Fouch (Redlands East Valley HS) Redlands, CA 6-2/185
WR Quinton Richardson (O'Dea HS) Seattle, WA 6-1/208
TE Chris Izbicki (Lake Washington HS) Kirkland, WA 6-4/240
**OL Emeka Iweka (Rainier Beach HS) Seattle, WA 6-6/290

Fun Facts:
The Huskies' class of 2007 was ranked 29th in the nation by Scout.com and 36th by Rivals.com ...

The class was headlined by 4* prospects Anthony Boyles, Brandon Johnson, Vonzell McDowell, and Chris Izbicki. Izbicki was rated as the nation's 4th best TE by Scout.com ...

Impact Transfers:
CB Byron Davenport (UCLA)
CB Roy Lewis (San Jose St.)

Fun Facts:
Lewis has been a two-year starter for the Huskies, starting all 12 games in 2006 and the last eight in 2005...

Davenport changed his name from Byron Velega upon transferring from UCLA ...​

Behind the Numbers

Truth in Advertising:

We can't look Behind the Numbers to see if the Buckeyes can muzzle the Huskies this week. We just might however, see how they'll go about it.

When analyzing statistics in week 2 of the season, the best we can hope for is that the teams playing on Saturday have faced similar competition. So much for hope.

Ohio State has faced a good I-AA (FCS if you insist on the politically correct appelation) team and a bad I-A (FBS if we must ...) team.

Washington has faced a I-A team, Syracuse, that is arguably worse than either team OSU has faced; and a team that won a BCS bowl last year, Boise State. This might tempt us to skew the stats in favor of the Huskies; but the many questions around the Broncos (Taylor Tharp replacing Jared Zabransky / questionable defense against reasonable competition) prevent us from leaping to this conclusion.

In fact, few conclusions about what will happen can be found behind the numbers this week. What the numbers do make clear however, is how the Buckeyes should approach this game.

Offense

While Ohio State hasn't exactly set the world on fire offensively, it is clear that the talent is there to have a good offense when the light comes on. Rather than try to guess if the light will come on this week, let's see what we can find by examining the run/pass balance of the offense.

vs. YSU

• 41 rush attempts
• 31 pass attempts

vs. Akron

• 41 rush attempts
• 31 pass attempts

The above is not a cut-and-paste error. They ran and passed the ball exactly the same number of times in the two games. The yardage was less balanced than the number of attempts, but that was largely due to the long runs that Beanie Wells produced late in the Akron game.

The practical upshot of this is that Ohio State is a balanced team, with more potential than they've shown in both the running and passing game. Any variance between the two in the Washington game will therefore be due to whatever imbalance there might be in Washington's defense.

Fortunately for the Buckeyes, that imbalance is glaringly obvious. The Huskies are relatively stout against the run, ranking 18th in rushing defense. But they are only 80th in pass defense. They are 40th in pass efficiency defense, but this was against two brand-new starting quarterbacks.

Perhaps a better way to illustrate the imbalance in the Husky stop troops is to compare their game against Syracuse to Iowa's game against the Orangemen. As Iowa is a team that OSU fans are familiar with, this comparison may be enlightening.

vs. Syracuse
____________________Rush D_______Pass D______Total D
Washington__________8 yards____199 yards____207 yards
Iowa_______________24 yards_____79 yards____103 yards

Apart from the fact that Syracuse is appallingly bad offensively again this year, the only thing that seems clear is that Washington is more biased to run defense than is Iowa.

Against Boise State, Washington remained biased against the run, giving up 103 ground yards compared to 285 passing yards. The only thing clear about Boise State this year is that Taylor Tharp has nothing like the running skills of Jared Zabransky; so it is doubtful that the Broncos offense will depend on the run as much as they did last year. Nevertheless, it seems clear that Washington is easier to pass against than to run against.

And if the Buckeyes keep this in mind, they might actually improve their season statistics against the best defense they will have faced. By starting out challenging the Huskies with athleticism and speed on the outside, the running game will gradually open up. Robiskie, Hartline, Sanzenbacher, Small, et. al. could very well pave the way for Beanie this week.

Defense

Just as Washington is biased towards stopping the run on defense; so are they biased towards the run on offense. This is borne out in freshman quarterback Jake Locker's stat line. In two games, the Husky QB has run for nearly half as many yards (167) as he has passed for (335).

Clearly, the strategy should be similar to the approach on offense. Just as Boeckman and Co. should open up with the pass; so should Laurinaitis and Friends force the freshman quarterback for Washington to pass. It is not so much Washington that is predisposed to running the ball as it is Jake Locker who prefers to run. The Bucks' speed on defense should take that option away from him.

On the other hand, taking the pass away and forcing Locker to run might be just as effective. In the second half against Boise State, Washington ran the ball 19 times (not counting the two "knees" they took at the end) and passed 7 times. In those 19 second-half rushes, the Huskies gained a paltry 65 yards. And 36 of those yards came on one Locker run.

Before you say it, let me add that it didn't appear to be that Willingham just buttoned up the offense Tressel-style. It's not that they didn't try to pass more than 7 times. Boise State just took the aerial option away from the freshman, forcing him to tuck it and run.

What is certain is that Ohio State will employ one of these strategies. Jim Tressel has made it clear that it is his defense's goal in every game to make the other team "one-handed". I like the Buckeyes' chances of making the Huskies play with one paw; and I like their chances of winning if they do.

The Buckeyes have been relatively unchallenged on defense thus far. It will be interesting to see if they keep it vanilla or if they throw new wrinkles at the Husky Puppy hoping to pressure him into mental mistakes.

Special Teams

The punting game looks to be rather uneventful this week. It's only two weeks of data, so don't bet the mortgage, but the numbers do tell a story.

Net Punting

Ohio State: 44.33 yards (3rd in NCAA)
Washington: 39.70 yards (18th in NCAA)​

Punt Returns

Ohio State: 6.89 yards (79th in NCAA)
Washington: 5.00 yards (91st in NCAA)​

It seems that both teams have done well so far at punt coverage, not so much at punt returns. While it is always possible that someone will miss an assignment and let the other guys break a big one, it is more likely that this trend will continue.

Kick-offs should be a different story though. With the tee moved back to the 30 yard line, the Buckeyes have a distinct advantage.

Kick-Off Return Yardage Defense

Ohio State: 16.70 yards - 3 touchbacks (16th in NCAA)
Washington: 26.08 yards - 0 touchbacks (106th in NCAA)​

Kick-Off Returns

Ohio State: 28.67 yards (12th in NCAA)
Washington: 16.43 yards (109th in NCAA)​

If this trend holds, Ohio State will be starting out with a significant advantage in field position on Saturday. What the Buckeyes do with that starting field position remains to be seen.

The best guess here is that the number that will determine the outcome is 5. That's the number of fall camps that Todd Boeckman has been through. While that isn't a substitute for road experience, I expect it will be enough to outproduce a freshman QB going up against the best defense he will have ever seen.​

The Lighter Side

Two games and $2.20 in to this season, Ohio State stands 2-0. Against meager foes, Ohio State's defense has proven to be outstanding having not yet given up a touchdown. There is concern over the offense, however, which has done enough to win but leaves fans longing for more. This is to be expected, of course, as Ohio State's 2006 spoiled us with big plays, tons of points, and yards-a-plenty. Still, while the Buckeyes probably aren't as troubled on offense as perception indicates, it's safe to say improvement is necessary. When Akron blows up a running play scoring a safety, things aren't going smoothly.

That said, who would rather be vesting their fall happiness in Michigan or Notre Dame football? Having your talented Sophomore tailback tackled in the end zone pales in comparison to getting your program exposed as a fraud, doesn't it? Michigan's troubles are severe. Former savior Ron English's defense may as well be sitting in an Ann Arbor Coffee House on Saturdays. At least that way the chances are better they'll be able to accomplish something ... anything ... even if it's as simple as being able to correctly order a large house-blend with cream and sugar. Lets face it, one used to be able to walk in to a coffee house and say "I'd like a cup of coffee with cream and sugar" with positive results. Now, if you're not conversational in Italian who knows what you might be getting. I digress. Point is, Michigan needs to get back to basics and the caffeine might allow them to play a little faster. Offensively, things are going downhill right quick as well. Mike Hart hasn't seemed to notice, assuring us all that Michigan will beat Notre Dame next week.

Ah, Notre Dame. As we all know, Notre Dame is lead by the greatest offensive mind the world has ever known. His offensive talent is so vast, it takes a good 300 or 400 pounds of flesh to contain it. Never mind the fact that his 3 year tenure has produced a loss to USC as its only signature win. The plain fact is, this guy has super bowl rings. Any failures in execution can be easily heaped upon Tyrone Willingham's resume much the same as a starting pitcher takes three earned runs when his reliever comes in and gives up a grand slam. Don't let the fact that Notre Dame has a season rushing total of minus seven yards alarm you. Never mind that Notre Dame has managed less than 300 yards of total offense for the year and has yet to put the ball in the end zone. If anyone has a plan for success it's Heavy C. And, of course, this week he gets just what the Doctor ordered - the damp tissue paper that is the Wolverine D. I don't know if there is a Jumbotron big enough to capture it, but Weis has to be smiling. If there's one thing for sure, who ever wins Unintentional Comedy Bowl I on Saturday, the victor and its fan base will be certain to ignore what's actually going on this year and proclaim a mammoth win over a traditional powerhouse.

Let's see here ... There was something else I was supposed to be writing about. What was it? I know I had a resolution in mind here ... Let's review ... I've talked about Coffee. Tyrone Willingham. Delusional fan bases. Once powerful programs which have fallen off the map ... Oh ... right. The Washington Huskies.

It's hard to believe, but there was a time when you could count on Washington Huskies fans to be among the leaders of moronic overstatements and odd ball arrogance. I can remember message board nitwits proclaiming Ohio State stood no chance against Washington ... no chance, even if Ohio State was coming off a 14 - 0 season with a National Championship and playing at home. Washington returned QB Cody Picket and WR Reggie Williams and Ohio State would therefore meet certain doom. I mean, we're talking about a fan base which, in the face of NCAA sanctions, drew up T-Shirts which proclaimed, "Roses? We don't need no stinkin roses" regarding their ban from participation in the Rose Bowl. On the arrogance level, it's really quite hard to top that, isn't it? But, in a stern warning to both Michigan and Notre Dame as to what can happen when your team wins 14 games in 4 years, all that remains, or so it would appear from a quick visit to Husky boards, is some character who refers to Ohio State as "O$U."

Now, "O$U" is pretty common among smaller Ohio school fans bearing weighty chips on their ever so sleight shoulders. But, coming from a Huskies fan ... Well, that's down right comical. The Huskie ... or should I say the "Hu$kie$" have served NCAA punishment for, among other things, it being proven that Billy Joe Hobert, Rose Bowl MVP, accepted upwards of $50,000 from a U-Dub booster. This incident, of course, in not the first or only time U-Dub has found itself in the NCAA crosshairs. Now, it's pretty clear that this particular Husky fan wouldn't know Don James from Rick James and likely has no idea that Washington was tagged with the dreaded "Lack of institutional control." Chances are, this guy doesnt even know what "lack of institutional control" even is. His post, or should I say, the lack of idiot and like minded follow ups, represents a severe departure from just four years ago. In year's past thre would have been dramatic overstatements, outlandish self indulgent theorems of greatness and bizarre unsolicited insults at Ohio State flying from every corner. Now? Nothing. No over the top responses which lack foundation in anything resembling reality. No outlandish rhetoric fueled by a Starbucks Coffee overdose. Nothing. It would seem the beat down of years of mediocrity has turned Huskies boards in to virtual ghost towns. In fact, it would appear they are little more than a place for Fighting Irish fans to hang out. Taking notes, are they? I doubt it, since Irish arrogance and ignorance truly knows no peer. But ... I took it as encouraging none-the-less. More likely, however, is that the ND faithful are acting on their odd compulsion to defend Domer honor on other team's fansites, even if no one else on that board is even discussing Team Has-been.

Anyway, the few Huskies that were posting seemed to have taken several doses of reality. Rather than come up with wild theories about how beating the life out of an already lifeless Syracuse team means the Huskies are back, they simply state - Well, not a lot we can really know about the Huskies based on that. Even beating ranked Boise State has had very little effect. I half expected the theory that such a win is hard fast evidence that Ohio State is walking in to a satanic bloodbath. Nope. Just the simple hope that Washington may be turning the corner. Hoping to get fuel for this piece, I was greeted instead with observations like "Well, Ohio State is worlds more talented than Boise State." Yes, there were a few threads about whether or not U-Dub can win the Pac 10 this year, but there's nothing wrong with a little hope, is there? Take heed, Michigan. Take heed Notre Dame ... Washington could well be your future ...

And ... in other news, for the first time this year, John Q. Ohio State fan will finally get a chance to see the Buckeyes play.​

Traditions & Opponent Perspective

Ahhh, the Huskies, rich in tradition!

The University of Washington Husky Marching Band (HMB) is a 240-member ensemble utilizing the traditional chair-step and toe-point style of marching. The HMB is a year round ensemble that actively participates in supporting all of the Husky Athletics. All members participate during the fall to help support Husky Football at all home football games and even selected away games.

• When returning from an away game, band members sing the Alma Mater upon first reaching the old Montlake draw bridge and seeing the parapets of Husky stadium.
• The rookies must learn the fight song by the first home-game. They are tested on the first road trip of the season. Each bus has the rookies sing the fight song without making a mistake when leaving the Seattle area.
• Following each Husky victory, each band member wears their baseball hat backwards to help celebrate the win. After each first down, the band plays a unison note. For each consecutive first down an additional tone is added to the run, half a step higher.
• Campus Rallies - Campus Rallies tend to be Husky Band members and Greek socialites favorite Friday Night tradition. During football season and before every home football game, band members and cheer squad all dress up and head out into the cool fall night to get the entire campus ready for the football game the following afternoon. Traveling through the dorm system on North Campus and into the streets surrounding, you can hear the Husky Band play every fans favorite songs. Everyone joins the band dancing and singing all the way. The evening is topped off on the steps of Suzzallo Library with a wild pep rally.
• Pre-Game Traditions - Before the Husky Football team takes the field on Saturday afternoons, the Husky Band can be seen performing a traditional pre-game show. The show starts out with the Logo pull-out W, all the while playing Bow Down to Washington. As friendly salute to the visiting team, the HMB performs the opponents fight song. The band continues to play and march, forming a large flag pole and raising a huge American Flag during America the Beautiful and the Star-Spangled Banner.
• Like 'Hang on Sloopy' at Ohio State, for over twenty years 'Tequila' has been recognized as the Husky Bands 'dynasty song'. From the 'Tequila!' bumper stickers Husky fans sport on their cars, to the local sports apparel store called 'The Tequila Club', no other song gets the purple and gold faithful as energized as that classic '50's hit which was first popularized as a sports anthem by the Husky Band. Today the Band plays 'Tequila' on the first big play in the second half of each game and during all away game pre-game shows.
• Since 1921 The Siren has sounded after each Washington score, every Washington victory and upon the entrance of the Purple & Gold into Husky Stadium. Care and operation of The Siren is vested in the band's Equipment Manager.
• Perhaps the bands most celebrated tradition is the worldwide fan phenomenon known as 'The Wave'. Created at Husky Stadium by former director Bill Bissell and yell king Rob Weller, 'The Wave' has gone on to international fame. To perpetuate Husky Stadiums status as 'The Home of the Wave', band members are expected to enthusiastically participate in it when ordered by the Yell King.

Washington's teams were called Sun Dodgers starting in 1919. The nickname originated when a college magazine of the same name was banned from campus and, in protest, students adopted the name for their teams. But the Sun Dodgers did not do much for the Northwest's image, so a committee set out in 1921 to pick a new nickname.

While no progress was being made on the name change, athletic officials adopted Vikings during the semester break in December of 1921. When the students returned to campus, they immediately protested the name change.

In an attempt to determine a mascot, the committee came down to two final choices -- Malamutes and Huskies. The committee felt those were appropriate because of Seattle's nearness to the Alaskan frontier. The Husky was voted the most appropriate.

The University officially accepted the nickname Huskies for its athletic teams on Feb. 3, 1922. The announcement was made at halftime of the Washington-Washington State basketball game. The nickname was selected by a joint comittee of students, coaches, faculty, alumni and businessmen. The name "Huskies" was presented at halftime by football captain-elect Robert Ingram. When Ingram made his speech, large white pacards were hoisted in the rooters section occupied by varsity letterwinners displaying the slogans: "The Husky stands for ? fight and tenacity ? character and courage ? endurance and willingness."

There are nine other senior (four-year) colleges that share the UW's nickname of Huskies.

While Husky Stadium fans enjoy the event of tailgating like those at other stadiums, the fans at Washington add a unique element not found elsewhere - tailgating by boat. The stadium's location on the shores of Lake Washington makes it easily accessible by boat from all over the Seattle area, and encourages many fans to use the water to travel to and from games.

Whitepaw's Arlut Spirit of Gold Dust ("Spirit") made his debut as Washington's mascot in 1999. He is the 10th Alaskan Malamute to have served as the Husky mascot. He leads the team out of the tunnel before every home football game and wanders the sidelines during the contest accompanied by trainer Kim Cross and several of Cross' children, who act as handlers.

Washington's school colors, Purple and Gold, were adopted in 1892 by a vote of a student assembly on the original downtown Seattle campus. One patriotic group favored Red, White and Blue as the University's colors, reasoning that "since the school was named after the father of our country, our national colors should be the school's colors." The opposing faction argued that national colors should not be degraded for such everyday use. The debate was ended when a young English instructor, Miss Frazier, stood and read the following excerpt from Lord Byron's "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."​

Historical Data

University of Washington (Seattle, WA) Founded in 1861

Football 1st Season: 1889
Stadium: Husky Stadium
Constructed: 1920
Seating Capacity: 72,500 (originally 30,000)
Playing Surface: FieldTurf
Conference: Pacific Athletic Conference (PAC-10)
Colors: Purple and Gold
Mascot: Husky (Whitepaw's Arlut Spirit of Gold Dust ["Spirit"] debut in 1999 and is the 10th Alaskan Malamute to have served as the Husky mascot)
College Classification: NCAA Football Bowl Division (formerly D-IA) or equivalent since 1937
Conference Championships: 15 - 4 Pacific Coast Conference Champions & 11 Pacific-10 Conference Champions
Consensus All-Americans: 20 (as of NCAA 2005)
College Hall-of-Famers: 10
Pro Hall-of-Famers: 3 - Hugh McElhenny, Warren Moon*, Arnie Weinmeister
Award Winners: 1 COY AFCA, 1 COY Eddie Robinson, 1 COY George Munger, 1 Doak Walker, 1 Lombardi, 1 Outland
National Championships: 1 - 1991 (4 others can be claimed from awarding agencies - 1910, 1960, 1984, 1990)
Number of final rankings: AP - 22, UP/UPI/Coaches - 19
​

Records

All Time: 649-377-50 (.626)
Bowl Games: 14-14-1 (.500) Most recently a 24-34 loss to Purdue in the 2002 Sun Bowl
All Time vs the BigTen: 40-37-1 (.519) versus teams with conference membership at time of game
All Time vs the Ohio State Buckeyes: 3-7-0 (.300) Most recently a 28-9 loss to the Buckeyes in 2003 at Columbus
Coach's Reord: Tyrone "Ty" Willingham, 2005-current, 7-16-0 (.304) at Washington, 72-67-1 (.518) overall

2006 Season: 5-7-0 (.417)
Sep 2 - W vs. San Jose St, 35-29
Sep 9 - L at Oklahoma, 20-37
Sep 16 - W vs. Fresno State, 21-20
Sep 23 - W vs. U-C-L-A, 29-19
Sep 30 - W at Arizona, 21-10
Oct 7 - L at U-S-C, 20-26
Oct 14 - L vs. Oregon State, 17-27
Oct 21 - L at California, 24-31 OT
Oct 28 - L vs. Arizona State, 23-26 OT
Nov 4 - L at Oregon, 14-34
Nov 11 - L vs. Stanford, 3-20
Nov 18 - W at Washington St, 35-32

2007 Schedule
Aug 31 - at Syracuse, 8:00 PM
Sep 8 - vs. Boise State, 3:30 PM
Sep 15 - vs. Ohio State, 3:30 PM
Sep 22 - at U-C-L-A, TBA
Sep 29 - vs. U-S-C, 8:00 PM
Oct 6 - Open
Oct 13 - at Arizona State, TBA
Oct 20 - vs. Oregon, TBA
Oct 27 - vs. Arizona, 3:00 PM
Nov 3 - at Stanford, 3:30 PM
Nov 10 - at Oregon State, 10:15 PM
Nov 17 - vs. California, TBA
Nov 24 - vs. Washington St, TBA
Dec 1 - at Hawaii, TBA​

Links

Official Sites:
Official School Site - University of Washington
Student Newspaper - The Daily
Official Athletic Site - GoHuskies
Official Conference Site - Pacific Athletic Conference (PAC-10)

Message Boards & Team Pages:
Message Board - HuskyFan (Independent)
Message Board - RealDawg (Independent)
Message Board - Husky Digest (Rivals)
Message Board - Dawgman (Scout)
Blog - 4malamute (Independent)
Blog - One Vicious Animal
Blog - Washington Huskies Insider (News Tribune)
Blog - UDubDish
Blog - UW Football
Blog - Huskies Football (Seattle PI)
Blog - GDawgBlog (Seattle PI)
Blog - Washington FanHouse
Team Page - NCAA
Team Page - ESPN
Team Page - USA Today
Team Page - Fox Sports
Team Page - Sporting News
Team Page - CBS Sportsline
Team Page - CNN/SI
Team Page - Yahoo Sports
Team Page - AOL
Team Page - CSTV
Team Page - ATSH2H
Team Page - Covers

Local News Sources:
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Local News
Seattle Times - Local News
The News Tribune (Tacoma) - Local News

Team Previews and Breakdowns:
2007 Spring Football Preview - Go Huskies
2007 Football Preview: Offense - Go Huskies
2007 Football Preview: Defense - Go Huskies
2007 Football Preview (PDF) - PAC-10
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - CFN
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - Offense - CFN
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - Defense - CFN
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - Depth Chart - CFN
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - Recruiting - CFN
2006 Washington Huskies Football Preview - CFN
Washington Team Report - CSTV/Sports Xchange (Links to previous reports)
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - Athlon
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - CNN/SI
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - Sports Network
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - College Football Poll
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - Dispatch/Buckeye Extra
2007 Washington Huskies Football Preview - Maddux Sports

2007 Football Spring Prospectus (PAC-10) - PAC-10
2007 PAC-10 Football Preview - CFN
2007 Spring Preview - Analyzing the Pac 10 - CFN
Preseason Lookaheads - Pac 10 - CFN
Breaking down the Pac-10 - ESPN
Spring look around the Pac-10 - ESPN
Inside spring drills: Pac-10 preview - Rivals
2007 PAC-10 Football Preview - College Football Poll
2007 PAC-10 Football Preview - The Ozone

Prospectus, Rosters & Other Info.:
2007 Roster - Go Huskies
News Releases - Go Huskies
Team Stats - Go Huskies
Media Guide (Links to PDF Files) - Go Huskies

Travel:
Ticket Information - Go Huskies
TV/Radio Information - Go Huskies
Husky Stadium - Go Huskies
Travel & Parking Info - Go Huskies
Boating Shuttle Service - Go Huskies
Tailgaiting - Go Huskies
Gameday Info - Go Huskies
​

Preseason Rankings

#54 CFN
#64 Athlon
#74 Chicago Tribune (Teddy Greenstein)
#99 CCR (Projected Final Regular Season)​

Preseason Watch Lists

None​

Preseason Accolades

PAC-10 Preseason Media Poll
1. USC (39) 390
2. California 323
3. UCLA 305
4. Arizona State 242
5. Oregon State 237
6. Oregon 226
7. Arizona 162
8. Washington State 115
9. Washington 98
10. Stanford 47​

2007 Washington Huskies Game Preview​

Note: Statistical data was complied using a variety of sources, including:
Stassen (Chris Stassen) - Data
College Football Data Warehouse - Data
American College Football-RSFC (Dave Wilson) - Data
D1A Football (Formerly WALJ 10 College Football) - Data
National Champs.net - Data
Hickok Sports - Data

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

So sometime during the winter of '21-'22, Washington chose between "Huskies" and "Malamutes" as their team name.

They chose "Huskies" as their name, but now use a Malamute as their mascot.

Did I get that right? Am I missing something?