Courtesy UW football
Alphonzo Tuputala of Federal Way spent the past five seasons playing linebacker for the University of Washington.
Huskies have won it all in football
By Tim Clinton
History has been kind to the University of Washington football team.
The Husky program dates back as long as the state of Washington itself, with both first appearing on the scene in 1889.
Most of the team's history was spent in the same conference.
The UW was a charter member of what would become the Pac-12 Conference in 1916, and it won all 18 of the conference championships it has taken there.
Most of the time the team played the rival Big 10 Conference champion in the Rose Bowl after the season. The Huskies played in 15 of the New Years Day bowls in Pasadena, winning seven.
But now Washington has jumped over to the Big 10, making the move for the 2024 season along with Oregon, USC and UCLA.
The Huskies struggled in conference play, but still made the Sun Bowl, where they were edged by Louisville, 35-34.
Washington reached the College Football Playoff national championship game just two years ago, however.
It outgunned Texas, 37-31, in a Sugar Bowl semifinal before taking a 34-13 loss to Michigan in the final.
The Huskies also made a playoff appearance in 2016, playing Alabama in a Peach Bowl semifinal and losing, 24-7.
Washington is no stranger to the national championship picture from its long history before the playoffs existed.
The Huskies shared the championship with Miami in 1991, winning the coaches' poll after a perfect season that included a 34-14 Rose Bowl victory over Michigan.
They took second to Brigham Young despite a 28-17 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma in 1984, and won the title named by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1960 following a 17-7 Rose Bowl win over Minnesota.
Washington has played in 44 bowl games over the years and would have made even more had the conference allowed more than the champion to advance before 1975.
The UW did win conference championships in 1916, 1919, 1925, 1936, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2016, 2018 and 2023.
The Huskies won Pac-12 North Division titles in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2023.
Washington boasts an all-time record of 781-467-50 for a .621 percentage. It has an official 21-21-1 record in bowl games, not including a 53-13 victory over Hawaii in the unofficial 1937 Poi Bowl.
The UW has called Husky Stadium its home since 1920 in a move from Denny Field.
Washington also has an unclaimed national championship from before they were given out in 1910, when it posted a 6-0 record.
That was just the beginning of many good things to come.