Huskies

NCAAF Washington Huskies

General Information

NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Pac-12
City: Seattle, Washington
Stadium: Husky Stadium

Championships

National Championships: 5
Conference Titles:17
Division Titles: 4
Bowl Record: 20-20-1

Past Conferences

PCC (1916–1958)
Independent (1889–1915)

Washington Huskies Football History

The Washington Huskies had their inaugural season in 1889. Gil Dobie was named head coach in 1908. Dobie led the Huskies to nine straight undefeated seasons. They won their first National Championship in 1910 after finishing 6-0. The Pacific Coast Conference was formed in 1916. The Huskies finished 3-0 in conference play in 1916 and won the PCC in its first season. Dobie left Washington in 1917 to coach the Navy.

Former player Enoch Bagshaw coached the Huskies from 1921-1929. Bagshaw led the Huskies to seven winning seasons during his nine-year stint. The Huskies played in the Rose Bowl in both 1923 and 1925. In 1923, the Huskies tied with the Navy. In 1925, the Huskies lost to Alabama. He left Washington after the 1929 season.

James Phelan coached the Huskies from 1930-1941. He led the Huskies to a winning record in each of his first eight seasons. In 1936, the Huskies finished with a 7-2-1 overall record and a 7-0-1 conference record. They went on to win the PCC and went to the Rose Bowl. They went on to lose to Pittsburgh. Phelan finished his career at Washington with a 65–37–8 overall record.

The Huskies wouldn’t make another Rose Bowl until 1959 under head coach Jim Owens. The Huskies put up back-to-back 10-1 seasons in 1959 and 1960. They blew Wisconsin out in the 1959 Rose Bowl. In 1960, they beat Minnesota in the Rose Bowl and were crowned National Champions for the second time in program history. In 1963, the Huskies returned to the Rose Bowl where they lost to Illinois. Owens led the Huskies to five more winning seasons before resigning in 1974. He finished his career with a 99-82-6 overall record and a 60–58–2 conference record.

Don James was named head coach in 1975. After two middling seasons to begin his stint, James led the Huskies to a 6-1 conference record and a Pac-8 Championship. The Huskies appeared in back-to-back Rose Bowl games in 1980 and 1981. They also won the Pac-10 in both seasons. 1984 was a particularly successful season for the Huskies. The Huskies finished with an 11-1 overall record and a 6-1 conference record. They finished second in the conference, but they were crowned National Champions after beating Oklahoma 28-17 in the Orange Bowl. The Huskies won the Pac-10 each season from 1990-1992. They put up a combined 31-5 combined record and a 21-3 conference record. In 1991, the Huskies finished with a perfect 12-0 record. They went on to beat Michigan 34-14 in the Rose Bowl and were crowned National Champions again. After finishing 9-3 in 1992, James resigned for off-the-field reasons. He finished his career at Washington as the most decorated coach in program history. He finished with a 150–60–2 overall record, a 97–38–2 conference record and a 10-4 bowl record. Additionally, he led the Huskies to seven conference championships and two national championships.

Jim Lambright coached the Huskies from 1993-1998. The Huskies never had a losing season during Lambright’s tenure. In 1995, the Huskies finished with a 7-4-1 and won the Pac-10. Unfortunately, they lost the Sun Bowl to Iowa. From 1996-1998, the Huskies made a bowl game. In 1997, they beat Michigan State in the Aloha Bowl while losing the other two bowl games. Lambright was let go after the 1998 season. He finished with a 44–25–1 overall record and a 1-3 bowl season.

Rick Neuheisel coached the Huskies for the next four seasons. He led them to a winning record in each season. The Huskies finished with an 11-1 record in his second year at the helm. They went on to win Pac-10 and the Rose Bowl after beating Purdue 34-24. In 2001, the Huskies finished with an 8-4 overall record and a 6-2 conference record. They went on to lose a nail-biter against Texas in the Holiday Bowl. The Huskies finished 7-6 in the 2002 season and lost the Sun Bowl to Purdue. Neuheisel was let go in June 2003 for off-the-field issues.

Keith Gilbertson coached the Huskies in 2003 and 2004. He led the Huskies to a 7-16 overall record in two seasons at the helm.

Tyrone Willingham became head coach in 2005. The Huskies never finished with more than five wins under Willingham. In 2008, he led the Huskies to an abysmal 0-12 overall record and a 0-9 conference record. He was fired after the 2008 season and finished his tenure with an 11-37 overall record and a 6-29 conference record.

Steve Sarkisian coached the Huskies from 2009-2013. After a middling first season at the helm, he led the Huskies to four straight winning seasons from 2010-2013. In 2010, they finished with a 7-6 record and a win in the Holiday Bowl. The Huskies finished 7-6 in each of the next two seasons as well. They earned back-to-back trips to Bowl games also. In 2013, he led them to an 8-4 overall record and a win in the Fight Hunger Bowl. He left to become head coach at USC after the 2013 season.

In 2014, Chris Petersen was hired as head coach. Petersen led the Huskies to a winning record and bowl game in each of his six seasons at the helm. The Huskies won 10 games three seasons straight from 2016-2018. In 2016, they finished with a 12-2 record, won the Pac-12 and lost the Peach Bowl. In 2017, the Huskies finished 10-3 and lost the Fiesta Bowl. In 2018, the Huskies finished 10-4, won the Pac-12 and lost the Rose Bowl. After going 8-5 in 2019, he stepped down. He finished his career with a 55–26 overall record, a 34–20 conference record and a 2-4 bowl record.

Kalen DeBoer is the current coach at Washington. They finished with an 11-2 record in 2022 and won the Alamo Bowl.

All Time Stats

Passing Yards

Jake Browning: 12,296
Cody Pickett: 9,916
Keith Price: 8,916
Jake Locker: 7,639
Brock Huard: 5,742

Rushing Yards

Myles Gaskin: 5,323
Chris Polk: 4,049
Napoleon Kaufman: 4,041
Bishop Sankey: 3,496
Joe Steele: 3,091

Receiving Yards

Reggie Williams: 3,536
Jermaine Kearse: 2,871
Dante Pettis: 2,256
Jaydon Mickens: 2,187
Mario Bailey: 2,093

What is the highest win total in program history?

The Huskies won 12 games during the 1991 season and the 2016 season. The 1991 season ended with the Huskies winning the Rose Bowl, while the 2016 season ended with the Huskies losing the Peach Bowl.

What was the worst season in program history?

In 2008 the Huskies finished with a 0-12 overall record under fourth-year head coach Tyrone Willingham. It was their first time finishing winless since the 1890 season.

How many bowl games have the Huskies appeared in?

The Huskies have played in 41 total bowl games and currently hold a 20-20-1 overall bowl record. They most recently beat the Texas Longhorns in the 2022 Alamo Bowl.