Washington Huskies

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 Huskies
University	University of Washington
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
NCAA	Division I (FBS)
Athletic director	Jennifer Cohen
Location	Seattle, Washington
Varsity teams	22
Football stadium	Husky Stadium
Basketball arena	Hec Edmundson Pavilion
Baseball stadium	Husky Ballpark
Softball stadium	Husky Softball Stadium
Soccer stadium	Husky Soccer Stadium
Other arenas	Dempsey Indoor Lloyd Nordstrom Tennis Center
Mascot	Dubs, Harry the Husky
Nickname	Huskies, UDub
Fight song	Bow Down to Washington
Colors	Purple and Gold[1]
Website	gohuskies.com

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, has traditionally led 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]

Among its facilities on campus are 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. With most on-campus facilities located on or near Montlake Boulevard in Seattle, "Montlake" is used as a metonym for the athletic department and its teams.[4][5]

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

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 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. 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, 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. In 2009, under first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Huskies snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 42-23 victory over Idaho. The following week, Washington crushed the spirits of then-No. 3 USC, winning 16-13 on a last-second field goal. The Huskies rose to No. 25 in the polls after the victory but lost six of their next eight games to fall to 5-7 prior to a season finale showdown against No. 19-ranked California, where the Huskies won 42-10.

National Championships awarded or claimed (4)

1960 (Helms), 1985 (B(QPRS), FN, NCF), 1990 (Rothman/FACT), 1991 (CNN and FWAA)

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

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

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

NCAA Championships (1)

Championships: (2009)

Title games: 1996, 1999, 2009, 2018

Pac-12 Championships (4)

1996, 2000, 2010, 2019

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[7]

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.[8]

Women's tennis

Pac-12 Championships

1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997

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.[9] 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)[10]

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

Varsity Four: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2017

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

Junior Varsity Eight: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2014, 2017

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.[11] In 1961 Judy Hoetmer 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.[12][13][14]

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.[15] The Huskies are led by head coach Brian Schoener, who formerly played for the U.S. national rugby team,[16] 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.[17]

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.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]

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[21] (who is the first of his name) became the Husky mascot in 2009.[22] 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.[23]

Dubs II was officially unveiled as Dubs' successor on March 23, 2018 (National Puppy Day).[24] He had been selected from a group of 90 puppies to become the 14th live mascot for the University of Washington.[25] 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.[26]

Dubs II is present before every home Husky football game as seen in this video[27]

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

References

1. "Colors | UW Brand". Washington.edu. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
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. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
6. "2014 NCAA Football Record Book" (PDF). NCAA. p. 117. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
7. Bruscas, Mike. "Historic Pair Of Top-10s For Huskies At Nationals". gohuskies.com. University of Washington Athletics.
8. https://www.collegeswimming.com/team/288/
9. Lange, Greg. "Rowing begins at University of Washington on December 15, 1899". History Link. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_rowing_(United_States)#Women's. Missing or empty |title= (help)
11. "Julianne Alvarez's clutch play propels Huskies to first NCAA title". ESPN. Associated Press. May 26, 2016.
12. "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.
13. "2015 Tournament Champions". Retrieved August 22, 2019.
14. "2016 Tournament Champions". Retrieved August 22, 2019.
15. Husky Rugby Club, About, http://www.huskyrugby.com/p/about.html
16. ESPN Scrum, Players and Officials, Brian Schoener, http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/player/14838.html
17. 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
18. MCLA | Washington Huskies, http://mcla.us/team/washington/2013/schedule.html
19. UW-WSU Final Score, http://mcla.us/scores/games/12202/
20. "Washington Huskies". Washington Huskies. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
21. "Dubs | University of Washington". admit.washington.edu. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
22. Goldenshteyn, Maks. "'Dubs' announced as new live UW mascot". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
23. "Welcome, Puppy Dubs". Go Huskies. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
24. "Say Hello To Dubs II, UW's New Mascot". Patch.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
25. "10/10, would cheer with: UW introduces new live mascot, Dubs II, and he is adorable". Seattle Times. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
26. "DAM RIGHT Seniors close out 2018 home slate with convincing win". Daily UW. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
27. Pac-12 Networks (August 29, 2016), Washington's live mascot Dubs energizes Husky fans, retrieved June 30, 2017

External links

• Official website